What role do I play to make the greatest impact?

I believe Dr. Suneeta Krishnan and her team measure their success by observing whether their research has changed the viewpoints of key stakeholders and has motivated them to change their practices for the better. In this project, after we have finalized the report, the team plans to set up a meeting to present the results to key stakeholders (doctors, government officials) and to persuade them to correct certain practices and implement certain policies to improve cervical cancer prevention.

At first, I felt accomplished by just finishing my deliverables in a timely fashion. Because I had never done qualitative research and qualitative “coding” data analysis before, I felt a bit overwhelmed and did not know what was expected of my assignments.

Now, in addition to deliverables, I want to more deeply understand how research collaborations are formed and how studies are initiated. Therefore, I feel more successful simply from conversations with co-workers about how such connections are made.

Of course, if I had taken formal classes in qualitative research, I would have been better prepared for the internship. However, from this research I’ve learned how impactful words can be. Doctors’ and teachers’ words can stigmatize the disease and prevent women from seeking care. Therefore, I feel that my work with editing, re-wording, and analyzing the final report is important for the readers to understand the main take-away of the report. In this sense, I feel that I am making a difference. Systemic problems in the healthcare system and health communication can only be solved by talking to the leaders and healthcare professionals responsible for them.