Research | News

Posted: August 24, 2015

The Division of Research in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Medicine recently published its annual report. The publication details faculty and staff research activities and publications from 2014-15.

Please download the report for more information.
 

Stony Brook MPH Graduate Masra Shameem Wins Fulbright Scholarship

Posted: July 17, 2015

Attending high school in Karachi, Pakistan, Masra Shameem witnessed the disparity in healthcare access between developing nations and the United States. Most striking to her was the lack of education and proactive screening made available to women. This global health issue remained in Ms. Shameem’s mind throughout her education and, most recently, while an MPH student at Stony Brook University. While earning her degree, she sought opportunities to improve women’s healthcare across cultural and economic barriers, joining Dr. Joyce Varughese in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Medicine to study cervical cancer screening. After beating out thousands of applicants, Ms. Shameem will apply her expertise to analyze cervical cancer screening in Mumbai starting this August with a prestigious Fulbright Scholarship.

Under the guidance of Dr. Dhananjaya Saranath, Executive Director at Cancer Patient Aid Association (CPAA), Ms. Shameem will use her award to analyze the cultural and economic factors affecting Mumbai women and their decisions to undergo cervical cancer screening. According to Ms. Shameem, more women die of cervical cancer in India than in any other country in the world. While most studies focus on screening in rural areas, little is known about the barriers present among metropolitan regions like Mumbai, where one might expect an increase in resources and education. To the contrary, however, a recent study showed that Mumbai women refuse cervical cancer screening even when education and tests are provided gratis. Partnering with the CPAA’s HPV Laboratory Project, which is devoted to providing 5,000 free HPV screenings to women in Mumbai, Ms. Shameem will interact with patients to determine factors that affect their decision to undergo or decline screening. More specifically, her study will investigate questions pertaining to cervical cancer education; social stigmas associated with HPV; autonomy in healthcare decisions amongst Mumbai women; and the correlation between education level, general healthcare behavior, and a willingness to be screened.

I had always hoped to return to developing nations, like Pakistan, to understand the reasons behind health disparities. The Fulbright grant will provide me with this opportunity. However, unlike my experiences in Pakistan in which I was a silent observer, the Fulbright grant allows me to actively investigate a health outcome affecting thousands of women in the developing world

 Ms. Shameem hopes her study will enable future physicians and public health administrators to better understand and manage the complicated cultural factors affecting South Asian women and HPV screening. Analyzing and addressing these influences will help the global medical community in decreasing “preventable deaths” caused by cervical cancer and save the lives of the over 100,000 women predicted to die from the disease by 2020. When asked about her study, Ms. Shameem notes, “I had always hoped to return to developing nations, like Pakistan, to understand the reasons behind health disparities. The Fulbright grant will provide me with this opportunity. However, unlike my experiences in Pakistan in which I was a silent observer, the Fulbright grant allows me to actively investigate a health outcome affecting thousands of women in the developing world.”

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