I must admit, I was not always a fan of research. At some point, I actually bought into the myth that it was one of the most boring aspects of science. Today I am glad to say that that is no longer my view. From my own research as a public health student as well as from my experience so far as a Senior Research Associate at the Zambia Ministry of Health under the Global Health Corps fellowship program, I have come to fall in love with research, and appreciate daily the important and often overlooked role it plays in our lives.
Most people consider research to be an abstract science involving tedious amounts of reading, protocol development and data collection and analysis. Research does involve a lot of work, but so do all tasks worth doing. At the end of the day your blood, sweat, and tears are all well worth the effort. What I love most about research is its real world impact; finding lasting solutions to the problems that plague our society. In the words of Wernher von Braun – “Research is what I’m doing when I don’t know what I’m doing.”
Without research, the world today would not have vaccine-preventable diseases. We would not have made the strides we have made in reducing maternal and infant mortality, or in the prevention and control of infectious diseases, or in the increased uptake of cancer screening services. These are but a few of the many achievements that have resulted from research. And the world continues to rely on research to find answers to diseases that have plagued mankind- AIDS, Malaria, Tuberculosis and emerging diseases such as Ebola
Another interesting facet of research is the field of evidence-based policy-making. Researchers and policy makers have worked together for decades now to come up with policies based on research evidence. One of the earliest and most common examples is the policy regarding smoking, which has seen the use of tobacco being banned in public places such as restaurants and workplaces, and the restriction of sales of such products to minors. It is interesting to note, however, that not much literature exists to support just how much evidence goes into policy making (a possible research area to look into during my fellowship perhaps?)
Recently, I discovered that research can also touch people’s lives in more immediate and direct, albeit unexpected ways. During a visit to one of the sites for the TB survey conducted by the Ministry of Health, I learnt that people came from far and wide to the data collection point, drawn there simply by the knowledge that a doctor was part of the research team. For some, especially in the most remote areas, this was the only opportunity they had to get medical attention as the closest health facilities are miles away from their homes. Although this was outside the scope of the study, no one was turned away. The doctors on the team found themselves delivering babies and carrying out routine checkups in addition to collecting data for the survey. It is the knowledge generated by such studies of the real plight of real people out there that fuels my love for research.
So here’s to making the most of my year as part of the research unit at the Ministry of Health. I look forward to being a part of the team that builds the body of knowledge that will provide answers to the questions science and society ask of us.