Hi all! My name is Anna Stabnick and I am a rising senior. I study public health and women’s studies. My research interests lie in the efficacy of support systems surrounding reproductive health care, both in access to and the quality of care delivered for all individuals. For the duration of this program, I am working on a collaborative project investigating the impact of maternal deaths on obstetric providers in the Komfo Anoke Teaching Hospital (KATH) in Kumasi, Ghana, and how existing resources for support may or may not be enough for providers to process these events and cope with their effects. When I first discussed this project possibility with my current research mentor back in January, I had no idea how this kind of research would be tied to the greater global conversation about our expectations of the roles of providers in the way that is so clearly connected now.
I am conducting research on support through hospital deaths while witnessing the persistence of a pandemic as well as a growing civil rights movement initiated by the continued unjust loss of innocent lives. It’s definitely heavy, and I feel like I am thinking about feelings of grief and loss more than I ever have. But in the least morbid way possible, I feel like over the past months, I have learned more about hope and healing than I have in the 21 years I’ve been on this earth.
My research specifically focuses on what it takes from a community to handle difficult life events. Past research shows that physicians, in general, are more emotionally impacted by deaths occurring under their care than their work or social environments recognize to provide them adequate support. While this might be the case, our world in crisis has proven to me that while we don’t often talk about it, and we really don’t like to think about it, in the case that a situation involves a tragedy such as a preventable death, the vast majority of people are ready, willing, and energized to offer whatever they are able to mitigate the effects and reevaluate where gaps exist in the systems meant to protect us. I have been so moved in seeing unity among those from all walks of life to work towards a better world. Seeing community COVID-19 relief resources grew within a week of the state shut down, fundraising efforts and an incredible number of donations going to bail funds and community BLM organizers over just the past couple of weeks while massive crowds demand change – initiatives like this prove the impact of community action. But more than this, it proves to me our faith in our communities; our ability to feel with each other and refuse to allow injustice or apathy to be what defines us. Most relevant to my research was the realization of and subsequent action to fulfill the support needs of health workers and care providers in light of the reality of their role in a public health crisis. It’s a beautifully inspiring phenomenon to witness, and has really been what drives my getting out of bed and onto my laptop each morning.
So while there has been a lot which has made focusing on my research project much more difficult, witnessing these connections has provided a bit of motivation in terms of the relevance of this work and incredible potential for which adequate emotional support can improve care providing systems.
This project will be a challenge, no doubt. The participants to be interviewed have to do so through a video platform system from another time zone, and all communication with my research team is through various online systems. I think we are a unique cohort in that these are shared concerns. But I am excited to learn and grow through this, with all of you.
Yours in the struggle,
Anna