Dr. Sabanur Çavdar, a medical doctor and public health specialist from Türkiye, spent half of her 10 months as a Humphrey Fellow working with PHII’s Practice Support Unit.
Sabanur is a faculty member at Istanbul Medipol University, with experience in the management of public health and primary healthcare services at the directorates of the Ministry of Health at local levels in Istanbul. Following are excerpts of her experiences at PHII and with the Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program, a Fulbright exchange activity hosted at Emory University's Rollins School of Public Health.
Why did you want to participate in the Humphrey Fellowship Program?
When I decided to apply for the program, I was working at one of the important district health directorates in Istanbul, Türkiye. My experience in the field made me realize the gaps to work on. I wanted to improve my leadership skills, increase my theoretical knowledge, make international connections, and gain experience with the intention to facilitate evidence-based and up-to-date public health policies and actions in my country.
As a public health specialist who is focusing on public health management, I applied for the Public Health Policy and Management area of the Humphrey Fellowship Program. Emory’s Rollins School of Public Health is the main host university for Fellows who are accepted in this area. Rollins has almost 30 years of history within the program. I was aware of this heritage, as well as the resources of Rollins, one of the pioneer universities in public health. I started working as an Assistant Professor at the Department of Public Health in Istanbul Medipol University School of Medicine just after I was awarded the Humphrey Fellowship.
Sabanur graduated from Gazi University Faculty of Medicine and gained a public health specialty at Istanbul University Cerrahpasa Medical Faculty. She completed an Associate Degree program in Healthcare Administration and started in the Health Management PhD program.
The opportunity to learn and live the academic life at Rollins had a significant impact considering my recent role as public health faculty.
When did your fellowship begin?
The fellowship program for my cohort started in August 2022 and will officially end on June 9, 2023. The limited timeline of the program makes it a bit intense yet doable since the Fellows are mid-career professionals who take a break from their work life to come to the US and attend the program.
What was your role at PHII?
I worked with a great team–the Practice Support Unit with the leadership of Lura Daussat. When we first met, I explained to Lura that I wanted to learn about how an NGO supports evidence-based public health practices in the US, with a focus on strengthening health information systems to transform data into information and knowledge. I learned that PHII has several past and ongoing projects dealing with many of those factors.
DMI Stories from the Field | As part of PHII’s Data Modernization Initiative (DMI) portfolio supported by CDC funding, I completed a comprehensive review of the stories previously shared by STLT (state, tribal, local and territorial) health department partners–members of the Data Modernization Learning Community and the previous PHII DMI workshops hosted by PHII. That helped the team prioritize and select the stories to tell in the project. It also serves as a comprehensive resource of all the work done in the last three years as PHII has supported DMI efforts.
Informatics-Savvy Health Department Assessment | I worked with the PHII team on preparing for and facilitating the assessment on-site at Chelan-Douglas Health District in Wenatchee, Washington, and writing the report of the first site visit. I also attended the project meetings, as well as supporting additional sites.
What has been the most important thing you learned while working at PHII?
I had the opportunity to see the practical implications of theoretical knowledge. For example, it is known that active participation of all sides is crucial for success. Even though PHII consists of experts in their field, they wait for the right time for partner organizations or other parties to determine their local needs and show a willingness to be active. That taught me that it’s important not to push the acting partners. You have to be patient while preparing–and guiding smoothly–for the next steps without causing bureaucracy. Taking time to share opinions and understand that everyone is on the same page is helpful before acting, especially when it’s a public health concern.
What will you miss most about PHII?
I’ll definitely miss the work culture and work environment provided at PHII. I’m amazed by seeing such a workplace that is caring, supportive, diverse, participatory, multi-disciplinary, productive, and work-life balanced. It has been a great experience while considering leadership.
If I have to choose a favorite part of being a Fellow, I can say being in an environment consisting of people who love and prioritize public health made me feel like I was in a “public health heaven.”
What has been the most challenging part of the Humphrey Fellowship Program?
The fellowship program supports and guides each Fellow in different areas such as academic and professional advisory, social support of friendship families, personalized professional development, and networking activities. Even though the program covers most of the needs of the Fellows, it can sometimes be challenging. For me, the most challenging part was prioritizing the possibilities. There are so many things to do, learn and experience–both professionally and socially–in a limited time with a limited budget.
After the devastating earthquakes affected Türkiye in February, how did that change your work and volunteerism?
Even though my family and close friends were OK, it was hard to be away from home when millions of people had been affected by the earthquakes. My reasons for being in the US became less important. It was hard to focus on daily topics. I wanted to support our people and my colleagues in a meaningful way. I felt responsible since I was safe and less directly affected by the disaster. I directed my concerns to do something useful and contributed some guidelines supporting healthcare professionals who would take a role in the affected area. I facilitated some collaborations between public health professionals from Türkiye and the US. I spread the word to my network and raised awareness.
Rollins and The Task Force for Global Health shared supportive messages and called for donations among their staff, students, colleagues, and friends. The World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations OCHA (Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs) address the funding needs for long-term recovery. All the supports are meaningful since the impact of the repetitive earthquakes was huge.
A few weeks after the earthquake, I started a professional affiliation with the CDC’s Emergency Response and Recovery Branch in the Center of Global Health. I worked on the topic of increasing capacity for humanitarian emergencies. As a public health professional, I want to continue this work at the local level when I go back to my country while taking advantage of the experience gained throughout the Humphrey Fellowship Program.
(Left) Screenshots from supportive emails and posts Sabanur received: I'm grateful to the overall Humphrey Fellowship Program; the Fellows, Coordinators and Friendship Families in Emory’s Humphrey Fellowship Program; Emory University and Rollins School of Public Health faculty and students; The Task Force for Global Health; and PHII for their prayers, supportive messages and actions taken to increase awareness and donations.
I’m thankful for being in such a caring environment.
What have been your favorite things to do in your time off?
I love the nature of Atlanta. Since my first day here, I’ve been amazed by the greenness of this big city. My favorite activity with my family is going for a walk–especially on the trails near Emory University’s Atlanta campus, such as Lullwater Park Trail and South Peachtree Creek Trail. While living in the city, it’s refreshing to be in the woods and listen to the birds after a few minutes walk.
I became a volunteer in the International Education Peace Volunteers during my time in Atlanta. This is another great experience that the Humphrey Fellowship Program provided. I attended intercultural exchange activities almost twice a month, learned about other cultures and perspectives, shared mine, and made presentations on Türkiye and Turkish culture. Interacting with people from different countries taught me a lot, and I saw that it’s joyful too!
Learn more about Sabanur's PHII projects: 1. Data Modernization Initiative 2. Informatics-Savvy Health Department.
Photos courtesy of Sabanur Çavdar
Credits:
Sabanur Cavdar