Rawa Ali Hamad Badri researches the neglected tropical disease Mycetoma, in the Sinnar state in Sudan. She explains:
During this survey we covered about 21 villages in the eastern part of Sinnar state with an average of 450 families in each of them. Mycetoma is one of the neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) and the aim of the survey is to map the distribution of Mycetoma in Sudan and to offer free medical support for the old diagnosed and the newly discovered cases to help in eradicating the disease.
What excites you most about your research?
During my participation in the Mycetoma house to house survey, dealing with the patients in their environment was the most exciting part of the survey as I noticed many factors that I have never noticed before when I was dealing with patients only at the clinic.
What challenges have you faced?
Actually to have been involved in a project in a rural area that is far away from my home town was a great challenge for me. It required a great resilience to work from 8 am to 6 pm on a daily basis to cover all the houses in the villages that in the eastern part of Sinnar state in spite of the physical exhaustion, the rainy season and the muddy streets.
What would you say to women and girls who might be interested in going into your area of research?
Mycetoma is an interesting area of research and clinical research plays an important role in the prevention and control of this disease and really there's nothing greater than helping in the prevention of such a disease and its debilitating complications. So that definitely I encourage them to work on this area of research.