Research assistants represent START at London convening

Neglected Tropical Diseases: Women and Girls in Focus

As the University of Washington community transitions to autumn quarter, START Center would like to recognize the hard work of START Center project teams who met with clients and delivered high-quality reports, tools, and presentations over the summer. For our team, one highlight was an invitation for START research assistants Lola Arakaki and Luwam Kidane to attend a two-day Neglected Tropical Disease (NTD)-focused working meeting in London. As requested by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Lola and Luwam participated as presenters and note takers at the convening.  The London convening centered around the impacts of  NTDs on women & girls and how NTD programs can achieve gender equity and empower women and girls. You can read a summary report of the meeting here. This was an impactful opportunity for Lola and Luwam, but don’t just take it from us.

From Lola:

I am incredibly grateful to have had the opportunity to attend the Women and Girls in Focus meeting in London. It was very satisfying to see how our hard work helped facilitate the meeting discussion. The best part of this experience was listening to passionate and intelligent NTD and gender experts, most of whom were women, discuss the research, program implementation, and policy and advocacy of this neglected public health issue. It really was an exhilarating and inspiring experience!

From Luwam:

I feel very fortunate to work on a project that aligns so many of my personal and professional interests. I was delighted to travel to London to share our work at the Women and Girls in Focus Conference. I am especially grateful to have been in a room with so many thoughtful and dedicated experts in gender equity and NTD community. It was inspiring to learn from authorities in NTD research and policy who have been able to build careers in service to women’s health.