Student Perspective | November 1, 2024
Vivian Kobusingye Birchall, SM, is the host of ActonTV’s Health Care Blind Spots Series, where she interviews stakeholders, physicians, researchers, and industry policymakers on the status of cancer and global health. A recent alumna of the Master of Science in Media, Medicine, and Health program at Harvard Medical School, she has dedicated her media career to exposing the blind spots in the global health care system and communicating innovative ways to bridge the disparity gap.
Birchall first completed Harvard Medical School’s Media and Medicine certificate program, which inspired her to continue her education. Her goal was to gain more experience and exposure to the techniques of communication and storytelling.
“I was considering my career and looking years down the road. I wanted a learning experience that would provide me with mentorship and a deeper understanding of the communication landscape. The Master of Science in Media, Medicine, and Health program was the perfect fit for that.”
Upon being admitted to the program, Birchall worked closely with her mentor, Professor Andrew Witt, who helped her shape her capstone project, “Digital Solutions for Cervical Cancer Screening: Overcoming Barriers in Uganda,” around communication, with a focus on her interests in cancer, global health, and blind spots.
“Naturally, being an immigrant from Uganda who appreciates and is concerned about some of the many disparities, that is where I chose to focus. I planned a trip to the Uganda Cancer Institute, which is the country’s comprehensive cancer center. I wanted to understand the status of cancer research and treatment, and then identify the blind spots in communication that I could focus my capstone on.”
What she found was that the number one killer of women in Uganda was cervical cancer. From there, Birchall focused her capstone around the patient’s journey. To find blind spots, she looked specifically at a death that was avoidable and performed an audit of the health system and the patient’s experience that resulted in that death.
“If we have HPV vaccinations going on and we have Pap smears available to some degree in the hospital, then why is it that the women are not getting these things? That is where we find the blind spots and ask, ‘What solution can I propose?’”
Birchall credits the lectures given throughout the program for teaching her more about communication techniques, illness narratives, and writing op-eds, which ultimately helped in supporting her capstone. She notes that the program co-directors, Neal Baer, MD, and Jason Silverstein, PhD, have continued to stay in touch.
For those interested in the Master of Science in Media, Medicine, and Health program, Birchall recommends keeping an open mind to allow for a more comprehensive education.
“From my experience with the program, I learned more when I opened myself to being a student and not defending what I already knew. I like to consider myself a constant student because learning never ends.”