Dr. Ola Abdelhadi was diagnosed with cancer twice, first as an adolescent and later as a young adult. Following her battle with lymphoma, a cancer of the lymphatic system, she is determined to improve the quality of healthcare for cancer patients.
"When I entered public health, I wanted to understand why. Why did I get cancer and not others? What factors contributed to me? What causes people to get cancer, and so on?" Ola said.
Originally from Egypt, Ola moved to the United States for graduate school at Purdue University, where she pursued her Master's in public health. She completed her Ph.D. in epidemiology at the University of California, Davis, studying factors affecting the quality of life of cancer survivors, including psychological distress and physician-patient relationships, among others.
She focused on adolescent and young adult cancer survivors because the challenges they face are usually different from those experienced by older populations. These challenges are often overlooked in research and overall care compared to those for older individuals.
Now at Berkeley, Ola is concentrating on her postdoctoral research at the School of Public Health, investigating how health policies impact disparities, the quality of care, and the cost of health services.
"The biggest challenge is to translate this research into something that impacts real life," she added.
Her ultimate goal is to conduct research that can reach policymakers and be used to enhance the quality of healthcare delivered to cancer patients, improve health equity, and reduce disparities.
With experience in public health, epidemiology, and health policy, Ola is in a unique position to work in an interdisciplinary area between policy, epidemiology, and public health.
She often draws inspiration from her community at Berkeley, engaging in intellectually stimulating discussions and productive communication. However, she also believes that the Bay Area has a sense of unhealthy competition that contributes to higher stress levels.
Despite the tough times, Ola is determined to disseminate her research in a way that can strongly impact the way cancer patients navigate the world.