Success story

Karam Adawi earned a master’s degree with honors in public health from Al-Quds University, while simultaneously being a mother and working full-time.  Since graduating in 2003 she has been a lecturer at Al-Quds University’s College of Health Professions.  She has taught courses in medical microbiology and research methods and participated in several research projects addressing how best to prevent or control different communicable diseases in Palestine.

Karam is now eager to build on her scientific background in public health and complete a Ph.D. that expands her understanding of health policies - specifically effective policies addressing infectious diseases. She sees herself as an important figure “in motivating students to be involved in the development of health in Palestine.”  She looks forward to returning with a Ph.D. from Brandeis University’s Heller School of Social Policy and Management so that she will be “able to apply modern teaching methods, skills, and knowledge as well as implement new courses that tackle Palestinian communities’ health needs.” Karam’s dissertation is titled: Impact of Organizational Factors and Intensity Cardiac Rehabilitation on Patients’ Outcomes.  It has two main parts: the first part focuses on organizational factors that affect patients’ enrollment in and adherence to the requirements of a cardiac rehabilitation (CR) program; the second part focuses on cost-effectiveness of cardiac rehabilitation. In short, the study underlines the importance of using cardiac rehabilitation to help people with heart disease lead a better life. She successfully defended her dissertation proposal in November 2010. 

In light of her innovative research, Karam was invited to present in The American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation’s 25th Annual Meeting in Milwaukee‚ Wisconsin on October 7-9, 2010. The title of her presentation was Gender Differences in Goal Attainment in the Wisconsin Cardiac Rehabilitation Outcomes Registry. This study is a collaborative work with the Wisconsin Society for Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Health and Rehabilitation which provided data of 17,000 patients. While Karam is the principle author, the study has 3 coauthors: Mark Vitcenda, Sergey Tarima, and Fred Petillo,

Karam notes the difficulty in finding time to complete her studies while also maintaining a household and a family. “My family is very supportive and understanding.  We manage our daily life in a way that I have enough time to work on my thesis. Actually, having my family in the United States has enriched my experience and availed me to more resources that added to my achievements. For example, I get the chance to learn more about the American education system and the strategies used to develop students’ critical thinking skills since an early age.”
Karam appreciates   the opportunity to attend many academic conferences. She has used these events as a means of networking with other professors and colleagues, many of whom are set to assist her in her research for her upcoming thesis.

Karam is eager to put her knowledge to work.
 “I hope to make the best use of this experience,” she says. “After the completion of my PhD, I plan to return to Palestine and put my knowledge into practice. I will push for developing cost-effective strategies specifically to control heart disease. I plan also to focus on knowledge mobilization through the student body. I believe in the proverb that says ‘the knowledge walks off your campus into my labs’ through well-qualified graduates.”  She adds: “Building relationships and team work is another focus area. The Palestinian Faculty Development Program (PFDP) has provided me with the opportunity to be connected to Palestinian scholars in academic institutions.  My hope is to work with colleagues and professionals in both academic and non-academic institutions to meet the needs of our community.”