EP56: Being an Immigrant-Doctor-Mom-Activist: One Amazing Woman’s Story with Sanam Roder DeWan

Today’s guest is truly one of my favorite people in the
world.  We’ve been friends since we were neighbors in the
dorms our first year in college.  She captured my heart
quickly with her brilliance and passion for service (as well as
her humor). She’s always been fiercely courageous in her pursuit
to make a positive impact through trying to answer some of the
world’s hardest questions.  She speaks 5 languages, is a
family doctor, and has a doctoral degree in public health. 
She’s also a mom of two, living in Tanzania and working to make
quality health care accessible to all.  I love and respect
this woman deeply - enjoy!


 


Some key talking points in today’s conversation:



How being an immigrant shaped her work and life
choices


Her dream impact to reduce the number of women and
children who die in childbirth


Her Muslim faith and how it impacts her courageous
work

How being raised in a multicultural family informed how she
sees the world


Silencing the inner voices of doubt and fear in order
to do meaningful work

Living in the communities in which she works, which is now
Tanzania

Humility and arrogance


Re-designing the way health systems function


Being a health activist



 


More about Sanam


Dr. Roder-DeWan is Health Specialist with the UNICEF Tanzania
Country Office, a family physician and health systems researcher
with expertise in maternal and child health and improving quality
of care. She was the lead researcher and writer on improving
quality for the Lancet Global Health Commission on High Quality
Health Systems in the SDG Era. She is currently a collaborating
researcher at Ifakara Health Institute in Dar es Salaam. Dr.
Roder-DeWan completed her Doctorate in Medicine at the University
of Pennsylvania, her Doctorate in Public Health at Harvard and
her postgraduate training at Lawrence Family Medicine.