Magnify Your Impact with Alan Fenwick

A renowned Professor of Epidemiology who has saved many
millions of lives


Alan Fenwick OBE is a world-renowned scientist in the field of
epidemiology and parasitology. He’s dedicated 35 years to
researching schistosomiasis, a disease caused by water-borne
parasites mainly in Sudan, Tanzania, and Egypt. Following his
return to the UK, he established the Schistosomiasis Control
Initiative (SCI) that aids in treating parasitic diseases in
millions of affected children and adults. His work has attracted
attention from philanthropist Bill Gates, the World Health
Organization, and earned him an OBE from the British Government.
Now retired, he is a guest speaker at various universities across
the UK. 


My Key Takeaways


For those who already know me, you’ll know I spend much time in a
macro world. Then I talk to Alan, who starts at the most micro
place possible, literally inside of ourselves. He studies minute
parasites that live within us focusing on how they affect us
genetically and from the perspective of disease. It’s beyond
fascinating how something so small can take over something so big
in comparison to itself (our bodies) as a host, creating a
culture, adjusting the environment inside of us, for the purpose
of its own existence, often to the detriment of the host. 


This got me thinking as to how remarkably similar we are as
humans - taking over something so big, in comparison to
ourselves, creating a culture, adjusting the environment for the
purpose of our own existence, often to the detriment of our host,
the planet. 


A huge learning for me from my time with Alan is to understand
the bigger picture. We first have to understand at the most micro
level. Alan talks with an immense amount of knowledge and clarity
about a particular parasite, he gets right inside the problem. To
begin with, he knows much more about this than he does the
solution and it seems he doesn’t begin to find a solution until
he knows intrinsically what he’s up against. What it doesn’t
like, what it needs to survive, how it travels, it seems there is
nothing he doesn’t know about something so small. 


Our feasibility studies, research of what the problem is, Alan
says is vital to the solution. We need to become detectives and
leave no stone unturned. This must come first before we implement
the thing we are all so passionate about, which is change to
often such an unjust cause!


This interview can teach us so much about the benefit of patience
when at the same time we are faced with the dichotomy of being up
against the clock. Being wiser and eventually one step ahead of
the problem. It’s invaluable advice!


Let’s Stay Connected


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Connect with Alan


Website:
https://schistosomiasiscontrolinitiative.org/