The Global Alliance for Chronic Diseases (GACD) Annual Scientific Meeting is an opportunity for researchers to share content not typically addressed at conventional scientific conferences. Unlike traditional conferences – which can end up being a unidirectional provision of information – the GACD Annual Scientific Meeting creates an empowering learning environment. Attendees share and discuss challenges and successes in the implementation of non-communicable disease programmes in low- and middle-income countries.
We interviewed the winner and runner-up of the 2020 poster competition, Dr Ruth Verhey and Rebecca Nixdorf (respectively), about their experiences of the Annual Scientific Meeting this year and their achievements in the competition. Ruth is a clinical psychologist based in Zimbabwe, and Rebecca is a research assistant at the University Medical Centre in Hamburg, Germany.
The Annual Scientific Meeting usually takes place in-person, but as with so many things in 2020, we had to change course and deliver the event online. Understandably, attendees were sceptical about the transition to an online only event. As Ruth reflected “I was at my first Annual Scientific Meeting last year – it was in Bangkok, and it was amazing. So, when I heard that this year it was going to be virtual, I was wondering how it was going to work.”
Although there are downsides of online events, there are upsides too. “It was a wonderful opportunity for the team here in Zimbabwe to join, because obviously for the face-to-face meetings only a few people can go,” Ruth told us. Rebecca agreed – it was her first time participating and had it been in-person she would not have been able to attend.
The COVID-19 pandemic has challenged us all to change how we work. As Rebecca put it, “Of course, it was different than it would have been face-to-face, but it was a great opportunity and I really enjoyed it … It was amazing to see this great network and to feel connected to so many people.”
Despite all the additional pressure on people working in healthcare this year, Ruth and Rebecca found time to develop prize-worthy entries to the poster competition – and told us how it was also an opportunity for teamwork to take centre stage.
“I made a first suggestion for the poster but then a lot of peer trainers [from our project] joined in as they
delivered the training and that was really helpful,” Rebecca said, “We had a really nice exchange throughout the project with all of the co-authors.”
Ruth was thrilled to win best poster. “It totally blew our minds … I never, ever expected that!” she told us. Ruth and her team are working on a GACD mental health project in Zimbabwe that aims to bring evidence-based mental health support to the people that need it. The Friendship Bench is a basic psychological intervention. “It takes the principle from cognitive behavioural science,” she told us, “We use problem-solving therapy to try and make people understand that when we have problems, it seems like this giant mountain, but the trick is to not try and solve the whole mountain but to instead break the problem down into smaller components.” She is excited about the future of this project – it is the only mental health intervention being scaled up in Africa. See Ruth’s poster here.
Rebecca and her team are also working on a GACD mental health project. She is based in Germany and her work focuses on the stigma around mental health, peer support, and how to make the mental health system more recovery oriented. “I think it’s really important to tackle these issues – there’s still so much stigma around mental health, and the mental health system is changing so slowly,” she reflects, “However, there are some great ways to change it, and I think peer support is a great one, to include people who know what mental health conditions are and how to live with them.” See Rebecca’s poster here.
We ended the interviews asking Ruth and Rebecca about who has inspired them in their careers. “Whenever anyone asks me that, I name … Astrid Lindgren,” Ruth said. Lindgren was a Swedish author, most notably remembered for her children’s stories. Ruth described her passion for Lindgren’s creations. “She created children’s books around the idea that children need a space to grow up in where they can be children, meaning they can play, be safe, be supported and have the emotional availability of someone.” This inspiration now translates into Ruth’s work, where she supports people to become more emotionally available and find healthy coping strategies. “Everyone needs a safe space, but if you don’t have that as a child it’s even harder to find it and give it as an adult.”
Rebecca spoke of an inspiring role model closer to home, in her co-trainer in Germany. “There have been many moments where she just inspired everyone in the room and I really enjoy working with her,” she told us. Rebecca recognised that having your ideas challenged by an inspiring figure is hugely formative in your own work. “She really challenges me,” Rebecca continued, “I like that because it’s so important to have another perspective, especially because she’s been working in peer support for ten years now, so she can frame things in a way I never could.”
The Annual Scientific Meeting ran from 10 to 13 November 2020. All entries to the poster competition – including those from Ruth and Rebecca – can be accessed here. Our thanks go to Ruth and Rebecca for generously giving their time to be interviewed.
Want to find out more?
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