Graduate student Ghadeer Dawwas attends Clinton Global Initiative University meeting

Ghadeer Dawwas, M.B.A., BSPharm
Ghadeer Dawwas, M.B.A., BSPharm

Ghadeer Dawwas, M.B.A., BSPharm, a fifth-year graduate student in the department of pharmaceutical outcomes and policy, attended the 10th annual Clinton Global Initiative University meeting at Northeastern University Oct. 13–15.

Dawwas submitted a commitment to action proposal to the Clinton Foundation addressing significant global challenges in the fields of education and health. Among as many as 5,000 submitted proposals, hers was one of 1,000 accepted.

She proposed a way to improve the gap between scientists in STEM disciplines and the public to enhance the public engagement early in scientific discoveries.

“I believe that the impact of any scientific work, and specifically in STEM disciplines, is limited if scientists don’t know how to translate their messages into a simple story that can be easily digested by the general public,” Dawwas said. “Future scientists need to learn how to translate their discoveries into a meaningful format.”

The meeting included several plenary sessions, networking sessions, skills sessions and office hours where students had the chance to meet with the leaders in attendance. The event concluded with a day of action where students helped renovate a Boston school.

“Most people observe global challenges, but very few are willing to take a step forward, take the time and commit to making a change,” Dawwas said. “I was inspired by the work of others across all fields and I am hoping as a future scientist to be able to use the knowledge I acquired to lead some of the challenges in my field.”