Meet the 2020 Scholars

"What do you believe is the greatest unaddressed patient need in the CF community, and if you could, how would you try to fix it? Who would you partner with (e.g. public figure, organization) to help fix the issue and why?"

In honesty, I believe that the greatest unaddressed patient need in the CF community is awareness towards the mental health of patients. Researchers and scientists are very focused on creating new medications and treatments for CF patients, but considerably less attention is focused into finding ways for CF patients to maintain positive and healthy mindsets. In my eyes, improving the quality of life of CF patients does not end at finding better treatment plans, but must also include positive outlets for patients to be able to utilize when necessary. So, how do we increase awareness towards the mental health of CF patients? I believe that we can generate greater levels of awareness for CF and help to spread more information regarding the condition on platforms of both domestic and international levels. Not all countries have the same understanding of the condition, and many countries have less treatment options to deal with CF than America. Providing even just a small amount of general education about CF across the world can help to change how we understand CF and help patients build confidence in themselves. I believe that reaching out to the World Health Organization would be a great start, as they have much experience in dealing with global affairs and are able to provide valuable information on how to reach out to multiple demographics. The World Health Organization would be a great partner to help spread awareness of CF to populations across the world.