Conversations about menstruation can be tough.<\/p>\n
Issues surrounding women\u2019s reproductive health, and menstruation in particular, are often shrouded in stigma and shame \u2013 so much so that, in some surveys, one third of parents have said they felt awkward talking<\/a> about periods with their own children.<\/p>\n \u201cI stumbled upon information online at a young age, which really shaped my early understanding of menstruation,\u201d says Suheera Haq \u201926 (CLAS\/IMJR), a pre-med student from Shrewsbury, Massachusetts, who wants to help make those uncomfortable conversations a bit less awkward.<\/p>\n \u201cI love making people laugh,\u201d she says, \u201cand I like to use humor to connect with people. I want to make people feel at ease, which I think is essential for the field \u2013 making challenging topics more approachable.\u201d<\/p>\n At UConn, Haq is studying molecular and cell biology, but she also has an Individualized Major<\/a> in social determinants of reproductive health, which she developed after her first year in Storrs.<\/p>\n The two paths of study, she says, have been critical, offering a firm base in the biological foundations of medicine and a deeper appreciation of the social factors that affect health outcomes.<\/p>\n Volunteering with UConn Health Leaders<\/a>, a community-based pre-health professional program, gave her an early exposure to the impact that things like socioeconomic status and economic stability, access to education and educational quality, social support systems and community context and environments have on an individual\u2019s health outcomes.<\/p>\n \u201cI knew I wanted to go into health care, and I was really drawn to reproductive health and sexual health and women\u2019s health \u2013 it\u2019s something I\u2019ve always advocated for,\u201d Haq says. \u201cBy having that experience with UConn Health Leaders, I was able to learn about the theories and framework of social determinants of health. And that\u2019s also the point of the major, to see the social aspects of health care that influence health outcomes, that aren\u2019t necessarily a diagnosis or a biological mechanism.\u201d<\/p>\n The experience with UConn Health Leaders also inspired Haq to find opportunities to work in health care in her local community while still a student.<\/p>\n Haq began volunteering with the Worcester Free Care Collaborative<\/a>, a nonprofit organization that offers free medical programs for residents of the Greater Worcester area regardless of income, insurance, or housing status.<\/p>\n Through her volunteer efforts, she noticed that a lot of patients struggle with multiple, compounding barriers that impacted their access to health care resources and information. Which gave her an idea.<\/p>\n \u201cMany people lack access to health insurance due to social determinants of health,\u201d says Haq, \u201cwhich prevents them from getting the care that they need and the necessary education to prioritize their health. When I saw the Change Grant,<\/a> I thought it\u2019d be a good idea to use that funding to provide some sort of health benefit or health intervention. I wanted to create a simple intervention that would have a feasible impact with the resources I had.\u201d<\/p>\n Offered through UConn\u2019s Office of Undergraduate Research, Co-op Legacy Fellowship Program, Change Grants offer undergraduate students an opportunity to engage in projects centered on innovation, leadership, and service. Students from any major can apply for up to $4,000 in funding to support student-designed or student-led social impact, service, applied research, advocacy, or social innovation projects.<\/p>\n Haq\u2019s idea went back to that uncomfortable topic, the one she wants to make more acceptable to talk about for more people \u2013 menstruation.<\/p>\n Single-use menstrual products are expensive. Worldwide, millions struggle to afford menstrual products, and the U.S. isn\u2019t immune \u2013 one in four teens and one in three adults in this country struggle to afford period products, according to the World Health Organization. <\/a><\/p>\n