Howard Garrison Advocacy Fellow

Prianka Huque Hashim

Prianka Huque Hashim is a graduate student at Northwestern University.

Describe your interest in participating in the program:
Hashim: Science, both historically and currently, has viewed itself as “apolitical” or “neutral”. The concept of an entire faction of society spanning multiple disciplines being separate, othered, or above all other facets of society and surviving in a vacuum remains far from the truth. As a reproductive scientist who has seen how science is being both defunded and used to spawn misinformation regarding biology and specific topics such as birth control and abortion, rather than improving human health, has been extremely disappointing throughout my time as a graduate student. What is needed currently as scientists is a toolkit to advocate for evidence-based policy that benefits the clinic, bench, and industry to advance human health and understand that funding for science has translational benefits. My interest in becoming involved in the Howard Garrison Advocacy Program is to build and strengthen this toolkit to better understand how science informs policy, where the gaps remain, and how to communicate to relevant stakeholders to bridge the gap between science and policy. Additionally, there needs to be continuous conversation between the scientists and the general public to understand what the public would like to know about scientific topics and how that could be used to prioritize research focus and funding to push the public interest forward, once again as a larger benefit for entire populations rather than for specific groups. Advocating and communicating at the federal level matters, but so does understanding what is happening at the local and state levels to improve governance in our own communities. I believe this fellowship program will give me exposure to how things are run on the Hill, as well as how I can translate these skills to my own community, both scientifically and geographically. Research at the bench does not start or move forward without communicating. To understand what research focus will help individuals, you must observe population health needs and speak with patients, providers, advocacy groups, and other relevant stakeholders. To disseminate results, you must communicate with other scientists and tailor how you present your data to reach patients, clinicians, and policymakers so they can implement your findings into patient care and improve health outcomes. I believe this program will bridge the gap I have between the science I perform at the bench and better communicate and advocate for society as a whole regarding reproductive health by better understanding how policy plays a role in translational work and approaching the need for improved public health through science, advocacy, and science/health policy. 

How do you plan to use the knowledge and experience gained through your participation in the Howard Garrison Advocacy Program?
Hashim: As a senior graduate student hoping to transition into the science policy space after graduation, I value the Howard Garrison Advocacy Program for its focus on bridging the gap between scientists and the general public. I hope to use the skills gained, as well as the connections made, to push reproductive science past the bench by focusing on getting results to patients, not just through drugs or treatments, but rather through access to evidence-based information. By understanding the needs of the general public, I can serve as a liaison between the bench, clinic, and policymakers. I hope to improve outcomes by using this experience to identify key decision-makers who may not communicate with one another, and to prioritize reproductive science and health policy that is informed by scientific findings and what matters most to individuals. Whether this be due to lack of information, resources, funding, insurance coverage, or a combination of these factors, being able to use my time in this program to understand how to communicate and advocate for these patients and eventually where I see my career developing. Ten months of this program focused specifically on communication and advocacy is where I have the least experience, and I hope to build these skills, combined with my scientific expertise, to help shape policy decisions that improve patient lives and support a healthier, better-informed society. 

Using no more than 250 words, describe your research as you would to a non-scientist.
Hashim: The ovary is an organ in the reproductive tract that contains oocytes capable of maturing into eggs that can be fertilized and lead to healthy live children. However, people are born with a set number of oocytes, and not every oocyte continues to grow to transition into an egg. It is important to understand how oocytes transition to eggs, and determine what mechanisms play a role to make sure the best quality oocytes are capable of maturing and being fertilized once they turn into eggs. Therefore, I’m interested in understanding how one specific pathway, the cGAS-STING pathway, may fulfill this role. This pathway, once activated in cells, leads to inflammation and can either contribute to repair of cells or cause cell death to prevent them from continuing to operate. My research looks at how turning on the cGAS-STING pathway in oocytes impacts their ability to live on. By using a mouse model, we can use drugs to turn on the cGAS-STING pathway and observe how oocytes may live or die. We’ve found that activation of the pathway leads to decreased survival, and the oocytes that do survive are often smaller and remain immature compared to oocytes that don’t have the pathway turned on. This means that this pathway plays a role in preventing damaged oocytes from continuing to grow. This has implications for the general public, as the cGAS-STING pathway may be a key player in infertility by preventing oocytes from maturing into eggs capable of fertilization. 

Briefly describe any past or present participation in additional career exploration activities, experiences, and/or programs.
Hashim: I am a dual PhD-MPH graduate student, which has allowed me to think about how work at the bench can have impacts on population-level health outcomes. I have gone to Kenya to work with a non-governmental organization, Pamoja CBO, to participate in their policy-oriented programs to reduce sexual and gender-based violence incidence in rural communities. Additionally, I have completed the Communicating Science for Policy Certificate through the National Science Policy Network and was also a Scholar in Residence through their organization. Specific to reproductive health and science, I interned with the American Society for Reproductive Medicine’s Center for Policy and Leadership, focusing on how the Dobbs decision impacted access to reproductive healthcare as well as insurance coverage of many assisted reproductive technologies, including In Vitro Fertilization, Egg/Embryo Freezing, and others. I have been privileged to discuss my thesis work and scientific findings through the Society for the Study of Reproduction Annual Meetings and through various publications. These experiences have built my foundation for recognizing the importance of science advocacy and communication to move science and health policy forward, and I hope this fellowship will provide me with the access to resources and skills necessary to actually do the advocacy work necessary in reproductive science and medicine.

Prianka Huque Hashim is a member of the Histochemical Society.