Women in STEM Spotlight: Nadine Elzeidy the creator of "Helping Hands USF"

"Being a woman in STEM at USF is an experience that is very rewarding. It requires diligence and is really nice to be able to be an inspiration to younger girls or be an influence that I did not have grown up." - Nadine Elzeidy

Helping Hands USF is a new activist program geared towards educating health students and health professionals on the injustices and discrimination the deaf community faces when seeking healthcare. The Instagram page @helpinghandsusf is filled with multiple carousel type posts with information as shown above, and even features a series called "Tips on communicating with deaf and hard of hearing patients," that offers great tips on body language, eye contact, speaking styles, and other means of communication to create a more comfortable and respectful environment for deaf and or hard of hearing patients.

Helping Hands USF was created by Nadine Elzeidy, a STEM student and aspiring doctor at The University of South Florida. When I asked about her motivations for creating this wonderful advocacy page, she said this: "I was inspired to create Helping Hands USF as a project for one of my classes, but have been meaning to for awhile. I feel like it is important to raise awareness on issues that are not addressed within the healthcare community. It's crucial to be a leader and amplify the voices of others. I also want to be a doctor that is able to advocate for all types of people including those within the deaf community."

In a survey done in 2021, it was revealed that around 11 million individuals in America consider themselves deaf or have serious difficulty hearing. And The Hearing Loss Association of America estimates that 48 million Americans have some degree of hearing loss. To look at it from a different perspective, the amount of people who reported they had "some degree of hearing loss" is more than double the population of Florida alone. The advocacy Nadine is offering is so important for health students and aspiring doctors at USF. Being able to be educated on these injustices and work towards bettering their future patient care is incredible.

Nadine is truly someone who deserves to have her voice heard. As a woman in STEM, she is breaking the boundaries everyday, and can be such an inspiration for young girls around the world. Nadine left some words for other young girls who are aspiring to pursue a career in STEM, but I think her advice is important for everyone to read, "Keep pushing. Stay diligent, focus on your goals, and do not compare yourself to other people's walks of life. Comparison is the thief of joy, and it is important to create or find a support system for you to rely on. There are people going through the same things as you that you can lean on. Stay strong!"

Thank you Nadine so much, for your words and your work on aiming to better patient care, and the health care community as a whole. I encourage everyone to follow the Helping Hands USF Instagram page, and educate yourselves on the inequities the deaf community faces, and hear real testimonies from people within the community. We are all in this life together, and everyone deserves to be respected and understood. It's our job to work towards a better future for all, so let's start now.