Written by Jack Bond

Dr. Dinah Tetteh discussed the tendency for ovarian cancer patients to avoid discussing the topic in a seminar given on April 19th. The speech covered why there was such high topic avoidance surrounding ovarian cancer, how patients avoid discussing the topic and the theory of uncertainty management in relation to the illness.

The coordinator of the event, Dr. Veena Kulkarni, said “the central motivation for the seminar is to provide a platform for people to share their research. Academics tend to be cocooned in their specific areas of specializations and therefore fora like these provide scope for exchange of scholarly contributions, ideas and/or to receive feedback.” She added, “It gives students a chance to know about their professors’ research work and consequently explore possibilities to collaborate with them should they find a convergence of interests.”

Tettah opened the speech by discussing her decision to research the topic. “The year was 2013, and I was completing coursework for my PhD program. One particular semester, I was struggling a lot to come up with a research topic for my class,” she said. “It was around week seven of the semester, so I was feeling left behind. One day, when I was reading the assigned materials for a class, I stumbled upon information about ovarian cancer.  It really piqued my interest and I wanted to know more about the disease.”

The rest of the seminar focused on the findings of her research, which involved interviews with patients about their openness on the subject of the disease. She explained how there are a multitude of variables that determine how open someone is about their condition, such as the progression of the disease, the relationship to people and whether or not they themselves understand the illness. 

Tettah stated that although there is plenty of research into the medical aspect, there needs to be more research about discussing the issue. She noted that once people understand that, they can devise “theory-driven interventions” to help people understand how to more effectively communicate about their illness.

“Whether you’re male or female, I think it’s something that we need to know about,” she said. “If there is somebody in your life, a woman in your life – a mom, a sister, a suitemate or a spouse – and they keep complaining about some of (the) symptoms, let them know that they need to have it checked out.”

The series is over for the year; however, there may be more next year for students to attend. Although nothing has been discussed, when or if the series continues next year, students can be on the lookout for more information on the A-State event calendar.

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