A new study correlating rising temperatures with women’s cancer in the Middle East recently attracted global media attention, seizing headlines in outlets like The Washington Post, Daily Mail, Fortune and more. Behind the research are authors Wafa Abu El Kheir-Mataria (MPA ’18, PhD ’23), a senior research fellow at AUC’s Institute of Global Health and Human Ecology (IGHHE), and Professor Sungsoo Chun, who conducted the observational study at IGHEE.

“This research rang an alarm that we need to be aware of in health policies,” said Mataria. She initially proposed the topic due to her concern over gender disparity in healthcare and the broader vulnerability of the region with climate change. 

Her alarm rang loud and clear, with the paper scoring in the top 5% of all research outputs and the top 1% for high attention as compared with papers of the same age, according to Altmetric (a platform that measures and ranks the engagement that research articles receive beyond traditional citation counts).

The study analyzed data from 17 countries over a 20-year period, checking for correlations between temperature increases and mortality rates from four types of female cancers: breast, uterine, ovarian and cervical. 

“This research rang an alarm that we need to be aware of in health policies.”

While the overall correlation was the first result, a country-by-country breakdown provided secondary results. “Is this valid for each and every country or not?” Mataria inquired. The correlation was ultimately found to be statistically significant for six countries, with the most striking results in Gulf states. It was also particularly strong for breast and cervical cancers. 

Mataria unpacked some likely causes based on the literature: “Heat increases exposure to pollutants and disrupts healthcare systems, delaying diagnosis and treatment. It may also alter cell structure. Women are more vulnerable due to limited access and cultural taboos around breast and cervical cancer,” she said. 

Chun added that the best thing countries can do now is abide by multilateral climate-targeted policies, such as the Paris Agreement (an international climate treaty signed in 2016 that seeks to curb global warming). “The Paris Agreement is one of the clearest guidelines on how to stop rising temperatures. Implementing its exact recommendations for each country is essential to stopping climate change,” he said, though he noted that many nations are failing to meet the treaty’s criteria.

“Although we promised only one paper, many journalists are concerned about the severity of the findings. That means that this is a really urgent, in-demand topic to solve globally.”

Beyond women, Chun emphasized that vulnerable populations will suffer disproportionately if global conditions don’t change. “Post-colonial populations, older people, children and, of course, women have unique weaknesses in certain periods, such as during childbirth. So we should make clear programs or policies to support these vulnerable populations, especially through a strengthened healthcare system,” Chun said.

This research is not just relevant to those facing health problems or working in the health sector; it can be used to inform health policy, address gender gaps and understand the impacts of climate change. “This concerns not only people in the health sector, but also in policy, sustainability and other areas. Health is relevant to all fields, and it’s good to work together,” said Mataria.

Mataria views researchers at institutions like AUC as indispensable to the field. “We open people’s eyes on certain topics. Research and evidence draw attention,” she said, “Numbers talk.” 

Mataria and Chun are also hoping to receive more grants to continue the novel research. “Although we promised only one paper, many journalists are concerned about the severity of the findings. That means that this is a really urgent, in-demand topic to solve globally,” said Chun. 

“There’s not much on it yet,” added Mataria.

Even as the pair’s findings are making waves in the media, they were quick to point out that more research will be needed to understand the results. “This research is preliminary, but it’s a good start,” added Mataria. 

“There are so many contributing factors to the instance of cancers. We need to make another experimental design controlling not only for the setting but also for community levels,” said Chun.

The trailblazing article is now paving the way for international research focused on the intersection of climate change and women’s health. Mataria said, “It’s really just one point in a sea of research. There is a lot to do.”

When junior Marwan Shawwara moved to the south of France to study at Sciences Po last fall, he was prepared to step outside of his comfort zone and experience the trials and tribulations of a semester abroad. Most of the time, Shawwara lived as a typical exchange student — he found community, made lifelong friends, played college soccer with weekend tournaments around France, and backpacked through seven countries and 24 cities. “It’s me and my backpack against the world,” he said.

However, what the political science major didn’t expect was that he would reach a new understanding of his own country by meeting Egyptian refugees scattered along European frontiers. 

Egyptian Encounters

Long interested in equality and justice, Shawwara began volunteering with the AUC student organization 3alraseef in his freshman year, educating and spending time with impoverished children in Manshiyat Nasser twice a week. At Sciences Po, Shawwara kept up his commitment to volunteer work, documenting refugees at the Franco-Italian border crossing with Sciences Po Refugee Help, a student club. 

It was through this role that he discovered a new side of Egypt: the country’s politically marginalized. Throughout the semester, Shawwara learned lessons about Egyptian politics from his fellow countrymen that further shaped his identity and future plans. 

“Most of the refugees are unfortunately from our region, North Africa. It was a different experience seeing them firsthand, communicating with them, listening to them,” he said. “These people are not just numbers crossing the Mediterranean; they are humans.”

“I’m looking at life differently now. These people risked their lives to seek asylum just to live like anybody else: to get married and educate their kids. These are basic human rights.”

Traveling in Milan, Shawwara found himself surrounded by his native tongue, the streets filled with Egyptian refugees from areas like Upper Egypt, Fayoum and Beni Suef. Many had come to support their families, working in manual labor jobs. 

One boy in particular left a lasting impression on Shawwara. When they first crossed paths, the now 17-year-old was excited to buy Shawwara lunch and share his story. Mohamed fled to Italy two years ago as a 15 year old, coming alone to provide for his parents. “He did the unimaginable. He crossed the Mediterranean without his family,” said Shawwara. 

As a minor, Mohamed became a registered refugee, eligible for housing and documented part-time labor. “When he becomes an adult, I think he will be given the right to come back to Egypt and return to work in Italy.” The potential visit to Egypt would be Mohamed’s first in three years.

The touching story — one of many that Shawwara encountered — had a profound impact. “I’m looking at life differently now. These people risked their lives to seek asylum just to live like anybody else: to get married and educate their kids. These are basic human rights,” he said.

A New Political Vision

Shawwara’s interest in history and politics was initially sparked by his post-Revolution Cairene upbringing, leading him to pursue his semester abroad at the second-ranked university in the world for political science. However, it was not university courses but interactions with Egyptian refugees that most shaped his vision for his future, and the future of Egypt.

“I want to specialize in political theory now,” Shawwara said. “I want to produce a theory that fits all these people in it rather than excludes them because the current policies of the region are turning a blind eye." 

“At Sciences Po, I found my interest in journalism and speaking up. When I came back, I thought, let’s initiate something here.”

Commenting on the difficult financial circumstances that led many Egyptians astray, Shawwara said, “If you can pay, you can live. These people don’t have the chance to earn money in the first place.” 

Shawwara is particularly interested in post-colonial and decolonization theories. “Until now, I see that countries in the region are still under Western domination while they are supposed to be independent states. I want to understand this,” he said.

Bringing It Home

His exploration of Egypt from this external lens did not stop at his volunteer work: Shawwara wrote for two campus publications, contributing meaningful stories about the Middle East, from stories about Morocco’s football team to Lebanon’s ceasefire to Cairo’s environmental problems.

Upon his return to AUC, Shawwara was inspired to jumpstart a new political science publication, the PSS-Journal, through the Political Science Students’ Association, of which he is now the incoming co-president. “At Sciences Po, I found my interest in journalism and speaking up — we need to be vocal about some topics. When I came back, I thought, let’s initiate something here,” he said. Within two weeks, Shawwara had assembled a team, and the journal published its first issue in one month’s time, with big plans for the year ahead.

Though Shawwara wants to remain in Egypt in the long term, he is considering a master’s degree at Sciences Po in Paris after graduating — just one more way in which his study-abroad experience has shaped his outlook on life and his future career.

“My interests in this region have been instilled in me since my childhood through conversations with friends, peers and family, and hearing about it on the news,” said Allan Feldman, an economics and Middle East studies junior on an exchange semester from Brandeis University.

Feldman’s interest in the Arab world took on an academic fervor when he began studying the region at his home institution. “I decided to take Arabic classes at Brandeis and enjoyed the challenge of the language, which naturally grew into my being more interested in the local Arab culture and people,” he said.

Living Egypt

When he decided he wanted to move to the Middle East to immerse himself in the Arabic language for a semester, he knew he wanted to be at a high-quality institution where he could continue taking diverse courses in his fields of study; this helped him choose AUC. Now, Feldman is not only a student but also a research assistant for Professor Mona Said in the Mohamed Shafik Gabr Department of Economics. 

“The faculty at AUC and the economics department are great. If you look at the research these faculty members have produced, they’ve done really reputable work for organizations like the Economic Research Foundation and other international research institutions. They’re very experienced,” said Feldman. “In my interactions with Dr. Mona Said and Dr. Abeer Elshennawy, my Economic Development course professor, both were super welcoming,” he added.

“You can make a lot of connections here if you put yourself out there. I found that all the professors were very willing and happy to help me out.”

The Brandeis student was also impressed by the networking opportunities on offer at AUC — even the implicit ones. “You can make a lot of connections here if you put yourself out there. I found that all the professors were very willing and happy to help me out,” he said. As a matter of fact, Feldman first connected with Said for his assistantship through the faculty network. 

In his free time, Feldman volunteers with the student group Help Club, packing food boxes for those in need during Ramadan and working with underprivileged children.

Feldman was also a member of AUC’s track and field team last semester, which trained four days a week. In an impressive feat, Feldman placed third in the 3000-m track event at Cairo Governorate regionals and fifth at nationals in the 5000-m event. He also ran a spontaneous 10,000-m event around the Saqqara pyramids with another AUC track and field member.

A Cairene Summer

Since finding his footing at AUC, Feldman has gone on to secure opportunities in Cairo that will extend his stay into the summer. He also wants to continue studying Arabic and move downtown for greater immersion. “I want to meet more locals,” Feldman said.

For this summer, Feldman won a $10,000 grant from Middlebury College’s Davis Projects for Peace program to work with an Egyptian transportation startup. The company, Tink, graduated from the AUC Venture Lab and will create a program this summer addressing female sexual harassment through automobile and mobility workshops located in Cairo, the North Coast and potentially one more governorate for now. 

 “Since coming to AUC, my interest in Arab culture has only grown.”

“Through this program, I hope to gain experience doing community programming in Egypt, working with a startup and meeting as many people as I can,” said Feldman. He also shared his hopes to reach Egyptians across different socioeconomic backgrounds.

Another summer goal for Feldman is to immerse himself in the local cycling community. He recently invested in a bike and began riding with Egyptian teenagers and adults in the Cairo Crit Club, a local club that meets every Friday morning at 5 am. He has also ridden with an expat-based club, the Cairo Cycling Club.

Cairo and Beyond

Alongside his studies, Feldman has gotten to explore Cairo and learn from the locals, feeling welcomed by Egyptian people’s deep family values, relaxed attitude and collaborative ambiance. 

“One thing that shocked me was the pure chaos of the city juxtaposed with people’s extreme kindness. People are not afraid to just interact with you on the block, spontaneously, and I think they do that out of love,” said Feldman, who felt a personal need to talk to as many locals as possible coming into his exchange semester — a goal he feels he has accomplished. 

“I had a few experiences during Ramadan where I was invited to iftar with some Egyptian friends and their families, and that was both enriching and fascinating because I could see really how important this family gathering was. To be part of that has been very special,” he said.

After graduating from Brandeis next year, Feldman envisions himself focusing on the region in his career, be it through economic research or public and private sector work. In the long term, Feldman aspires to familiarize himself with Arabic’s various dialects while continuing to learn Modern Standard Arabic. “Since coming to AUC, my interest in Arab culture has only grown,” he said.

Imagine taking your studies across continents without ever leaving the classroom. That’s what a new AUC partnership seeks to allow for the University’s most tech-inclined. By pairing with the University of Waterloo — Canada’s top-ranked university in computer science and engineering — AUC is promising joint supervision of capstone projects for students, with the possibility of graduate studies at Waterloo and mutual campus visits.

The program began in early 2025, allowing students from both institutions to collaborate on academic and research activities. Computer science senior Hadj Ahmed Chikh Dahmane is the partnership’s first student. He is completing his thesis this semester on cellular networking under joint supervision by Professor Raouf Boutaba from Waterloo and Professor Moustafa Youssef from AUC. 

Chikh Dahmane’s research project involved the development of vChainNet, a first-of-its-kind 5G slice modeling framework. 

“Our system achieved up to ~11% improvements in accuracy compared to state-of-the-art network modeling solutions, while reducing the modeling complexity by 95%,” said Chikh Dahmane. “It provides a tool for network operators and engineers to efficiently choose suitable configurations for their 5G slices, allowing them to make use of their resources and meet the quality of service requirements for their slices.” In simple terms, the tool would allow 5G network operators to explore new services and applications for their networks.

“The partnership is enabling an ecosystem for our faculty that supports and encourages research. We are glad to be affiliated with one of the best, especially in support of undergraduate research.”

With his capstone project a success, Chikh Dahmane explained that the joint supervision allowed for “a rich exchange of ideas, continuous feedback and a broader research perspective.” Chikh Dahmane said his relationship with his Waterloo supervisors was productive, offering both guidance and intellectual freedom.

“My supervision team is providing me with invaluable feedback to improve my scientific writing style and delivery to publish at top research venues,” he said.

Highlighting the importance of this partnership, Youssef said, “This program enables our students to access Waterloo resources, interact with faculty and other students, and visit Waterloo to interact with faculty on site.”

Sherif Aly ’96, professor and chair of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, shared similar sentiments: “Our affiliation with this school is an attestation to our quest for quality education to our students.”

“This collaboration solidified my research interests and gave me the foundational skills and motivation to continue exploring the field in-depth." 

The new initiative is a game-changer for computer scientists and engineers across both institutions. “The partnership is enabling an ecosystem for our faculty that supports and encourages research. It took us many years and hard work to materialize this agreement, and we are glad to be affiliated with one of the best, especially in support of undergraduate research,” said Aly.

After completing his current project, Chikh Dahmane plans to pursue graduate studies with a focus on networking. He credits his Waterloo experience for exposing him to current research gaps and challenges in 5G networks. “This collaboration solidified my research interests and gave me the foundational skills and motivation to continue exploring the field in-depth,” he said.

Down the line, Chikh Dahmane hopes the program will continue to grow in size and subject areas so that more students can benefit from the unique collaboration. “This would make the initiative even more inclusive and impactful,” he said.

Until then, he is glad that his involvement helped lay the groundwork for future AUCians to participate in the partnership. “It was certainly a challenge to take part in something so new, with little precedent to guide us. However, I now feel proud of what I have accomplished,” Chikh Dahmane said.

L'Aroma: Peacefulness

You like cats, or at least tolerate them, given how many will be trying to sit on your lap while you sip your drink. You enjoy the simple things in life, like spending time sitting in the garden, and you don't mind stretching your lunch break just a teensie bit to enjoy the weather.

TBS: Balance

You enjoy the sweeter things in life. Never without a pastry or sandwich in hand, you strike a balance between the bitterness of your espresso and the sugar in your freshly baked croissant with the same poise that balances all things in your life. That being said, you have things to do, people to see! You take your coffee to go, balancing your teetering treat atop your steaming coffee lid as you head to your next appointment.

Cilantro: Patience

You are blessed with the gift of patience and understand that the best things in life are worth waiting for, which is why you visit the locale with the longest line. You're certainly a social butterfly; your friends spot you across Bartlett Plaza and pop over to chat while you wait. Like a caterpillar waiting calmly to receive its wings, your time is best spent relaxing while you wait for the aromatic experience of a fresh espresso.

Quick 24: Efficiency

As the name implies, you appreciate efficiency and embody self-efficacy. No need for a barista, you'll make the coffee yourself, thank you very much. With two clicks of a button, a quick peruse of the shelves and a no-nonsense conversation with the cashier, you are in and out with coffee and snacks in two minutes flat. You're a person who gets things done. As you stow your chips in your bag and sip your self-made coffee, you know you're saving precious time.

Need a container for all of this coffee? Visit the AUC Shop!

By Claire Davenport

In Youth in Egypt: Identity, Participation, and Opportunity (NYU Press, 2023), Nadine Sika '97, '00, associate professor of comparative politics, paints a picture of young people as Egyptian citizens in their own words.

"I wanted to investigate how Egyptian youth see themselves as a force for transformation and how they are passionate about making a positive change," she explained.

The book tells a new story about young people -- looking at them not just as an age group but as actors for change in the public sphere. Sika was inspired to explore this topic while conducting research on youth in the South Mediterranean. "We got a lot of insight into how young people participate and engage differently in the public sphere," she explained. "After the research project ended, I wanted to do more."

The book draws on qualitative and quantitative analysis with almost 100 interviews and focus groups and a survey analysis of 1,200 young people. Sika worked with AUCians, including undergraduate and graduate students as well as alumni, to conduct the qualitative analysis, interviewing youth and civil society actors from various sociopolitical and economic backgrounds over a three-year period. "AUCians are the backbone of this research," she said. "As a team we would sit together, think about what questions we wanted to pose, how to do the research and who to target."

Youth as Active Citizens

Sika's research shows that youth in Egypt perceive themselves as members of society with agency and a desire to contribute to positive change.

"A lot of people think that youth aren't interested in public engagement, but the majority of young people we worked with see themselves as a force for development and impact," she said.

Sika also looked at what marginalizes and disenfranchises youth as well as the lack of economically marginalized youth representation in the public sphere.

"We always hear that education is the opportunity for upward mobility. However, educated young people coming from lower economic backgrounds are less likely to have better life chances," she said. "What we found through our research was that youth from disenfranchised backgrounds really need to have their voices heard."

Sika hopes that this book serves as a reminder that young people want to continue taking part in shaping the future of society in Egypt and the region at large.

"Youth in Egypt are actually vibrant, present and optimistic about their future," she said.

By Katie Marie

Ahmed Sameh (MA '18, MA '20) is on a journey to help himself and others get in touch with their authentic selves.

In the nearly 10 years since he founded his social enterprise Emmkan, it has grown from a career guidance hub for young people to become Egypt's first organization for developing social and emotional learning (SEL) workshops and tools that help people of all ages to better understand themselves and others.

"When you're connected to your true self, you are way more confident, more at peace when it comes to mental health and less fearful of judgment or failure," Sameh explained. "Better social and emotional awareness enables you to live more intentionally. It lets you have healthier, more harmonious relationships."

For much of the company's existence, Emmkan has focused on supporting and teaching Egyptian youth. Starting just two years after Sameh graduated with a bachelor's in computer engineering and an MBA in marketing, the company originally aimed to help students explore their personalities and make better career decisions.

Almost immediately, though, Sameh's focus began to shift.

"Instead of using the safe space we created to discuss career or academic choices, many of the students talked to us about stress and challenges in their lives. Some had experienced severe traumas and didn't have an outlet to deal with them," Sameh recalled.

Today, Emmkan offers workshops and retreats to K-12 and university students at schools across Egypt, including AUC. Through its free Student Ambassador program, Emmkan also trains and mentors high school students, empowering them to lead community development and volunteer projects.

Digging Deeper

In 2015, after several years as a practitioner, Sameh felt compelled to return to school -- this time to AUC, where he obtained two master's degrees in international and comparative education and philosophy.

"I only had a very basic introduction to the humanities in my own undergraduate degree, and felt like I needed to expand my own knowledge in order to be able to dig deeper in our work," Sameh explained.

"Better social and emotional awareness enables you to live more intentionally. It lets you have healthier, more harmonious relationships."

Bringing together educators from different fields, AUC's Department of Educational Studies (formerly the Graduate School of Education) provided Sameh with the opportunity to connect with and learn from other practitioners. "Many of the students are teachers or administrators working on the ground," he said. "This experience has given me one of the most powerful networks I have in my career."

During his master's studies, Sameh also learned the professional language needed to explain his passion. "At the Comparative and International Education Society's 2016 conference in Vancouver, I attended a workshop about social and emotional learning. I had never heard the term before, but I understood that it was exactly what I had been trying to do. I finally knew how to explain Emmkan's mission."

Play to Learn

More recently, Emmkan has sought to broaden the reach of its programs, sharing SEL knowledge via its Instagram, TikTok and YouTube channels. It has begun to develop learning tools for adults, the first of which is an SEL card game called Share. Several editions of the game have been published, including versions for friends, families and married couples -- the last of which has become a bestseller. Share is tailored to the Egyptian social context, and the decks are bilingual in both English and Arabic.

While anyone can purchase the game, it has become a popular tool among life coaches, psychologists and others working in SEL and mental health.

"Our pivot to focus on all ages is really aimed at amplifying the impact of SEL to the community level. Adults, especially parents, or couples with these skills can create a more supportive environment for children to grow in," Sameh explained. "If SEL is adopted more widely, this will create increasingly authentic and balanced communities. The change would be massive."

By Dalia Al Nimr

In his book, Age Is Just a Number, the late Charles Eugster recounted his experiences as a retired dental surgeon. He revived his passion for competitive rowing at age 63, ventured into bodybuilding at 87 and embraced sprinting for the first time at 95. His remarkable achievements include securing 40 gold medals in World Masters Rowing, claiming world championship titles in 200-meter indoor and 400-meter outdoor races, and setting world records for his age group in various sports. Eugster died in 2017 at age 97.

While not everybody can be record- breaking athletes at an older age, it's up to each individual to make the most of their time in this life. "Age is really just a number," said Mohamed Salama, professor at AUC's Institute of Global Health and Human Ecology. "Healthy aging is all in the mindset."

This year, Salama is launching "AL- SEHA [Health]: A Longitudinal Study of Egyptian Healthy Aging," the first nationally representative panel study on aging in Egypt. The first of its kind in the Middle East, the study aims to fill knowledge gaps to help set policies and effective healthcare strategies that improve the lives of the country's elderly population.

AUCToday spoke with Salama on AL-SEHA and what it takes to be happy and healthy.

What is healthy aging?

The word "health" in itself does not connote the absence of disease. Healthy elderly people still have illnesses. The true definition of health is improving one's quality of life. This notion of health is becoming correlated with the term "happy aging," whereby as people age, they are content, independent and engaged in community activities while maintaining a good physical quality of life.

A 2023 paper published in Cell journal argues that aging is a reversible process, based on experiments with mice. Can aging be reversed? Can the body "reset itself?"

Reverse aging is too ambitious. Such experiments have been successful with reverse aging in mice through gene manipulation in a controlled experimental setting. However, humans have different exposures and ways of living. So theoretically yes, the body can reset itself in a controlled environment, but realistically, this can't happen because you can't control all of the variables around you. This is the problem with basic research: oversimplification.

What's a more realistic approach?

Applied research, which is more accurate and aims to improve quality of life while postponing or slowing down the aging process. It's normal to have a decline in cognitive and other functions as you get older. Our role as scientists is to postpone this to 80 or 90 years of age, especially since life expectancy is increasing. So we're looking at a gradual, not sharp, decline that can be accommodated and doesn't hit elderly people hard.

How does that happen?

There are two tracks to study aging: purely biological, which ignores the complexity of human beings, and a social science path, where scientists study human experiences throughout life. The best approach merges both tracks, and this is where longitudinal studies come in.

How does the AL-SEHA study work?

Before getting into the aging phase, which begins at around 45 or 50 years of age, we follow up with individuals who are in good physical and mental health. We do this every couple of years for a decade or two. At age 60, we examine when the decline happens and identify possible contributing factors: Is it specific experiences they went through, such as work, diet, sports or marriage? Is it where they live or how much education they have completed? Embracing the complexity of human beings is a main pillar in longitudinal studies, and such determinants provide us with real-time data to analyze.

"We need to embrace aging and understand its determinants. It's a normal process."

How do you use this data to assess cognitive aging?

We identify modifiable risk factors. So far, there are 12: lower levels of education, physical inactivity, air pollution, excessive alcohol, smoking, head injury, infrequent social contact, obesity, hypertension, diabetes, depression and hearing impairment. If we can control them, we'll probably be able to postpone, decrease, slow down and, in some cases, eliminate the risk by up to 40%. We basically match each of these lifestyle aspects with biological factors.

Can you illustrate this from everyday life?

Take education, for example. The number of years of education is directly proportional to cognitive functions. The more educated you are, the lesser the chance of cognitive decline. Continuing education and graduate studies are even better. Also, people who are skilled in memorization have a high cognitive reserve, meaning their brains are resilient to new demands and damage and are therefore less likely to develop cognitive diseases later on. Family coherence, or the degree of love from primary caregivers, also affects cognitive functions among the elderly. Even coffee can protect against neurological diseases and cognitive decline. Studies have shown that four cups of coffee a day could help prevent Parkinson's and dementia. On the other hand, stress, trauma and pollution can negatively affect cognitive processes.

Why are aging studies important?

There has been a growing global interest in healthy aging studies because they reveal the challenges and opportunities that will face the world in the future, especially in low- and middle-income countries that suffer from a lack of data in this field. Aging studies can help prevent the development of major diseases, such as cancer and dementia, including Alzheimer's.

What is different about the study you're conducting?

AL-SEHA is the first to apply the U.S.- based health and retirement survey, which has been implemented on a global scale, to the Middle East. With longitudinal studies, it's important

to understand the human condition in one's own country versus others. For example, a study conducted in a war-torn country will be different from one where there is no conflict because human experiences and exposures stand in stark contrast.

Why start with Egypt?

Egypt is the most populated country in the Middle East and the third in Africa. Although the country's population is relatively young, the number of elderly people is rising. Egypt is in an ideal position to prepare its population for healthy aging to help reduce access inequities and age-based discrimination while facilitating the evaluation of current health policies.

How big is the project?

It started in 2021 with a pilot study in coordination with AUC's Social Research Center and will expand to include about 20,000 participants aged over 50, representing all of Egypt's governorates. The study will span at least 10 years, with researchers following up with participants every two years to track changes in their health. We will collaborate with government agencies, civil society and nonprofit organizations in Egypt, in addition to the SHARE project, which researches the connection between policy and quality of life for European citizens and beyond.

What's the main message you wish to convey through this research?

Aging is not a disease. If people view aging as a biological problem or illness, their life expectancy falls back four years. There is still a misconception that the elderly should retire and stay at home. On the contrary, working reduces the chances of a sharp decline in health and cognitive functions. We shouldn't make the elderly feel like they have a problem. There will be some decline, of course, but one can remain healthy at 70, 80 and even 90 years of age. We need to embrace aging and understand its determinants. It's a normal process and shouldn't be accompanied by major morbidities or lethal diseases.