2011 Grant Recipient 
Turkey
PhD, Department of International Health, JHSPH
The Johns Hopkins International Injury Research Unit is currently working with a consortium of partners to improve road safety in 10 low and middle-income countries around the world. The 10 countries involved in the project are Brazil, Cambodia, China, Egypt, India, Kenya, Mexico, Russia, Turkey and Vietnam. Along with the Johns Hopkins International Injury Research Unit, consortium partners include the World Health Organization, the Global Road Safety Partnership, the Association for Safe International Road Travel, EMBARQ and the World Bank. The Johns Hopkins International Injury Research Unit is responsible for the ongoing monitoring and evaluation of the road safety interventions in all 10 countries, as well as the development of training materials for health care workers. Interventions will address critical road safety risks such as helmet wearing, seatbelt use, drunk driving and speeding. The Unit is also assisting with subprojects such as trauma care in Kenya and India, and data system development in Kenya and Egypt. Personal Narrative:
Merhaba Türkiye! On June 17, 2011 I landed in Ankara, Turkey for my summer field placement with the Johns Hopkins International Injury Research Unit’s Road Safety in 10 Countries (RS-10) project. Having worked on the issue of road safety for the past year, I was thrilled by the opportunity to address this highly neglected public health problem that kills about 1.3 million individuals each year. Most of these deaths occur within low and middle countries that have been experiencing rapid economic growth and motorization. As road safety involves various sectors, I was particularly looking forward to learning about the implementation process of this multi-country project from the perspective of these different players. As I collected my luggage and boarded the Hava? bus to the Middle East Technical University, I quickly realized that the three Turkish words I knew “Merhaba (hello),” “Te?ekkürler (thank you),” and “Makbuz” (receipt) was far from sufficient for me to get by. Aside from university students and a few government officials, most of the people I had encountered as well as interviewed in Ankara and Afyon could not speak English. The experience of traveling and working in low and middle income countries was familiar to me, but living in a country where I could not understand the language was a first. This inevitably became one of my biggest challenges. For two months, I waded, awkwardly, in this new culture and language. Not realizing in the beginning, for example, that when a person tilts his or her head back he or she is trying to convey “no.” For weeks, I interpreted this body language as a “yes” nod. Imagine the misunderstandings! Fortunately, the people I had encountered were patient, understanding and eager to help. This was reflected in my field placement as well. Over the course of 10 weeks, I conducted a qualitative study to understand the strengths and weaknesses of the RS-10 collaboration from the perspective of domestic players. The informants often lauded the project for bringing together different actors. They also explained that RS-10 is a good attempt to raise national awareness about this growing epidemic. Actors who traditionally did not have a strong voice in this matter such those in civil society as well as academia were able to provide more input. However, like all projects, there were significant challenges to the implementation process. Traditionally in Turkey, road safety is a Ministry of Interior and Ministry of Transportation problem. Having the Ministry of Health, rather than all three ministries, lead the RS-10 project created significant resistance in the beginning. Moreover, informant explained that communication amongst the stakeholders was poor and trust in international players needed to be enhanced. My experience this summer has taught me that as with adapting to a new language and culture, there is a need for these collaborations to be forged with the understanding of the local context. Awareness of each player’s organizational culture and structure will also decrease traditional barriers such as poor communication and trust. I am thankful for the IIRU and the JHU Center for Global Health for providing me this invaluable opportunity to partake in RS-10 in Turkey project this summer. I am also thankful for the Middle East Technical University and WHO Turkey Country Office for their tremendous assistance in the process. Photo Album:  | The United Nations house in Ankara Turkey |  | Dolmus buses (shared taxis in Turkey) |  | A Middle East Technical University student observing seatbelt and child seat usage in Afyon, Turkey |  | A Middle East Technical University student observing seatbelt and child seat usage in Afyon, Turkey |  | The Middle East Technical University observation study team in Afyon, Turkey |
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