From Sudan to Systems Change: Two Sisters Using Behavioural Science to Transform Community Health
Shownotes
What happens when community, culture, behavioural science, and public health intersect?
In this inspiring conversation, Ben Reiman sits down with sisters Ruaa Hassaballa and Ithar Hassaballa, two behavioural scientists whose journey began in Sudan and evolved into careers dedicated to health equity, systems change, community engagement, and global health.
The sisters share how their upbringing in Sudan, immigration to the United States, and the influence of parents rooted in teaching, anthropology, and service shaped their understanding of humanity, resilience, and collective care. They discuss the values that continue to guide their work, including curiosity, integrity, community, and cultural humility.
The conversation explores how behavioural science extends far beyond individual behaviour change and can be applied to entire communities and systems. Through stories from diabetes prevention, Ebola response efforts, COVID-19 equity initiatives, global health leadership, and maternal health work, Ruaa and Ithar illustrate why trust, relationships, and lived experience are essential ingredients for meaningful change.
Listeners will also discover how community members serve as experts in their own lives, why cultural humility may be more powerful than cultural competence, and what it takes to create conditions where individuals and communities can truly thrive.
This episode is a masterclass in systems thinking, health equity, behavioural science, and the power of listening.
Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/0Gc0T_tU6Pw
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Links
Ithar Hassaballa
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ithar-hassaballa/
https://communityhealth.ku.edu/people/ithar-hassaballa-mph-phd-who-fellow
https://common-ground-advisors.com/
Ruaa Hassaballa
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ruaa-hassaballa/
KU Center for Community Health and Development
https://communityhealth.ku.edu/
Dr. Stephen Fawcett
https://communityhealth.ku.edu/people/stephen-b-fawcett-phd
Hzssaballa Omar Hassabala
https://www.interurbanarthouse.org/tangled-roots-exhibition-2020
https://youtu.be/O4mVCfPfVDQ?si=U4t_jdwxH-QrY53y
Research Discussed
Phori PM, Fawcett S, Nidjergou NN, Silouakadila C, Hassaballa R, Siku DK. Participatory Monitoring and Evaluation of the COVID-19 Response in the Africa Region. Health Promotion Practice. 2023;24(3):432-443. doi:10.1177/15248399221095524Munodawafa, D., Moeti, M.R., Phori, P.M. et al. Monitoring and Evaluating the Ebola Response Effort in Two Liberian Communities. J Community Health 43, 321–327 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10900-017-0425-5
Fawcett S, Holt C, Solar-Hormazabal O, et al. Equity Lens Protocol: Reflecting on Harms From the COVID-19 Response and Mitigation Strategies Implemented in a Local Public Health System. Health Promotion Practice. 2024;25(4):526-530. doi:10.1177/15248399231173702Watson-Thompson, J., Hassaballa, R.H., Valentini, S.H. et al. Actively Addressing Systemic Racism Using a Behavioral Community Approach. Behav. Soc. Iss. 31, 297–326 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42822-022-00101-6