cancer prevention neveen shalalfa

I am Dr. Neveen Shalalfa, a physician-researcher from Palestine working at the intersection of oncology, public health, and women’s empowerment.

My work began with a simple but urgent observation: cervical cancer, one of the most preventable cancers, continues to affect women not because solutions are unavailable—but because awareness does not consistently translate into action. This gap between knowledge and behavior became the driving force behind my work.

I founded the “Disease Awareness and Prevention / HPV and Cervical Cancer Awareness Initiative (DAP-HPVC),” the first structured, nationwide initiative in Palestine dedicated to HPV awareness and cervical cancer prevention. I designed it not as a series of lectures, but as a measurable intervention model—one that integrates education with behavioral outcomes.

Through this initiative, I led multi-level engagement targeting healthcare professionals, students, and women in community organizations. We reached over 3,800 individuals directly, delivering more than 70 structured educational sessions. More importantly, through pre- and post-intervention assessments, we demonstrated significant improvements in awareness, understanding of screening, and intention toward HPV vaccination.

For me, impact is not defined by how many people we reach—but by how many lives we can influence toward prevention.