Embracing the Learning Journey: My Ongoing Experience as a Herpes Expert
I know a lot about herpes. I can say with confidence that I know more about herpes than the average person. Seeing that it’s my career focus and a main research interest, that makes sense, right?
But I don’t know everything.
I never will.
Instagram has taught me a lot about what it means to be an “expert,” or at least, one of them. It has also taught me about expectations, entitlement, and what a lack of boundaries does to my presence on and off IG.
Making research accessible is one of my passions, but it also comes in high demand, especially for a highly-stigmatized infection.
I know a lot, but I don’t know everything. I’m still learning, still absorbing, still accepting what gaps in research remain-trying to find alternative routes.
Research isn’t a perfect equation for our experiences. And while we often lean on research when educating partners, we forget the greatest resource of all—the self.