The idea of Team-3D Manipal was conceived in 2015 by a small group of likeminded individuals who joined hands to spread awareness and talk about health issues people are shy or scared to talk about. In one year this concept attract many more and the group evolved as 'Team-3D" a Nationally Registered Not for Profit Organization in November 2016. We strive to promote facts demystify myths and help create a healthier, bolder and more positive 'Gen Next'.

We achieve this through Interactive workshops, fact files and workbooks, a documentary, a flash mob and a street play. We have also branched out to focus on older age groups to raise awareness about common health issues faced by people and bust myths and misconceptions surrounding them. We have over 200 volunteers and have organized more than 50 for students. Since 2019 we are a regular part of the Med-Orient program organized as per the MCI (now NMC) rules, for orienting medical students as they enter first year of MBBS.

We also have a research wing which is involved in Epidemiological research and conducts studies to better understand the prevalence and impact of these diseases in our society.

For more information, please refer to our website: www.team3d.org

Sexual & Reproductive Health

Good sexual and reproductive health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being in all matters relating to the reproductive system. It implies that people are able to have a satisfying and safe sex life, the capability to reproduce, and the freedom to decide if, when, and how often to do so. To maintain one’s sexual and reproductive health, people need access to accurate information and the safe, effective, affordable and acceptable contraception method of their choice. They must be informed and empowered to protect themselves from sexually transmitted infections and the sequalae of the same which may be debilitating like chronic pelvic pain and infertility as well as may be killer in case it leads to blocked tubes and ectopic pregnancy. Every individual has the right to make their own choices about their sexual and reproductive health. 

For women good sexual and reproductive health is important for her general health and wellbeing. It is central to their ability to make choices and decisions about their lives, including when, or whether, to consider having children.

Sexual and reproductive health is not only about physical wellbeing – it includes the right to healthy and respectful relationships, health services that are inclusive, safe and appropriate, access to accurate information, effective and affordable methods of contraception  and access to timely support and services in relation to unplanned pregnancy.

Different life stages are associated with specific women’s sexual and reproductive health issues, including menstruation, fertility, cervical screening, contraception, pregnancy,  sexually transmitted infections/diseases, chronic health issues like endometriosis and polycystic ovarian disease and menopause.

Dreams, Desires and Destiny are our three main wings dedicated to cater the most important individual psychological and emotional needs in accordance with the age groups. We acknowledge and accept the fact that - things (or facts) if kept secretively become either more tempting or more scary. Be it our stories, workshops, documentaries or films, we aspire to put up facts with scientific knowledge and experience in the most effective and compassionate way so that the facts are absorbed in effortlessly; be it the tender young minds or the calculative experienced minds without leaving turbulent ripples around.

Safe sexual practices are important for the sexual and reproductive health of sexually active women of all ages. Access to accurate, impartial and up-to-date sexual and reproductive health information, and services such as HPV vaccination,  cervical cancer screening, and timely testing and diagnosing for sexually transmitted infections   is also essential.

Having access to sexual and reproductive health services, quality information about maintaining a healthy lifestyle, and physical and mental health services can all help women and men alike to achieve optimal health and wellbeing.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that there are approximately 20 million new STD infections each year—almost half of them among young people ages 15 to 24.

Untreated STDs can lead to serious long-term health consequences, especially for adolescent girls and young women. CDC estimates that undiagnosed and untreated STDs cause at least 24,000 women in the to become infertile in the US alone. Talking about India with a population size as great— a 6% rate of infection amounts to more than 30 million infected people. 

To fight this gigantic ghostly issue only government efforts are not enough. We need to develop and implement innovative communication strategies that are critical for addressing issues of disparities, facilitating HPV vaccine uptake, and normalizing perceptions of sexual health and STD prevention. It is necessary to coordinate these preventive efforts with the health care delivery system to leverage new developments provided by our health care system. It is imperative to address the barriers to timely treatment when it comes to reproductive health as the consequences of chronic disease can be disastrous.

In team 3D we have planned to cater the needs of reproductive health of all in a very categorical and comprehensive manner based on their age group.

Team-3D as the name suggests is dedicated to cater the important psychological, emotional and health related needs of three crucial phases of our life line. The 3 wings of 3D are as follows:

Dreams (for 13-18 years of age)

DREAMS: As the teen age starts, so starts a full world of curiosity inside us. Lot of dreams and lot of ambitions start sprouting. But not to forget this is also the age of a start of a different hormonal milieu, related physical changes and resultant emotional turbulence. This coupled with media exposure can affect the immature psychology of a child towards negativity. Parental support and counselling is of the most important need at this time of life. However in our culture most of the time either parents are ignorant, inexperienced or too busy to handle this situation with care. Schools and teachers are the second group that can come forward to cater these needs of pubertal minds. Unfortunately they lack the education/experience towards discussing these issues with children and as a results keep on ignoring it. Because someone has to come forward – Team-3D decided to take this challenge. We plan to hit at various levels that includes- school counsellors, teachers, parents and children. We plan to conduct tailored small group workshops / discussion to educate these each of these groups individually in a manner that is educative, effective and mild keeping in mind the delicate transition of these brains.

Desires (for 18-30 years of age)

DESIRES: Desires is the group who has just left the prison of home and has entered in a sky of freedom to soar high. But do they really mean what freedom is? What freedom can lead to, if not limited with conscious efforts? We in Team-3D are dedicated to divert this enormous energy, bubbling with desires towards creativity and positivity. We conduct tailored workshop for them educating them about the consequences of unsafe practices. We also give them a chance to be a part of us as volunteers or members to work for a cause which is very important yet highly ignored in our society. We motivate them to discuss and talk about their problems and mental states instead of struggling with their own internal fights and seeking the answers in 'Google guru' – which is full of information, unfortunately most of it is misinformation. From these minds which understand this concept and are inspired to work for it, we prepare leaders for future, so as to carry forward the flame of this emerging vital concept. 

Destiny (for 30 plus age group)

DESTINY: The equation which sets how well we have worked with our dreams and desires that decides our destiny. Our habits, our ignorance can sometimes make us prone to deadly diseases. But still there is time to change the course of events – that comes by understanding the ultimate future, aging, menopause/andropause and the health issues related to that. We conduct workshops to educate men and women for various screening strategies for prevention/early recognition of these issues. We also teach them about life style modification and coping up strategies for normal age related changes. We have also devised eight scoring systems compiled in a form of a workbook which people can use sitting at home without the need to go to the hospital. However we also make them aware that these workbooks (and apps- in the process of creation) are not an alternative to consulting a doctor. However this knowledge can be used as an adjunct to routine medical care.

Publications:

1.      Ghosh, Supriti and Pattanshetty, Sanjay M and Mallya, Sneha D and Pandey, Deeksha and Guddattu, Vasudeva and Kamath, Veena G and Kabekkodu, Shama Prasada and Satyamoorthy, K and Shetty, Ranjitha S (2021) Cervical cytology and associated factors among tribal women of Karnataka, India. PLos One, 16 (3). pp. 1-12. ISSN 1932-6203

2.      Ghosh, Supriti and Pattanshetty, Sanjay M and Mallya, Sneha D and Pandey, Deeksha and Guddattu, Vasudeva and Kamath, Veena G and Kabekkodu, Shama Prasada and Satyamoorthy, K and Shetty, Ranjitha S (2021) Cervical cytology and associated factors among tribal women of karnataka, India. PLos One, 16 (3). pp. 1-12. ISSN 1932-6203

3.      Ghosh, Supriti and Pattanshetty, Sanjay and Mallya, Sneha D and Pandey, Deeksha and Guddattu, Vasudeva and Kamath, Veena G and Kabekkodu, Shama Prasada and Satyamoorthy, K and Shetty, Ranjitha S (2021) Cervical cytology and associated factors among tribal women of Karnataka, India. PLos One, 16 (3). pp. 1-12. ISSN 1932-6203

4.      Ghosh, Supriti and Mallya, Sneha D and Shetty, Ranjitha S and Pattanshetty, Sanjay M and Pandey, Deeksha and Kabekkodu, Shama Prasada and Satyamoorthy, Kapaettu and Kamath, Veena G (2021) Knowledge, Attitude and Practices Towards Cervical Cancer and its Screening Among Women from Tribal Population: a Community-Based Study from Southern India. Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities, 8. p. 1. ISSN 2196-8837

5.      Pandey, Deeksha and Yevale, Aarti and Naha, Ritam and Kuthethur, Raviprasad and Chakrabarty, Sanjiban and Satyamoorthy, K (2021) Mitochondrial DNA copy number variation – A potential biomarker for early onset preeclampsia. Pregnancy Hypertension: An International Journal of Women's Cardiovascular Health, 23. pp. 1-4. ISSN 2210-7789

6.      Adiga, Divya and Eswaran, Sangavi and Pandey, Deeksha and Sharan, Krishna T and Kabekkodu, Shama Prasada (2021) Molecular landscape of recurrent cervical cancer. Critical Reviews in Oncology / Hematology, 157. pp. 1-22. ISSN 1040-8428

7.      Bhat, Samatha and Kabekkodu, Shama Prasada and Adiga, Divya and Fernandes, Rayzel and Shukla, Vaibhav and Bhandari, Poonam and Pandey, Deeksha and Sharan, Krishna and Satyamoorthy, K (2021) ZNF471 modulates EMT and functions as methylation regulated tumor suppressor with diagnostic and prognostic significance in cervical cancer. Cell Biology and Toxicology, 37. pp. 731-749. ISSN 0742-2091

8.      Bhat, Samatha and Kabekkodu, Shama Prasada and Adiga, Divya and Fernandes, Rayzel and Shukla, Vaibhav and Bhandari, Poonam and Pandey, Deeksha and Sharan, Krishna and Kapaettu, Satyamoorthy (2021) ZNF471 modulates EMT and functions as methylation regulated tumor suppressor with diagnostic and prognostic significance in cervical cancer. Cell Biology and Toxicology, 37. pp. 731-749. ISSN 0742-2091

9.      Naha, Ritam and Anees, Akheel and Chakrabarty, Sanjiban and Naik, Punitkumar Shankar and Pandove, Megha and Pandey, Deeksha and Kapaettu, Satyamoorthy (2020) Placental mitochondrial DNA mutations and copy numbers in intrauterine growth restricted (IUGR) pregnancy. Mitochondrion, 55. pp. 85-94. ISSN 1567-7249

10.  Padacherri, Vethil Jishnu and Pradyumna, Jayaram and Shukla, Vaibhav and Varghese, Vinay Koshy and Pandey, Deeksha and Sharan, Krishna and Chakrabarty, Sanjiban and Kapaettu, Satyamoorthy and Kabekkodu, Shama Prasada (2020) Prognostic role of 14q32.31 miRNA cluster in various carcinomas: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Clinical and Experimental Metastasis, 37 (1). pp. 31-46. ISSN 0262-0898