Connecting with the Arabic Speaking Community – Maryanne Essa

We’re proud to introduce Dr Maryaan Essa, one of LiverWELL’s Community Activators.

Maryaan is a medical doctor from Iraq and works as a bicultural worker with cohealth and a health educator with Multicultural cultural women health centre . She is also deeply connected with Arabic-speaking women across communities, supporting access to clear, culturally meaningful health information.

Maryaan is passionate about health education and its power to transform lives. She believes that when people have access to accurate information, they can prevent disease, make healthier choices, and take control of their wellbeing with confidence. Through her work, Maryaan helps communities build knowledge about hepatitis and liver health in a way that feels safe, relevant and easy to understand.

Recently, Maryaan delivered an Arabic-language session on hepatitis B with the an Arabic women group in the west . The session brought together Arabic-speaking women from diverse backgrounds, including Ethiopian, Eritrean, Egyptian, Moroccan and Sudanese communities.

The session was highly engaging, with participants asking questions about hepatitis transmission, prevention, vaccination, testing, treatment and the importance of regular liver health check-ups. It also helped address common myths in a culturally safe and welcoming space. Participants shared that the session improved their understanding of hepatitis and made them feel more comfortable discussing the topic openly. The group leader praised Maryaan’s simple, interactive approach. For many, it was also their first introduction to LiverWELL and the support available through our website.

Thank you, Maryaan, for helping strengthen  viral hepatitis knowledge and supporting communities to make informed health decisions.