From Civil Disobedience to Swiss Sanctuary: A Doctor's Escape to Academia

In February 2021, Myanmar’s military seized power, overturning a democratic government. The coup triggered widespread protests and a brutal crackdown. For Dr. May T. N. Noe, a physician and nutrition specialist, it meant an impossible choice: continue her medical work under the new regime or join the mass resignation of civil servants known as the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM). She resigned.

That decision left her unemployed for over 18 months, marked by stress and the fear of arrest. "It was frightening," Noe recalls. "Overnight, soldiers were on the streets. We knew we were back under military control." Her CDM participation made her unemployable at home, as organizations saw her as a political risk.

Pushed by her mother and clinging to purpose, Noe began drafting a research proposal on mental health in Myanmar. This work became her lifeline. After a failed first attempt and personal tragedy, she successfully applied for a Swiss Government Excellence Scholarship. In May 2023, she began a PhD at the University of Lausanne, studying workplace burnout among European researchers—a pivot required because she cannot safely return to Myanmar for data collection.

Leaving was its own ordeal. Myanmar authorities restrict young people from traveling abroad, and her CDM status meant she risked arrest at the border. "I was nearly arrested," she says. Now in Switzerland, she builds a new life, her story a testament to the persistent risks for those who opposed the junta. Her academic work continues, fueled by resilience forged in resistance.