Tell us a bit about where you are now?
I finished my Masters in September and was very lucky to secure a PhD studentship from the University of Brighton which started in October. So currently I am in the very early stages of PhD research, looking at improving tools for the identification of victims of domestic abuse and modern slavery in telemedicine. Doing a PhD has been a lifelong dream, and I am loving it, challenges and all!
How did you find out about the MSc in Global Health, and what led you to postgraduate study at BSMS?
When I finally decided I was going to pursue a PhD, I felt that I would be useful to do a Masters degree first, both to help me figure out what I wanted to research, but also to sharpen my research skills.
I was looking for a programme that aligned with my interests in various aspects of healthcare, and my personal and professional values of social justice, human rights and improving systems for all people. I also had a job and a child that I needed the degree to fit around, so it had to be local enough, and have the flexibility to fit around my other commitments.
The Global Health MSc at BSMS ticked all the boxes. I also attended a couple of research conferences at BSMS previously, so knew the quality and reputation of the work that was being done there. I did my degree part-time, over two years, while continuing to work, and it was very manageable.
Where would you like your career to take you next?
I took a break from my work as a social worker to do the PhD full time, and I hope that this will lead to an academic career. I would like to do more research, and would really love to teach at higher education level, maybe social work, public health, or health and social care. I think there isn’t enough research that’s coming from social work practitioners, and I would like to help change this both by doing research myself, and by encouraging other social workers and students to do research.