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Alumni in Focus - Matthew Quin

Matthew Quin (Public Health MSc 2019)

A photo of Matthew Quin, Public Health MSc alumnus, smiling at the camera. Matthew has short hair and a beard, and is wearing a black shirt.

"My advice to anyone joining public health is to build your network. University can be a great time to do that. Public Health is a small world, and your paths will cross. It has been great to see the people I studied with grow in their careers to become leaders in public health."

Matthew Quin is Acting Associate Director of Public Health, London Borough of Tower Hamlets. He studied at BSMS for his MSc in Public Health between 2014 and 2019. Here, he tells us about the experience and why the MSc has been crucial to his career development.

I was born in Brixton, an inner area of South London, and later moved to Croydon, an outer area of South London, for my schooling.

I grew up in a three-bedroom house with my mother, grandmother, sister and various relatives who needed shelter when they were sick or in need of help. I was very close to my grandmother, who had multiple long-term conditions before passing away from cancer when I was 11.

We did not have much money, and I was always aware of our financial struggles. Despite the limited options, choices, and opportunities available to me as a child, I always felt loved, and my mother ensured that there was always food on the table. She did the best she could at her own expense, a fact I did not fully appreciate until later in life. It was not until much later in my career that I truly understood what poverty meant. Coming from a broken home was also looked down upon at school, and it meant not only less money but also less support available to our small family.

My primary school headteacher told me that I was not academic and would be better suited to a school with lower expectations. I did not listen to him thankfully. I am proud to have achieved four GCSEs (grades A-C), followed by a BTEC GNVQ at college, which helped me train to become a chef.

I started working at a newsagent at the age of 12 before moving to McDonald's at 16, the day after finishing my GCSEs. I loved it; it was a great management experience, and I still value their training today. They have a saying, "People, Product, Equipment," which instilled in me the importance of people, the driving force behind why I still come to work. I then became a manager at JD Wetherspoon before deciding to take a different path.

Somehow, I made it to university, where I had a lot of fun, made new friends, and had new experiences.

I started to change and felt a little lost, which made me question a lot, but I did not have the ability to explore the answers. I did some traveling and found a new passion.

I landed my first job in a Minister's Private Office, reading and writing correspondence. A friend's wife put me forward for this temporary role, and I have always appreciated this opportunity as it opened the door for me.

I worked hard, which led to a position at the Department of Health as a Project Officer in the alcohol policy team. My father was a dependent alcoholic, and I struggled to understand why he chose alcohol over his family, a pain I carried for many years. I worked in a great team and had a fantastic line manager who believed in me and helped me grow and develop.

I started to progress in my career, moving to NHS London, a strategic health authority, where I began to project manage public health programmes. Once again, a fantastic line manager helped me start believing in myself and made my voice feel valued. It is hard to believe that in 2011, I struggled to say my name out loud in meetings for fear of messing up; I had no confidence. I continued my development journey when I moved to Public Health England in 2013. I had my first mentor, who helped me understand the important role public health plays in reducing inequalities, preventing ill health, and protecting people from harm. It dawned on me that a profession exists to protect someone like me, and I was in a job where I could add value.

I then moved to Croydon Council in 2014 when I was told, "You will never make it in Public Health, Matthew, without a Master's degree!" it scared me. The idea of obtaining a Master's degree was hard for me to comprehend, let alone afford. How could I get a Master's degree when I could barely get GCSEs? Croydon permitted me access to study leave, and I had a wonderful team around me that offered time and support to help me succeed. I had a great relationship with my line manager and felt very supported.

I chose Brighton and Sussex Medical School because the learning style complemented my own. I liked the idea of spending one week at a time on a dedicated topic area or module, which set me a challenge to complete all the pre-reading before Day 1 to make the most of the week. I then booked leave in the weeks following the module to further explore my learning outcomes and complete any associated assessments or assignments.

I used to tell people that "school wasn't for me," but I started to realise that the school and that style of learning did not suit me. Upon starting the Master's programme, I realised that I was more academic than I had ever given myself credit for. I found a subject I loved, met people with common interests, and began to understand the impact of my past experiences on my future.
BSMS allowed me to pay off my fees on a monthly basis, without which I do not think I could have achieved the Master's degree. I studied for the Master's between 2014 and 2019, a long time to lose a significant portion of my salary, but it was worth it.

Upon starting at BSMS, several years had passed since I was in an academic environment. Things had changed, technology had changed, and I had changed. I was struggling and needed help. Universities have so much support available to help you succeed; do not be afraid to seek it out, from finance to learning needs, library services, and accessibility. You are paying for this experience, so make sure it works for you.

I had a brilliant course leader who was approachable, knowledgeable, helpful, and offered me time and guidance. I had some fantastic lecturers. Research methods and critical appraisal was by far the hardest module I completed. The lecturer challenged me, pushed me, supported me, and made education fun again. I recently met him again after 10 years, and it was so rewarding to thank him. An inspirational teacher can have a lasting impact.

I took so much personal learning from doing the MSc, which helped me better understand myself and my background, as well as my personal and professional growth.

The MSc helped me to understand:

The social determinants of health, helping me better understand the impact of coming from a poor working-class family and living in an overcrowded household
The health harms of addictive behaviours and connection to life experiences
The importance of nutrition – I have always had a challenging relationship with food
If smoking causes cancer, why was it marketed to me as a child? This is probably why I started smoking at 12. It took me years to stop, even though I wanted to, now I know why
Mental health and trauma-informed care help to give greater understanding
Many of my family members died when I was younger, many due to the consequences of lifestyle diseases
Slavery still exists and is accepted far too often in the name of sport
Poor air quality can reduce the lung capacity of children – who knew?
That I feel lucky to have the NHS.

I found the dissertation experience rewarding but tough. I had a very understanding wife who acted as my chief proofreader, for which I am very grateful. It took time, but I loved writing it. It enabled me to explore a topic in which I have specialised for years to come. It is hard to believe that I have now had two articles published in this area!

BACKGROUND IMAGE FOR PANEL

It has been a tough academic journey, and for every time someone told me, "I'm not good enough" or "public health isn't for you," it drove me to challenge myself to learn more, grow as a public health professional and be a leader in the public health community that I know I can be.

I am currently acting as an Associate Director of Public Health in Tower Hamlets, responsible for the healthy environments agenda, including child healthy weight. My team's role is to influence others working across the built, natural, and social environments to achieve health equity for our residents. Once again, I feel fortunate to have had a line manager and a director who have given me time, funding, knowledge, and a lot of support to help me continue my developmental journey, for which I am very grateful.

After completing my MSc, I have continued to return to BSMS to do continual professional development modules, including Health Promotion and Behaviour Change, Commissioning for Quality Healthcare, and Essential Statistics. The flexible approach to learning has enabled me to pick up modules to help with personal growth.

In 2024, I was accepted onto the UKPHR’s Specialist Registration by Portfolio Assessment (SRbPA) registration and I would not have been accepted without having a firm foundation in public health knowledge, which I gained at BSMS.

Entering public health is now more competitive than ever. As I shortlist for jobs in my team, almost everyone has an MSc in Public Health, but not everyone has experience working in public health. You do not need to work in a traditional public health team or role to gain this experience; there are many opportunities within the voluntary community sector to gain experience and grow as a public health professional.

You will need a Master's degree to work at senior levels in Public Health, but a Master's is expensive, consider when best to make this investment. Our more junior roles do not require a Master's degree; a BSc or even equivalent experience is required.

My advice to anyone joining public health is to build your network. University can be a great time to do that. Public Health is a small world, and your paths will cross. It has been great to see the people I studied with grow in their careers to become leaders in public health.

"You will never make it in Public Health, Matthew, without a Master's degree!" Probably the best advice I have ever received.

Find out more about our MSc in Public Health