After graduating with a Biochemistry degree, applying for a Masters in public health felt like the natural next step for me, as I wanted to move from the molecular level of science to the wider population level. I am particularly interested in infectious diseases and surveillance, hence undertaking my dissertation with the support of Public Health England West Midlands,is certainly a very valuable learning experience. The academic skills I have gained so far from the MPH will undoubtedly be the fundamentals to prepare me for a public health career.
This year has really flown by! As we have recently sat our final exams, and now are nearly at the end of the MPH. It felt like ages ago since we have done our first exam for the Epidemiology, Statistics and Research Methods module. This together with the Practical Epidemiology and Statistics unit has proven to be the essential basics for further building our knowledge with other taught modules. I have particularly enjoyed the Health Protection modules, learning about communicable diseases and environmental factors. Likewise, concepts for the different regression models and interaction terms in Advanced Statistical Methods will help with my dissertation project.
I was previously a student rep for my degree course, but what is different this time, is representing international students and addressing issues particularly important to them. All positive or negative feedback was highlighted, discussed and taken seriously at the Staff Student Committee meeting. With the help of the module leads and Krish, the resulting positive actions continue to shape the MPH/HRM programme and improving students’ experiences. Please do drop the reps a message with comments about exam or dissertation feedback, we will always pass them on.
It has been a challenging year, but I have really enjoyed it and learnt a lot. Now that class has finished, we have dissertations left to work hard for over summer, and this is it! – All the best everyone!
Written by Amelia Au Yeung, International Student Rep
