Written by Kaiseree Dias, Research Associate in Public Health at the University of Bristol
I started working as a Research Associate in Public Health Research at the University of Bristol in January 2016 after completing my Masters in Public Health (MPH) at Birmingham in September 2015.
I am jointly funded by DECIPHer and NIHR SPHR and I am involved with a range of different studies which vary in topic areas and methods. The role provides a great opportunity to apply what I learnt from my MPH into conducting practical public health research. I will be contributing to ongoing research and grant applications using a range of methods such as literature searches, qualitative methods and systematic reviews. In my short time here I have learnt a great deal and have already attended many interesting meetings, short courses and conferences.
My job is very unique and appealing for early career researchers and therefore it was extremely competitive, with a total of 189 applicants for just 2 posts. Having the MPH made me eligible to apply for the position in the first place and the knowledge and skills I had acquired allowed me to be successful with the intense interview process.
I found that the MPH provided me with a really strong foundation of knowledge in the field of public health, which is invaluable for my current position; particularly with regards to epidemiology, statistics and research methods. The ability to personally tailor the course in terms of choosing modules that interested me really attracted me to the MPH at the University of Birmingham.
