MSc Recap

Wow, I cannot believe I am writing this post with a dissertation that has been submitted. I move into a new apartment in a charming and more suburban part of London on Friday and am currently on the job hunt for a position in the international development field. Writing this post has provided a meaningful opportunity of reflection amidst the chaos going on in my life. This program pushed me in so many ways- for the first time in my life, I was in a room where I was the only American, this helped me to grow in understanding of not just global health intervention strategy, but communication, societal norms, and human connection. I gained understanding of several elements of public health I thought I understood, but looking though a different global lens, I realized there are many elements and interpretations to global health and social impact work overall that must be considered. Gaining a more international frame of reference was exactly what I was hoping for from this program and something I am sure I will appreciate more and more as I start my career. I had the opportunity to work with incredibly smart peers, who really pushed me to enhance my understanding, check my biases, and widen my world view. I learned from professors who are truly at the top of their fields, gaining understanding of the most pressing issues, successes, and opportunities for growth within the global health and international development field. 

I became passionate about how demography impacts health and how we can use population figures to understand future health needs. Additionally, I found an interest in global health supply chains, looking at how vaccines, pharmaceuticals, and especially contraception reach remote and underdeveloped parts of the world. I gained knowledge about forced migration and refugee resettlement, along with maternal and child health. I engaged with a team of other four students to create a pilot program for GAVI, a major player in the global health world, to expand HPV vaccine coverage using medical students as the vaccinators in Sub Saharan Africa. Through this experience, I gained practical consulting skills, build relationships with my peers, and created a final product that we are so proud of and that is being considered for publishing. Over the last three months, I completed a 10,000 word dissertation on the contraceptive supply chain in Sub Saharan Africa during COVID, looking at what factors influenced supply related issues. I found that fear of COVID infection while obtaining contraception was a strong factor in the discontinuation of use among women, along with disruptions to the supply chain caused by redirected funding to the pandemic response, clinic closures due to healthcare workers being redistributed as well, and overall lack of stock due to factory closures and import and export related factors. 

In addition to these two large elements of my program, I was able to take a French course, along with my other degree requirements, enjoy living in London,  and meet some incredible friends who absolutely loved to travel. We used our flexible schedule as students to travel around Europe, my favorites included Mostar, Bosnia, going to the beach in Albania, visiting a dear friend from Elon who was working in Tours, France, and spending a few days in Cornwall, England to write our dissertations together in cozy coffee shops by the sea (and also peruse a Rotary charity shop!). While I had some incredibly fun experiences, this last year was not always easy. Adjusting to life across an ocean from my family and friends, the rainy and dark winters, and the competitive school environment were all difficult however did provide so many opportunities for growth and increased resiliency. I look forward to my graduation ceremony this December to further celebrate the work put into the last year. 

I cannot believe the experience is over, that I am no longer a student, and that I am going to be able to step foot into my career living in London. I am so incredibly grateful that I was able to have this life changing experience because of the Rotary Club. I have become a lifelong advocate for the power of this organization, and possibly a future member as I get more settled into a community :). I cannot thank you all enough.