Visit the Demography & Health (MSc) page on the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine website for more details!
"After doing my undergraduate degree in International Relations and working for various NGOs in Ecuador and Washington DC, I decided that my real interest lay in the population field. I was and still am particularly intrigued by demographic changes in the developing world and their consequences. I learned about the LSHTM from professionals working in the population field who recommended it for both the reputation of its programs and the quality of its research.
The diversity of the students at the LSHTM is an unquantifiable asset to the education. Collaborating with and engaging in debates with clinicians, sociologists, economists and historians from literally every corner of the world adds a breadth to the education that I doubt could be matched elsewhere.
Right from the start, the program at the LSHTM excited and inspired me to pursue a career in academia. Next year, I will begin my PhD at the University of Texas at Austin specialising in Latin American demography. My education at the LSHTM has not only given me a strong demographic and public health foundation but has also fuelled my passion for demography and enabled me with the tools to do independent demographic research."
Before coming to the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine I graduated in biomedical science and obtained some work experience in biomedical laboratory research. I became interested in the social sciences, epidemiology and the study of populations, as they are fundamental to understanding health and its wider societal implications. I chose the MSc Demography & Health program as it combined all my interests and had a thorough quantitative component, which is essential for working with social statistics and data analysis.
What I like most about the MSc Demography & Health is the quality of teaching, which covers the theoretical components of the subject, as well as the quantitative ones. Furthermore, thanks to the wide range of research experience of the lecturers on the course, and at the School, there is always the opportunity to learn more on topics related to demography, such as epidemiology, public health, anthropology and economics.
My future plans include doing a PhD on population ageing and its implications, as I have been recently offered a studentship at King’s College.
The School is just an incredible place to be – full of inspirational people and exciting new research. As well as learning a whole new set of skills, I’ve been able to attend a huge range of seminars and lectures that have really helped me to piece all of the different information and approaches together, and understand the broader context of what I’ve been learning. The variety of students in terms of their backgrounds and past experiences is great as you’re bound to learn something interesting every time you have a chat with someone new.
A career is public health is a well-kept secret. You won’t hear about it at school. No-one at a career’s fair will suggest it to you. One day you’ll just stumble upon it, and wonder why it took you so long.
The obvious choices for a garish-jumper-wearing Physics graduate had left me rather uninspired. Then one sunny day in 1996, I wandered past the doors of the oddly named London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. I was intrigued by the gold mosquitoes hovering above the entrance and went in. A lecture was in full swing, so I sat down at the back (in those days there was no security). A wild-haired academic was enthralling a hundred or so students with tales from the field… tales of the vital importance… tales of pipes-to-move-poo.
I was hooked instantly. Build pipes-to-move-poo, reduce bugs, and save lives. What could be more obvious? Simple, effective, public health.
On the way out I grabbed a copy of the School’s prospectus and signed up to the first course that would have me. Medical Demography (now Demography and Health) turned out to be an excellent course to start to convert a narrow ‘hard’ scientist into a public heath researcher. It is a truly multidisciplinary subject, spanning from anthropology to mathematical modelling.
Apart from a brief foray into financial modelling in the City of London, I’ve been at LSHTM ever since. The first buzz I felt in that lecture theatre still lives with me today.
A career in academia is undeniable hard work, but it’s also great fun and hugely rewarding. Over the years at LSHTM I’ve visited dozens of countries and worked on fascinating research projects. My research has primarily been on the mathematical and statistical modelling of the transmission and control of infectious diseases. With colleagues we have launched the Centre for Mathematical Modelling of Infectious Diseases, the TB Modelling Group, and the TB Modelling and Analysis Consortium.
The School is a great place to work. It balances academic excellence and getting that research into policy and practice. I highly recommend LSHTM as somewhere to work or study.
But wherever you find it, I hope your ‘pipes-to-move-poo’ moment hits you soon.
