Global Health Policy (Distance Learning) (MSc)

I have been working in the pharmaceutical industry for 10 years, currently directing the area of Payment Policy in Novartis International AG. I always felt that I was only half the leader I wanted to be because I was lacking a solid understanding of those factors that shape global health and the environment in which pharmaceutical companies operate in. In my job I travel a lot and having 2 daughters at home, I was looking for a flexible study schedule. The School was the only top school that offered a distance learning Master’s which addressed my needs. I embarked on the MSc Global Health Policy in 2014.

Studying at the School – although by distance learning – is much more engaging than when I studied business administration at university 10 years ago. Today we have videos, podcasts and most importantly very well-moderated, high-quality discussions among students and School staff through the online forum. My study colleagues come from all over the world – they are surgeons, general practitioners, public health managers and work with government, NGOs, private companies or academia. The conversations with my peers have provided many invaluable real-life examples and viewpoints, allowing for a richer and deeper engagement with the topics studied.

The ingredients for the “cake I am baking” at the School are a vivid interest in other cultures and languages (being a linguist by education), a strong humanitarian drive (running my own charity foundation) and a 10-year exposure to high level health advocacy and nation-wide health projects management (as a first lady of Georgia between 2004-2013).

The necessary basic medical knowledge and skills that I felt I lacked made me get a nursing degree and practice for several years in Georgian hospitals. Still, I felt I needed a more evidence-based approach to health policy and that it was definitely not enough to understand the human body, to want to do good and to more or less know about the health system of one country. Academic advancement was the right answer to fill the gap.

The School is a renowned educational institution and many persons I respect had recommended it to me. I knew Peter Piot from the HIV/AIDS scene in which I was involved through my work with the Global Fund. The choice of the School turned out really perfect for me: from 2012 I am studying almost daily (at a pace of three modules a year) and I even had the chance to do 2 modules in-house in London earlier this year (‘health systems’ and ‘medical anthropology). I would really recommend distance learning students to take that chance when it is offered to them: it is so encouraging and stimulating to be at University, meet professors, make new friends from all over the world with similar interests, attend lectures and seminars (also after-hours) and use the rich library and computer classes offered. I especially encourage people like me (in my forties) with a lot of practice and a wish to change career, to apply to one of the many (constantly updated) distance learning courses that the School has to offer. You will definitely find what you are looking for.

As a Canadian surgeon I first became interested in global health policy after working in a high altitude clinic in the Nepal Himalaya. Since then, my humanitarian work in developing countries helped me realize how, in our globalized world, health decisions made in one jurisdiction affect people living far beyond their borders. My interest in development of health policy decisions prompted me to study Global Health Policy. The School has an outstanding reputation throughout the world as a leader in international health, and the University of London Distance Learning Program has given me the flexibility to study from anywhere in the world, allowing me to continue to work and travel while completing my degree. My studies with the School have led me to a better understanding of the challenges in global health today and the MSc will help me participate more effectively in humanitarian aid planning.