Public Health (Environment & Health stream) (MSc)

For many years, I’d had an interest in environmentalism and ecology, but didn’t know how to turn such an interest into a career – aside from some volunteer work and conferences in my ‘spare time.’ After graduating from the University of California, Berkeley, I worked in local tobacco control and tobacco prevention, a job that I had begun during my undergrad years at Berkeley. Eventually, I had a feeling it was time to go back to school and learn practical public health skills for the job market. I had heard that LSHTM was particularly strong in the fields of statistics and epidemiology.
I have zero regrets about my decision to come to LSHTM. Within the MSc in Public Health course, I chose the Environmental Health stream. It has been a rigorous and demanding course, but I am extremely grateful for the challenge; the tools I am learning can be applied to either a developing or developed country context. Inevitably, the topic of climate change comes up within the Environmental Health stream. With guidance from my tutor and professors, over the summer I will be researching dengue fever and how it relates to climate change and evolving mosquito habitats. I am certain that this work will be a stepping stone toward further career opportunities in the field of climate change research – a way to turn my environmental interest into a career.
I was right about LSTHM being strong in stats and epidemiology. And aside from an excellent array of modules and professors who are dedicated to what they study, I discovered another strength of LSHTM’s – its variety of international students who have had fascinating careers prior to going back to school. It seems that the students come from everywhere, from Oman to Papua New Guinea! LSHTM feels more multicultural than many American universities, and this has helped make my year there a very meaningful experience.

The reasons that made me come to the School are its reputation in the field of public health and the diversity of experts among the researchers and classmates. The School has given me the opportunity to meet classmates from around the world with different backgrounds and perspectives, which always makes discussions during classes interesting, and to connect with the world renowned teachers and researchers. I most enjoyed the regular events and seminars delivered by experts from universities and organisations from around the globe, to share their experience and perspectives on current health issues. In the MSc Public Health program, the School has given us a variety of module options to suit the interests of all students. It offers students chances to better understand themselves and different areas of public health to shape their future career path.