Public Health (Health Services Research stream) (MSc)

While undertaking a Masters in Medical Anthropology at UCL (University College London) I became aware of work at LSHTM which was directly related to my research dissertation topic at that time. I had already been considering continuing my work in the field as a PhD and following discussion it became clear that LSHTM would be an ideal environment for me to study given their expertise in the area.

It was recommended that I should apply for ESRC (Economic and Social Research Council) funding and the particular funding option available to me given my previous qualifications was a 1+3 year package. This involved completing a one year MSc course in Public Health Services Research at LSHTM, the benefit of which would be to improve my research skills followed by three years in which to complete the PhD.

Having been fortunate enough to receive this funding, and now at the end of the MSc I am looking forward to progressing on to the PhD programme and feel the MSc course exposed me to a wide range of research topics and broadened my skill base all of which will be extremely valuable in the years ahead.

After university, I took a job as a Research Assistant with a pharmaceutical research consulting company, working on the development and validation of patient-reported outcome questionnaires for use in clinical trials and other health outcomes/health economics research projects. I moved to London in 2010 and into my current role in 2011, working for a pharmaceutical company in health outcomes/health economics to support market access and reimbursement for diabetes therapies.

I chose to do a part-time MSc at the School because of the School’s renowned reputation, and because it was recommended by a number of colleagues in my industry who completed their Master’s degrees and/or PhD’s at the School. The MSc Public Health programme appealed to me because it covers many of the skills/disciplines I need for my job e.g. epidemiology, health economics, statistics, study design & critical appraisal. The course is structured such that the modules, lectures, practicals, and assessments not only teach the necessary content and information, but also force you to think critically and apply the information learned to solve real public health problems. In my current role, I will continue to use many of the analytical and critical appraisal skills that I learned while on this course.

I chose the School because of its global reputation as an excellent Public Health institution. The School’s international student community provides a great exposure and an opportunity for cross learning. The 1-year MSc programme is highly suitable for full time employees like me who need to take time off their job to undergo the training. My specialization is in Health Services Research and the training at the School has been really helpful in improving my competence as a researcher and developing the health services research division in my organization.