London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine

What did you study at LSHTM, and when?

I studied the Professional Diploma in Tropical Nursing at LSHTM in 2017.

What is your current role and organisation?

I’m currently in the final stages of finishing my PhD, which explores how the UK NHS benefits from the global engagement of its staff. My most recent role has been with King’s Global Health Partnerships as the Health Systems Strengthening Lead, supporting their work with partners in Sierra Leone, the Gambia, Zambia, Somaliland and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

What does your work involve in practice?

Although I’m a midwife and started my career in maternal health, I now work across all aspects of health and health systems. I am particularly interested in strengthening the health workforce and the people who make up our interconnected global health system.

How has the Professional Diploma in Tropical Nursing at LSHTM contributed to your career journey?

I completed the PDTN in June 2017. Three months later I was on a plane to Uganda to work as a volunteer midwife for a UK-Uganda health partnership. I planned to stay for a year but ended up spending much of the next 6 years working in Uganda and Rwanda!

Doing the PDTN was the gateway for me into a whole world of global health, which has now been my life and career for nearly a decade. It opened my eyes, mind and so many doors of opportunity for me through learning, connections and new ways of thinking about the world. It’s my privilege to now be a guest lecturer on the PDTN, and to contribute to a course that was so transformative for me.

Can you describe one moment from your work that has stayed with you?

It’s not one moment, but a thousand moments when I was welcomed and supported to work in another health system by nurses and midwives in Uganda and Rwanda. I learnt so much working shoulder to shoulder with these amazing colleagues. They shared their expertise with me and helped me to adapt, to develop, and to make my own contribution. Sadly, I don’t think that internationally educated nurses and midwives always have the same experience of welcome and support when they come to work in the UK NHS. I would really like to see this change, and for our international colleagues to be fully valued and recognised for their knowledge, skills, and the critical contribution they make to the UK health system.

What advice would you give to nurses or LSHTM students interested in global health?

I would encourage people to say yes to opportunities that come their way, even if it’s not clear where they may lead career-wise. Be curious and try things, and don’t have a rigid plan. My career path has been all over the place with lots of uncertainty and trial and error. It has been such an adventure and led me to where I am today, even if the journey didn’t always seem to make sense at the time. You have to follow your own path and find your own way – and you will!