Dr Anthony Walker-Cook
Student Experience and Widening Participation Officer
United Kingdom
Anthony joined LSHTM in June 2021 as a Management Trainee following the completion of his PhD at UCL. Before that, he received his BA and MA degrees from Durham University. His research, which was funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) explored the transgressive and experimental use of classical reception in women's writing in the first half of the eighteenth century. He continues to publish his research and works as a freelance writer and private tutor; for the latter, he has published five study guides to support GCSE students.
At LSHTM, he worked as a Management Trainee on the review of clinical trials support and COVID-19 Doctoral Student Support scheme with the Strategic Research Office (SRO) before moving on to the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion team, where he helped introduce the School's Equity Impact Assessment process. It was during this second placement that he began working on the School's Widening Participation strategy, and in April 2022 he became the School's Access and Widening Participation Coordinator. As part of this role, he co-authored the School's Strategy to Promote Access and Widening Participation and has led on the implementation of this strategy across the School, including the introduction of both the Next Generation scholarships and the contextual admissions system alongside a thorough re-writing of the Work Experience Placement Guidance. His role title changed in April 2024 to Student Experience and Widening Participation Officer.
Within the newly-formed Access and Student Experience team, Anthony leads on developing and organising initiatives focused on the School's research degree student community, including Writing Retreats and the first Doctoral College Festival; he is also responsible for LSHTM's annual involvement in national surveys (PTES/PRES) and is working with Craig Higgins on the transition to R across all MSc programmes (intensive and distance learning). He also convenes the School's two widening participation scholarships: the Next Generation and First Generation awards for those wishing to study intensively and by distance learning respectively.