London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine

I initially started at LSHTM with a strong desire to work within a sector that improves human health and guides decisions surrounding vaccines and disease control. These past few months have opened my eyes to a range of new career possibilities and ideas for my future. I wanted to share some advice with you that I learned over the past year.

Use the first three months to plan for the rest of the study journey

Reflecting on my time at LSHTM so far, I’d definitely recommend making the most out of term 1. This term offers a lot more flexibility, and you have more time to explore London before the exam period approaches. Take time to appreciate the parks, the lovely cafes and areas like Brick Lane and Soho. 

Although it felt overwhelming choosing elective modules at the end of term 1, it’s important to make informed choices. Figuring out the style of assessment you would prefer, how the module is taught and whether it’ll give you the skill set you would like to gain are all worthy considerations to have. In addition, if you already have some idea of what you may want to do for your master’s thesis, it would be useful to choose modules relating to that type of project (i.e., epidemiological, laboratory-based or bioinformatics) and the field of interest, to acquire the subject knowledge and statistical expertise you may need. 

Decide early on your elective module, so that you can choose the summer project topic

In term 2, you will have the option to change modules in relation to any you may require for your thesis project, but it will be subject to space availability, so consider this early on. Throughout term 1, I gained an appreciation for vector-borne diseases, which guided me to choose the ‘Vector sampling, incrimination and identification’ module in term 2. 

This then led me to find a project within malaria surveillance for my master's thesis. In addition, when exploring optional modules before starting at LSHTM, the ‘Spatial epidemiology in Public Health’ module captured my attention. After studying the module this term, I can conclude that it has been one of my favourite modules so far. Investigating the epidemiology of infectious diseases from a spatial perspective, with specific skills gained within qGIS and R studio, has offered me the chance to integrate spatial analysis into my master's project. I hope to use these skills in future roles after graduating from LSHTM. 

My personal highlights: Lectures and seminars that open my eyes

During term 1, I was also fortunate to listen to a guest speaker within the Health Policy: Process & Power module, who spoke about HIV-related stigma and health policy implications. As someone who wrote their bachelor's dissertation on HIV awareness within different communities in the UK, this lecture reinforced my growing interest in HIV treatment and patient care. This has also led me to study the HIV module in term 3, hoping to learn more ways to support HIV affected individuals and to improve their quality of life. 

One of the most interesting lectures I have had thus far in term 2 has been the ‘molecular epidemiology of infectious diseases’ lecture given by Stéphane Hué. The lecture forms part of the module ‘Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases’, which focuses on infection within the human host, transmission routes, surveillance data and outbreak responses. This lecture made me re-evaluate whether I may be interested in working with surveillance of infectious diseases within a genomic context. 

Networking is important, so talk to strangers

I have realised the importance of networking with strangers; to establish connections and to express interest in people’s work. Whether it is just an informal chat about a lecture or an in-depth conversation about a potential research opportunity, being proactive in an environment with so many great and influential people is key. Stay open to meeting new people, staff and students alike; you may meet someone here at LSHTM who could help shape your future career.

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