London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine

Why I chose MSc Reproductive & Sexual Health Research

My interest in sexual and reproductive health started in my first year at medical school when I began volunteering with the organisation (now charity) Sexpression:UK where we delivered near peer-led sex and relationships education in local schools. I had also been involved with some small research projects supported by the Academy of Medical Sciences INSPIRE programme and at one of their events I heard Dame Valerie Beral speak about her life’s work in reproductive health epidemiology, the power and uncertainty of big data, and the need to have a thorough understanding of research to be able to counsel patients effectively. I was too shy to speak to her at the event but I looked up her academic links and found the perfect course.

My favourite memories from studying at LSHTM

I really enjoyed meeting so many different people at LSHTM and learnt just as much from the other students on the course as the taught content itself. My favourite module was Maternal and Child Nutrition with Andrew Prentice and Helen Harris-Fry who were both really engaging lecturers and led to me doing my medical elective at the MRC Unit in The Gambia. I also found the statistics modules really interesting, especially because we had access to real datasets during the seminars so you could replicate analyses, like the ground-breaking study of doctors that concluded that smoking was linked to lung cancer.

Why studying at LSHTM was so valuable

The lecturers at LSHTM are world class and it is really inspiring to be taught by people who are so passionate about their research area. There are so many additional learning opportunities with extra seminars and lecture series available to students. It is a very supportive environment and I felt like I really got an opportunity to understand research design and analysis and build essential skills in critical appraisal.

My summer project experience

For my summer project I was lucky enough to be supervised by Professor Joy Lawn and Dr Artemis Koukounari analysing the perinatal outcomes from the WOMAN trial. Before I started my MSc I had seen Professor Ian Roberts present the initial findings from the WOMAN trial which found a beneficial role in tranexamic acid for the treatment of post partum haemorrhage. We used that dataset of >20,000 women to identify the rate of stillbirths in women with post partum haemorrhage, and the impact on their mental health. I went on to present the project at the Royal College of Obstetricians & Gynaecologists (RCOG) World Congress and we published the analysis in the International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics. Professor Lawn and Dr Koukounari were wonderful supervisors.

What I’ve been up to since graduating

After intercalating at LSHTM, I went back to the University of Exeter to finish my medical degree, then moved to Birmingham to start foundation training. A few months into starting work as a doctor, the pandemic hit, so I was very busy working on the respiratory wards for the first wave, then in A&E in the second wave. After that I went back to sexual and reproductive health and worked for Umbrella Health in Birmingham which is a community based sexual and reproductive health clinic. I am certain that the experiences I gained at LSHTM helped me to get a job in community sexual and reproductive health.

I have recently been on placement with the National Surveys of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles (Natsal-4) team at UCL, to enhance my public health knowledge which is a key component of my clinical training. I have also been awarded the Wellbeing of Women-College of Sexual & Reproductive Health Entry Level Scholarship to support my research into contraception and pregnancy planning after you have a baby.

How the MSc in Reproductive & Sexual Health Research has supported my medical career

Community sexual and reproductive health is a wonderful specialty involving clinical work in sexual health and women’s health including abortion care, menopause, contraception, public health, teaching and leadership. We get to spend lots of time with young people and work in a truly multidisciplinary environment. It is recognised that it can be difficult to get experience in the specialty, so the MSc in Reproductive & Sexual Health Research is one way to show your commitment to working in the field and to develop other skills they look for in the interview such as research experience, time management, and team working.

My advice to you

I would strongly recommend this programme for the quality of teaching, other students, and the opportunities it brings. It is a full-time MSc so it may be a different experience to other peers intercalating where they may only have a few hours of teaching a week, but it is a worthwhile investment!

• Discover MSc Reproductive & Sexual Health Research
• Contact our student & alumni ambassadors
• Other blogs you may be interested in:
  • Adhishree’s Big Picture Experience Studying Reproductive & Sexual Health Research
  • From studying primates to working on sexual & reproductive health – Jiahui’s story
  • Rishika's year of curiosity: exploring Reproductive and Sexual Health and beyond
  • Bringing evidence to practice: how the MSc SRHPP shaped my career in sexual and reproductive health