Alex Zuckermann, Canada
Global Health Policy by distance learning
My academic trajectory has been characterised by a series of transitions between adjacent fields: my BSc was in Biology with Psychology, but my PhD was in Molecular Biomedical Sciences. I discovered that my interests lay towards the whole-human approach, in that I wanted to look at health at the population level, and decided to enroll in this Global Health Policy program. Around the same time I was offered a position as a Postdoctoral Fellow with the Public Health Agency of Canada, cross-appointed to the University of Waterloo, where I now work on substance use among Canadian youth.
I knew I wanted to move into public and global health, and I knew I had much to learn, so I decided I wanted to get some sort of formal instruction. I wanted to get an overview of global processes shaping human health, and so a degree in Global Health Policy was the obvious choice. LSHTM is a well-known institution, and both the course content and the structure of the MSc Global Health Policy appealed to me. The core modules covered all key aspects of global health, and there was a wide variety of elective modules to choose from, which meant I could focus on complementing my biological knowledge with new topics with which I was less familiar. Once I'd had a look through the extensive information available on the website, I knew it was the best option.
One of my favourite modules contained a couple of lectures by [LSHTM Director] Peter Piot, which I found absolutely spell-binding. Studying those lectures felt more like listening to a fascinating story than working to remember facts or figures. I'm currently taking the 101 module from the Epidemiology program, which is set up in the most engaging and fun way I've ever experienced in online learning. I can adjust my workload each year based on everything else that's going on in my life.
"Once I'd had a look through the extensive information available on the website, I knew it was the best option."
I joke that I'm doing my MSc at the same time as doing my first postdoc, since both are in a field that is new to me. But they complement each other perfectly, I can transfer skills I pick up in one context to the other, and I can use the work I do for one of them to inform my approaches to new problems in both. I'm hoping to continue in this field, so this course will likely be of key importance for my future career.
From studying this program, I would say I've gotten a lot better at structuring my own schedule for studying, since the program's flexibility means I could theoretically approach it however I wanted to, but also that if I get caught up in my job or other concerns there are few external checks and balances.
I would recommend that anyone considering studying Global Health Policy at LSHTM looks at all the information given on the website (there's a lot!) and then go for it! Don't underestimate how much time it takes, take the time to sit down at the start of the year and make a plan, then stick to it. Start slow if you're not sure how much you can do alongside your job. Use the forums! That's where I've gotten my best feedback.
I think the best word to use to sum up my experience of studying at LSHTM would be "intense" - mainly in a positive sense. I took on too much during my first year, but got through OK nonetheless by making time where I could and being consistent in my approach, as well as using all learning tools I could think of. The second word that comes to mind is "rewarding", because I truly feel that I'm getting out what I'm putting in, and because I feel like I can really shape my experience to work perfectly for what I want and need from it.
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