My name’s Paul and I’m a post-graduate student at UWA.
I chose to do the Masters of Public Health here at UWA because I think the School offers
a very broad array of units which appeal to me.
I didn't know specifically which area I wanted to end up in.
So my primary interest when I did my undergraduate degree was science, so it was more lab-based
research, and when I decided to move into public health I saw that as a wonderful opportunity
to be able to bring forward all of the work that's done in the research arena and become
translated on the ground and make that actual impact within populations.
That’s what really excited me.
So one of the things I noticed moving from an undergraduate degree to a postgraduate
degree was that staff really treated you more like a colleague than a student, and they
were very genuinely interested in the type of research I wanted to do, and helped me
to pursue that and facilitate that.
So they helped me secure funding, they helped me establish international collaborations,
and were very supportive through the whole process – and I think really I wouldn't
have been able to do, set up my own kind of PhD project if I didn't have their support
I think one of the great things we can offer to our students here is that they get exposure
to not only our teaching and a range of units, but also some opportunities to be involved
in research.
So we have a number of research projects at the moment where we have students who get
the chance to be involved in a work experience capacity.
I think one of the things in this School is that we're not doing research that's kind
of in a lab – even though there's lots of opportunities for that within the university
– a lot of our research is about out in the real world and how those real world factors
impact on health.
When you're doing your research here and when you’re connecting with the professors and
senior staff here, you’re actually tapping into a global network of researchers.
So everyone here has their own research areas, they have international collaborations.
I've been able to spend time in South Africa and Vietnam doing fieldwork and also I've
had many opportunities to present my work at conferences.
And all of those experiences have been possible because the staff here have international
connections to facilitate that.
Our flagship program is a Master of Public Health.
So the Master of Public Health is an internationally recognised qualification, and certainly our
MPH is well respected both nationally and internationally.
And with that program, students do need to undertake core units but beyond that, there
is flexibility in our Master of Health program for the student to be able to think about
their career and professional aspirations and really tailor their Master of Public Health
to their needs.
So for me I have a very specific interest, which is in maternal and child health and
particularly in developing countries.
So one of the reasons why I was drawn to the course at UWA was that I would be able to
do research in that area, but also really connect with clinicians and people who work
in that area on the ground.
So it's not just about being behind a computer analysing data, it's about doing research
that's going to have an impact on policy and have some clinical value as well.
Over time as I've continued through with the Master’s, I've discovered what units I'm
really interested in and passionate about.
I absolutely love those units because they are really the evidence that comes through
to translate into the impacts that happen in the community – on the ground.
That’s what really excited me and brought me there, and equally I'm excited for once
I complete this degree to go out and bring all of that study that I've done into life
and experience the real world.