Nadia Cunden
Research Officer and PhD student Nadia Cunden talks about making the most of your time at University, learning from different people and other cultures as well as enjoing the city itself.
| Name | Nadia Cunden |
| Degree Course | MSc Health Systems and Public Policy |
| Year of Graduation | 2010 |
Your time at the University
I chose Edinburgh because of the specific course it offered and also because it is such a prestigious university in a beautiful city. Some of the lecturers are well-known in their field of expertise which was another plus for choosing Edinburgh.
I enjoyed my experience at the University of Edinburgh, the access to the facilities, books, materials etc. was great. The lecturers and tutors were very approachable and the class itself was composed of people from different parts of the world. This was great because everyone shared their country experiences and challenges in their health systems and it made the course much more interesting. It also meant learning about other cultures and experiencing the delicious meals we organised throughout the year!
The lecturers and tutors were very approachable and the class itself was composed of people from different parts of the world.
Tell us about your experiences since leaving the University
My courses and discussions with my course director gave me the opportunity to aspire for more, to work harder to achieve my goals. My course director is a great teacher, after many years away from academia, he showed me how my professional experience was relevant and gave me the confidence I needed to secure a good MSc degree. The course I did at the University of Edinburgh definitely helps me in my current position as a research officer and PhD student at the University of Aberdeen. My current project looks at the effectiveness of maternal health policies in West Africa and many of the modules I took in my MSc have so far been extremely valuable.
My experience at the University of Edinburgh also helped me obtain research internships at the World Health Organisation with projects focused on my field of research: Health Systems Financing and Policy. The knowledge I gained in health and social policies during my MSc also helped me obtain consultancy work for the International Labour where my main project focused on assessing the sustainability of the health financing system in Burkina Faso.
Alumni wisdom
The University of Edinburgh is great because there are students from different parts of the world, and some are recent graduates but others like myself, have worked for several years after their BSc. So, make the most of this experience, learn from your peers, your lecturers, the researchers in your school - the textbooks can’t teach you everything about the real life experiences of field work and applied research! But make the most of the city as well!
