Graduate / PERSONAL STATEMENT FOR LSHTM - PUBLIC HEALTH - LSHTM [3]

My passion for Public Health

When writing your personal statement, you should consider the following topics:
 Why do you wish to take this particular course of study?
 Why are you applying to the School?
 How does it fit into your career objectives?

500 words

Dear Sir or Madam:

RE: Personal Statement for a Masters of Public Health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

My passion for Public Health stems from my experience with the healthcare system in Nigeria. While researching the impact of Onchocerciasis (River Blindness), I contracted malaria. I was working in a rural location with no hospitals or health centres close by, the locals advised me to drink fluids and rest. A colleague drove me to a dispensary where I received medical attention. This facility had a significant shortage of medical supplies. Despite all the advances made in prevention, diagnostics and treatment that I had studied in my undergraduate degree, there are still system-wide barriers to preventative care and primary healthcare delivery. A study evaluating the impact of the Bamako Initiative on the delivery of health care in Nigeria that demonstrated that people with financial means had a higher probability of accessing laboratory resources and seeking care in private clinics. This should not be the case; everyone deserves access to basic healthcare.

The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) is the third ranked university for public health in the world. The university is located in my home city where I will have the social support to complete my studies to a high standard. LSHTM is a world authority in public health research and supports culturally sensitive interventions as well as researched to strengthen global response to future infectious disease outbreaks. I was especially excited to read about the response to the Ebola epidemic. LSHTM offers applied experience and has a wide range of expertise. As a member institution of the University of London, it has a wide range of facilities and services as well as networking event.

Working in a Primary Healthcare Federation has allowed me to support programmes and services that support the NHS - both clinicians and the people of Oxford. The three primary barriers to effective care is access to primary care, workforce and operational weakness. My experience in the UK and in Nigeria has shown me that a comprehensive approach is required to overcome these barriers - knowledge that I will gain by furthering my studies at LSHTM. A Master of Public Health with a focus on Health Service Management will support me in achieving my career objective of working in supply chain management in public health development. The training that I going to gain at LSHTM will help me analyse the principles, structure and functions of health systems and range of key management concepts and functions in a variety of health care settings. After I obtain my degree, I am going to support primary healthcare delivery and will use my taught research skills to conduct high quality research based on the theory and practical skills gained during the course.

Yours faithfully

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