MSc Tropical Paediatrics (Thomas Mark Scholarship)
My name is Mariana, I am a Mexican paediatrician. I studied both the bachelor’s degree in Medicine and the specialty in Paediatrics in Mexico. After I graduated as a paediatrician, I worked in my home country for a couple of years, and then joined MSF (Doctors without borders) in 2018 as a field paediatrician. During my time with MSF, I worked in several different Low and Middle-income countries such as; Afghanistan, Iraq, DRC, Lebanon and Sierra Leone.
Why did you pick LSTM to study?
LSTM is widely known and recognized in the humanitarian sector. The program I’m undertaking has a unique structure. A combination of research knowledge, leadership skills and clinical qualities. I dim this necessary to continue improving my performance as a paediatrician working with MSF, and to continue growing within my field.
My end target is to continue working in the humanitarian sector, bringing with me the knowledge I acquire during my Master’s program, to ultimately ensure people all over the world have access to health.
Why is it important for organisation like LSTM to offer scholarships?
LSTM produces great quality research that impacts in the different sectors were medical services are needed. In order to keep on offering a multidimensional view on Global Health, the school needs to ensure a diverse student background, enriching from the broad experiences brought by students from the UK and overseas, especially those from Low and middle-income countries, given the nature of the school.
Most students from Low and Middle-income countries will find it impossible to afford such programs on their own. This represents a major loss of opportunity both for students to develop further in their fields, and for the school to benefit from the multicultural background.
When you donate for someone to have the opportunity to study, the impact of your donation is never on a single person’s life. Your donation helps the student that dreams of becoming better prepared for their field, but you are also helping those that will benefit from the student’s new knowledge and skills. In the case of the MSc in tropical Paediatrics, you’re helping children all over the world to have better access to health services. Your donation reaches thousands of people everywhere.
Once you complete your studies what do you want to do?
I would like to go back working with MSF, bringing a fresh view on old problems, trying to make our work as effective as possible, reaching as many children as we can.
I would also like to pursuit a career in research, possibly helping to create guidelines and protocols that will ensure our patients are treated based on scientific evidence, with the highest quality of care.
What would you say to someone thinking about coming to study at LSTM?
It’s an amazing opportunity to continue your education, you will gain lots of knowledge, you will do networking that will help you further develop in your field, and you will become tomorrow’s leader in the global health world.
The year that you spend here, will make you grow in unimaginable ways. It’s an amazing experience that gets you out of your comfort zone and pushes you to become better.