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When Aaron came across the MSc GHSE at Oxford Population Health, he thought it fit well with what he needed to learn in order to fill the gaps in his knowledge.

Hello there,

My name is Aaron Ho, a Singaporean medical doctor who completed the Master of Science in Global Health Science and Epidemiology (MSc GHSE) at Oxford Population Health from 2021 to 2022.

If you are reading this, you are probably interested in applying for the MSc GHSE at Oxford Population Health. If that’s the case, I would encourage you to read on about my experience to gain a better understanding of what the decision entails. If you are not but just being curious, you are more than welcome to continue reading as well! I have adopted a Q&A format to make things more interesting.

Hope you find it useful!

Why did you apply for the course?

When I applied for the programme, I was a final year medical student at University College Cork’s School of Medicine in Ireland. I remember feeling a sense of inadequacy in my abilities to perform high-quality research due to a lack of statistical training in my curriculum. This is a common phenomenon in most medical schools worldwide, because traditional curriculum like basic sciences (such as anatomy) and clinical knowledge usually takes precedence over “good-to-have” curriculum like statistical and epidemiological training. After all, a medical student is trained to become a clinically competent doctor, and not a statistician or an epidemiologist.

students wearing gowns

I later came to the realisation that in order to become a great doctor, I needed to have the ability to constantly advance the frontiers of healthcare and push the boundaries of medical knowledge. To achieve this goal, I needed a structured and rigorous research training to hone my statistical and epidemiological skills to perform high-quality and independent analysis. I came across the MSc GHSE at OxPop and I thought it really fit what I needed to learn in order to fill up the gaps in my knowledge.  

 

What was your experience with the course?

My experience can largely be summarised into (1) the course’s faculty and (2) the course’s contents.

First, I feel that there was strong support from the course’s faculty at OxPop. The core teaching team, namely Hubert, Stephanie, and Jennifer, are really invested in the students, not only academically but also in their wellbeing. Having been to several departmental meetings as the class’s representative, I can confidently say that the faculty takes students’ feedback seriously and would try their best to create an environment where students could thrive. For example, when the class requested a town hall meeting to openly discuss various issues affecting the students (such as COVID-19), the faculty readily complied and held a meeting very soon after.

 

The faculty was also very supportive when I made the decision to defer my studies for a year in order to work as a doctor during COVID-19 in Singapore.


 

Furthermore, Hubert was an excellent mentor during my time in the programme. He gave me a lot of practical advice that has significantly influenced my life, particularly during periods of uncertainty. Overall, I would say that the department is really supportive and student-centric, offering students flexibility when it comes to departing from formal rules and procedures.

Second, I feel that the course contents aligned completely with what I expected. The course is statistically and epidemiologically heavy. Before I came, I did not know how to perform any statistical analysis at all. After completing the course, I am now able to run a full statistical analysis independently and confidently by coding using STATA.

I also gained a much richer understanding of epidemiology, especially in knowing what study designs to choose for a certain research question, and what are the key considerations in choosing one (eg by weighing the pros and cons). Furthermore, I gained the ability to critically analyse research papers by looking at the strengths and limitations of the study, instead of just blindly trusting the superficial results that are reported, as I did before. Hence, I feel that I have achieved my aim of gaining the statistical and epidemiological skillset I needed to conduct high-quality research independently.

Wow, it sounds really great! I am going to apply now!

Hang on a moment!

While it has certainly been a great experience for me, I also knew of students who did not have a good time during the course and did not get what they were hoping to look for in a master's programme. Hence, I would really urge you to understand if this course is really for you, and not just apply blindly because of the reputation of Oxford or that you have a misguided understanding of what the course offers.

For starters, this course is very much ‘research-focused’ with a strong emphasis on statistics and epidemiology. If you are expecting the contents of a typical Master of Public Health (MPH) programme, including health policy or health interventions, then you are definitely not in the right place and might be disappointed. Hence, it is very important to look through the course curriculum and see if it coincides with what you want.  

Blavatnik School

For me, I understood what the course curriculum entailed when I applied for this course. That’s the reason why I applied for a second Master of Public Policy (MPP) at the Blavatnik School of Government - to learn more about policy-making, a topic that the MSc GHSE does not cover deeply.

Therefore, I advise you to do your homework and understand what your aims and priorities are before applying to this course. If they are aligned with what the course could offer you, ie becoming a competent researcher, then you should definitely consider applying!

Yes, I really like the course and feel that it aligns with my needs! Is there anything else I need to know before applying?

Yes, definitely! For one, you will be assigned to a college within the University’s collegiate system.

While it is more relevant for undergraduates because their teachings will largely be done at their individual colleges (vs postgraduates having teaching at the department), your college will serve as a place where you can find friends outside your department.

Furthermore, there are many other things you can do, including applying to leadership training programmes (such as The Global Leadership Initiative) and various student and/or sports societies!

Wow, I did not know that there is so much to do beyond the course! I understand much better now. Should I apply if I am still keen? I am worried about financials and that my credentials aren’t good enough.

Yes, you should definitely apply!

Having spent two years at Oxford and having met countless people, one thing I have learnt is that most people did not expect that they would get into their programmes at Oxford, some even on full scholarships! I for one, did not expect to get in at all – but now I am completing a Double Master Programme on two full-ride scholarships! As Michael Jordan always says, 'You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.'

networking at the 2023 symposium

Furthermore, OxPop has a noble and altruistic vision that they truly want to support aspiring researchers so that more high-quality research is done throughout the world. Therefore, they also have many scholarships which you will automatically be considered for once you apply (along with other scholarships at Oxford).

In sum, as long as your heart is in the right place, and you really want to learn more about statistics and epidemiology to become a better researcher, you should definitely apply to the MSc GHSE regardless of how low you think your chances could be. You might end up getting a full scholarship to study here!

 

Aaron has written this blog as an alumnus of the MSc in Global Health Science and Epidemiology programme at Oxford Population Health. He graduated during the year 2021-22.