Hannah Graff
As we move into the autumn, we’re pleased to share the last in our series of posts from some of our first summer interns.
Annie Estlin
I recently graduated from the University of Cambridge with an MPhil in Epidemiology. It’s been incredibly exciting to work for HealthLumen this summer and apply my learning in the real world. I have really valued having the opportunity to contribute to the positive work HealthLumen does – modelling scenarios for clients to help improve population health in the most effective ways. One of my main roles has been around sourcing appropriate data to use in the model, published on national databases and in the literature.
Everyone on the team is super friendly and made me feel very welcome, even though I started this role virtually. The great thing about the move from academia is being able to work with others, and the variety of interesting projects available to work on. My favourite project that I was involved in was on the link between physical health and social mobility. Not only is this such an important topic but it also allowed me to work on a qualitative study, something I had not previously had much experience in. Over only 2 months, I have been able to really develop my skills, and I have gained such a good insight into the benefits and application of epidemiology within society.
Najla Alhamidi
I have an undergraduate degree in Clinical Nutrition from King Saud University, Saudi Arabia and have recently completed a MSc in International Health Policy at the London School of Economics. I am interested in public health issues, health economics and policy, and evidence-based decision making.
This summer was different, it was full of uncertainties and struggles (especially as an international student). However, my virtual internship with HealthLumen was different too! I truly enjoyed my time at HealthLumen, as I had the opportunity to work with amazing and supportive people – my experience was highly informative and interesting. My HealthLumen project was a systematic literature review to study the cost-effectiveness of the interventions to prevent, screen and treat alcoholic liver diseases. It was interesting to study the value of the interventions that are related to the liver diseases caused by excessive alcohol drinking in relation to its effectiveness. My internship experience allowed me to gain new skills as well as grow both personally and professionally.
Typically, I used to work from 10 am until 6 pm; taking into account the time difference between London and Riyadh, as I moved back home due to the pandemic. I usually started my morning by checking my email, my work plan to ensure that I am on the right track, and then I would start working. I used to meet my project supervisor once a week via Zoom to discuss the work done, and to help me with difficulties that I might face while conducting the review. My HealthLumen project also served as part of my master’s degree, as I worked on my final dissertation project. All in all, my time at HealthLumen was invaluable for my personal development.
If you are interested in learning more about working with HealthLumen, please see our Team page to learn more.