To start off, say a little about yourself, your interests, undergraduate degree and what you are doing now. “Hey! My name is Lua and I’m a current second year medical student at Dalhousie Medicine New Brunswick. I completed my BSc. in Biology at UNB in 2018 and went on to complete a MSc. in Global Health at McMaster University before pursuing medical school. In my spare time, I love to watch the Bachelor, go on coastal drives around Saint John, and cuddle my cat Lucy. I also love to travel and have lived in Malawi, the Netherlands, and Norway throughout my studies!”

How did you prepare for the application process? “I found out about the Global Health program very last minute so I scrambled to get my application in (not recommended)! I immediately sent in my transcripts and got in touch with a few of my wonderful professors regarding reference letters. Ideally you want to give your references plenty of time to prepare their letters. I already had a working CV prepared for other jobs and applications, so I made some minor edits to highlight my global health experiences. The last – and main – step was to write my letter of intent. My program didn’t require an interview, so the letter was how they could judge whether you were a good fit. I always like to structure my letters as a story and highlight the experiences that led me to applying to that particular program.”

Was it a daunting experience to decide to pursue graduate school? “I think graduate school is becoming a popular choice among students in recent years. If you’re interested in learning more about a topic that you didn’t feel you explored enough in your undergrad, I would encourage you to consider graduate school! The only daunting part is figuring out what you want to do. There are so many options! I would suggest first considering what you want to get out of the program, whether you want to do a course-based or thesis-based program, and what kind of research you want to do. Search all of the various options online, talk to a career advisor at school, and try to figure out your main area of interest.”

What does research look like in your field? “I did a course-based stream, but completed a scholarly paper at the end of my masters degree. My paper was on the topic of infectious disease guidelines and I interviewed nursing program coordinators during my summer practicum. Global health is one of the most broad categories for research. You can focus your research on planetary health, health business and management, race and health, the effects of globalization, infectious diseases and pandemics (how timely), participatory action research with underserved populations, etc. Your research can include qualitative interviews and focus groups, wet lab research, quantitative surveys, or more. There really is something for everyone!”

What would be the best experience you have taken away from the ASRJ? “I love how the ASRJ provides networking opportunities for students in various fields and connects you to local initiatives and projects that you may have never heard of. I am still friends with many of my colleagues from the ASRJ – and some of them are my classmates now!”

Lua can be reached at lua.samimi@dal.ca for further questions.