I first came to the UK to do the MSc in Nutrition Physical Activity and Public Health thanks to a scholarship from CONACyT, the Mexican National Council for Science and Technology. I decided to do this masters because it offered a wide array of public health topics and embraced multiple disciplines, from psychology and behavioural science to a glimpse of metabolomics.
I trained as a Food Engineer and my experience was welcomed and valued throughout my studies. During my master’s, I felt free to explore the nutrition and physical activity topics that attracted me the most. The lecturing team welcomed my distinct background and helped me to systematise my approach. The structure of the programme and the accompanying tutoring activities guided me to work on my critical thinking and strengthen my arguments to be fully evidence-based.
Yanaina
It’s been some years since I finished the MSc, and it has opened me many opportunities. I worked first as an Intern and then as a Project Officer at Macmillan Cancer Support helping people living with a beyond cancer stay active through behavioural science tools. Then I worked as a Research Assistant at University College London in a large randomised controlled trial delivering a behaviour change intervention for cancer survivors to help them have healthy nutrition and physical activity behaviours through their cancer survivorship journey.
This sparked my interest more deeply in research and led to a PhD in Public Health Science at University of Bristol. I am researching the commercial determinants of dietary behaviour and obesity in adolescence.
Bristol is a wonderful city to be a postgraduate student, you can explore the music scene, it’s a friendly and very lively city. You can also do small trips to the countryside for a weekend break.
The degree has given me great tools to grow my career in Public Health with solid methodological and critical thinking foundations. I would recommend this MSc to any international student with an interest in multidisciplinary research and with a strong drive to have an impact in public health.
Read more about Yanaina’s research into Ultra Processed Foods (UPFs) with Dr Zoi Toumpakari, Centre for Exercise, Nutrition and Health Sciences, School for Policy Studies.