Sana Bader
Sana Bader
International student, Master of Public Health
I really like how the assessments are really varied in style and design, and force you to interpret and apply your knowledge. They all require broad knowledge from reading, which I think is an important way to learn.
Sana Bader is an International student enrolled in our Master of Public Health program. Jordanian by birth, she moved to Australia from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) after completing her Bachelor of Pharmacy at Sharjah University. It was during her final year she became interested in pursuing further study in public health, having been involved in two projects around chronic disease prevention.
“Australia has a very good international reputation for public health education and research, and the Principal Investigator on one of the two projects I worked on holds a PhD from Monash. He was a really inspiring mentor, so Monash was an easy choice for me.”
The move was not without its challenges. Sana arrived in Australia during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, and found herself feeling isolated without the immediate support of her family. “Of course I missed them hugely, but my parents were very supportive of me making this move, which really helped. And my peers here are all very collaborative, and a number of them were in the same boat as me.”
Sana is about to enter her final semester of study, and is in the final throes of her own project, under supervision of Dr Nazmul Karim, and an international co-supervisor. The project involves a systematic review and case-control study. The systematic review explored associations between a common complication of diabetes, diabetic peripheral neuropathy, and tobacco smoking, and involved findings from 61 studies. The case-control study casts a wider net, investigating associations between diabetic peripheral neuropathy and a variety of exposures like age, physical activity, and tobacco smoking. The study draws data from hospital records in the UAE, and in-depth interviews with patients from a major hospital in the UAE.
“The rates of both diabetes and smoking are both quite high in the UAE, so I feel very proud, and useful to society when I work on this project. I’m looking forward to completing it and having the results made of use.”
Aside from the research project, lectures and course reading materials have deepened her knowledge across epidemiology and biostatistics, providing her with the skills to critically evaluate, interpret and communicate research findings. Research methodology study supported her in conducting her own project. “I really like how the assessments are really varied in style and design, and force you to interpret and apply your knowledge. They all require broad knowledge from reading, which I think is an important way to learn.
“This course has also taught me to be patient and consistent.”
After graduation, Sana’s hoping to forge a career in diabetes research. “I feel a little obsessed with diabetes. It’s such a huge, growing challenge and all hands are needed on deck to meet it. There are so many aspects we don’t yet understand, so there is plenty of scope for research. I’d love to really excel in this field, and be the best I can be. You may as well aim high!”
And she has some advice for future students: “The best aspect of this program is the various electives available to the students. Electives in different fields, including epidemiology, global health, health economics, health policy, health promotion, and research, allow the students to tailor the program to match their interests. So, I'd like to encourage future students to decide on their areas of interest before enrolling in their units.”