John grew up in the UAE and Canada, and recently moved to Aberdeen to finish his PhD. He is joining the Epidemiology group as a Research Programme Administrator for the BRUCES project. Having lived in regions of extreme cold (-40C) and extreme heat (+40C), John welcomes Aberdeen's extremely mild weather (though some Aberdonians might beg to differ on the definition of mild!).
Tell us a bit about yourself
My passion for helping others has always been my guiding ‘North star’. In 2016, I was one of those annoying street fundraisers in Toronto, Canada representing charities like Doctors Without Borders. That experience inspired me to create more meaningful change, leading me to pursue a Master of Public Health degree at the University of Aberdeen from 2017 to 2018. Afterwards, I landed a job at a Healthcare Quality Improvement and Patient Safety organisation in Ottawa, Canada providing implementation support to projects that improved access, outcomes, and experiences for patients across Canada. It was during that time that I realised that my calling is to be more directly involved in translating evidence into practice. That’s ultimately what brought me back to the University of Aberdeen to complete my PhD in Applied Health Sciences. I guess following my ‘North Star’ kept leading to the Northeast of Scotland!
What will you be investigating while you are in Aberdeen?
As the Research Programme Administrator on the BRUCES programme, we will be investigating the inequalities in health and healthcare for people living in different types of rural communities. I’m excited to support this work by helping with the project management and stakeholder engagement!
Why did you choose Aberdeen?
For starters- the ocean, easy access to nature, and warm-hearted folks! Having completed my MPH here in 2017-18, I was confident that my PhD supervisors would provide me with excellent support and that I would be part of a positive research community.
Now if you asked me “What has kept you away from Aberdeen for so many years?” I’d definitely answer: the overly aggressive seagulls!
Are you involved in any other research?
We’re severely off track the Sustainable Development Goals and we need to get better at working together across sectors. The focus of my PhD research is on better understanding how to effectively implement multi-sectoral partnerships between health and non-health sectors (such as housing, education, and employment). By integrating services and systems, we can improve population health and wellbeing, address social determinants of health, and reduce health disparities, together.
What do you enjoy doing outside of work?
I like to think of myself as painfully optimistic and social. Outside of work, you’ll find me exploring new cuisine across the city with friends, enjoying the beautiful nature to nurture my mental health, or volunteering as a guilt-free way to procrastinate from writing my thesis. I always welcome conversations around social justice, ethics, equity, and improvement!