Dr Tina Huang, a Senior Clinical Lecturer in the School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition, took the decision to complete her MSc Clinical Education to grow her skills and better support her students' learning.
Tina explains: “I currently work at the University as the Digital Consultation Project Lead for the MBChB curriculum and that role really sparked a desire to deepen my expertise. I wanted to expand my knowledge in education and research so I could contribute even more meaningfully to the future of medical teaching.”
Juggling her studies, work and family life was a balancing act for Tina and one that wasn’t always easy. But her determination kept her going through all the ups and downs.
She continues: “Studying for my master’s this year has been one of the most challenging and rewarding experiences of my life. Balancing work, family life with young children and being pregnant with baby number three meant that I had a lot of hurdles!
“It was a much harder pregnancy than my previous two. There were moments when I wondered how I would manage it all, people around me thought I was mad, especially as my due date crept closer and the pressure of completing my project before due date intensified.
“I won’t pretend it was easy, but I hope my journey shows that some people face a few extra hurdles on the path to earning their degree. I was very passionate and optimistic about my masters project, which helped keep me motivated and I really enjoyed the research.
“It became completely normal for me to work late into the early hours after putting the kids to bed – basically a warm-up for the newborn sleep deprivation! The support I received from my family, supervisors and colleagues made things manageable and I’m incredibly grateful for that.”
Tina now continues with her teaching and research at the University, but not before celebrating all her achievements at her graduation.
“I’m genuinely so proud of myself. As a woman navigating pregnancy, parenting and a career with multiple roles, I’ve had to overcome challenges that aren’t always recognised – but they make this achievement feel incredibly powerful.
“One of my proudest moments was presenting my master’s project as an oral presentation after its completion at a large conference when my baby was just two months old – she even joined me every two hours so I could keep exclusively breastfeeding.
“Reaching this milestone feels like a celebration of resilience and a whole lot of oxytocin.”