Could you speak about your career and how it has progressed since graduating from UCLA?
After graduating from UCLA, I returned to my country Botswana where I worked as a research associate managing surveys. I relocated to South Africa where I managed a national Quality of Care in Primary Health Care survey. I also worked in academia, government, and development agencies. My last employer was the African Development Bank in Tunis and Abidjan where I developed health sector loans, grants and emergency assistance packages for countries across Africa.
How did the coursework and research you did as a student at UCLA prepare you for an international career?
Public health is an international discipline, however, the institutions that I was exposed to and data sets were very advanced. The research, evaluation and data analysis skills I acquired at UCLA set me ahead of more experienced professionals in public health who did not have research skills. Additionally, the training I did in SPSS and SAS enabled me to manage large scale surveys and teach health systems research to health workers to analyze health problems affecting their communities.
What would you say to a UCLA student who is planning on having an international career?
In addition to the core public health skills, it is worthwhile investing in skills such as data analytics, project management and another language such as French, if you want to work in Africa. Having skills that are in demand gives you a competitive advantage and the opportunity to transfer skills to others which is always in demand and appreciated. It is also useful to review the skills requirements on global job postings.