STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

I am a young woman from the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. I have worked as a clinician for
over 6 Years. My passion for maternal and child health began in my childhood because as a
first child, I helped with the care of my younger ones as my parents did not appreciate the
idea of engaging a nanny. My interest was further piqued by my experience while involved
in a project for community engagement for childhood immunization in selected Local
Government Areas within my state (Akwa Ibom). I particularly took over the care of a 5-
month-old female (Stella) whom I met with her grandmom during the routine house-to-
house visits. Stella was severely malnourished partly because her mother (a fourteen-year-
old), left her in the care of her own mother to continue her education. It was obvious that
Stella was not exclusively breastfed, not immunized, and was already introduced to the
family diet due to a lack of finances to procure infant formula. This and many more cases
encountered during my clinical duties have been a major drive to acquire advanced
knowledge and skills in Global Health. The current prevalence of child death is 117 per l000
live births in Nigeria and 100 children die hourly from malnutrition 1

Due to my interest in Global health, I have undertaken courses such as Leadership &
Management, Project management, Monitoring and Evaluation, fundamentals of research,
epidemiology, Policy Development & Advocacy all in Global Health from University of
Washington. I have gone for trainings by WHO on surveillance for vaccine-preventable
diseases, and adverse effects following immunization and am currently the focal clinician for
their notifications in Esit Eket. I have also volunteered in a lot of health outreaches and one
of them included health talks on the prevention of waterborne diseases, hygiene practices,
and hand washing practices.

My aspiration is to take up leadership roles in global health organizations and be actively

involved in developing health programs, carrying out projects, formulating, and
implementing health policies, which would create the needed sensitization and solutions to
solve global health problems. This course will equip me with the required skillset needed to
strategize and make resolutions, objectives, and activities that will be taken to tackle global
health concerns. Also, the course provides a solid base in medicine and global health
equipping professionals like myself with the necessary clinical and scientific skills to solve
global health issues in an ever-evolving practice.

I chose the Queen margaret university for its excellent teaching standards and practical
learning which is internationally recognized. The location of the university in the city center
was another key reason for my choice. The culture of inclusivity and diversity along with the
awards of financial aid for students from developing countries made the institution a good
choice for me. Most importantly, Queen margaret university houses a team of
internationally recognized collaborative researchers in Global health whom I look forward to
being mentored by.

1
https://punchng.com/100-nigerian-children-die-hourly-from-malnutrition-unicef/