MSc in Translational Health Sciences student profiles
Our MSc in Translational Health Sciences students come from a wide range of backgrounds. Their profiles provide a taster of their diverse experiences to date and their future aspirations.
Full-time students
Pranav Gurusankar
Pranav is a Rhodes Scholar from Singapore and holds Bachelors and Master’s Degrees in Computer Science from Stanford University, specializing in Computational Biology and AI. He is completing a Master of Public Policy at Oxford’s Blavatnik School of Government. He is interested in the use of AI and other emerging technologies to correct health disparities. Pranav eventually hopes to become a physician-scientist and policy advisor.
Cle' Holly
Clé holds a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Chicago Law School, as well as a Master of Laws degree in Health from the University of Houston, where she completed a master's thesis focused on mitigating the provider-patient imbalance inherent in medical informed consent. Clé is left-handed, loves pie, and has a concurrent career as a producer, writer, and composer of theatrical and cinematic works.
Melissa Kartjito
Melissa holds a BSc in Nutrition from Universitas Gadjah Mada Indonesia, completed a two-year intensive Mini-MBA programme XL Future Leaders Indonesia, and has worked within the intersection of nutrition-health and business strategy with roles in Medical Affairs and Brand Management in Danone Nutricia (Specialised Nutrition) Indonesia.
Claudia Leitch
Claudia is returning to the academic environment after 6 years, having spent the last 4 in a strategy and data capacity within Marketing Tech. She has an undergraduate degree from UCLA in English Literature and Global Studies and is currently an Innovation Fellow with Daya Ventures, helping to produce a SoTA Literature Review on Endometriosis. She is obsessed with tech companies helping to promote women’s health research, with a particular interest in continuous hormone monitoring technologies.
Zainab Mohamed
Zainab is a biomedical engineer with experience in health investment and innovation in Sudan. Her work and lived experience during the conflict shaped her passion for translating local biomedical solutions into sustainable technologies for low-resource health systems, particularly in LMICs.
Senay Gebremichael Mengistu
Senay is from Eritrea, currently residing in Uganda. With an educational background in Basic Behavioral Science and Dentistry, he has extensive experience in both clinical and public health settings. He has participated in numerous mobilization programmes, including COVID-19 response, vaccination campaigns, blood donation drives, and oral health education.
Darius Pan
Darius is an Emergency Physician from Singapore. He graduated with MBBS(Hons) from National University of Singapore, and subsequently completed specialist training in Emergency Medicine while serving on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic. He currently serves as Associate Consultant at Alexandra Hospital, Singapore’s first integrated general hospital, focussing on healthcare innovation and redesign.
Chriss TUYISHIME
Chriss is a Rhodes Scholar from Kigali, Rwanda, with a BA in Ethics, Politics & Economics and a Certificate in Global Health from Yale University. His professional interests lie in building quality, resilient health systems through mobilizing private and public resources and expertise. While at Oxford, Chriss will acquire skills, experiences, and networks he can leverage to maintain the growth momentum of Rwanda's healthcare system and that of the African continent at large.
Saher Verma
Saher completed a BSc in Medical Innovation and Enterprise with First Class Honours at University College London (UCL), where she was twice nominated for the Faculty Undergraduate Scholarship for academic excellence. She has experience in digital health innovation through her work at Floy, a German AI-based radiology start-up, and is a published author in Meta-Radiology.
alyssa xu
Alyssa, a Canadian Rhodes Scholar, holds a Bachelors in Neuroscience from Amherst College. Her research spans neuroscience, sociology, and emergency medicine, including at Yale Medical School and a Level I trauma centre. She has worked as an EMT on a community-based health unit and helped design a novel integrated youth services hub.
Jiahang Yu
Jiahang holds a BSc in Finance from Southwestern University of Finance and Economics and an MSc in Finance from Xiamen University, with CFA Level II and Chinese CPA qualifications. Previously at the Shanghai Stock Exchange, he focused on IPO reviews of innovative biopharmaceutical companies.
Part-time students
Elliott Carthy
Elliott is a consultant forensic psychiatrist and trained in high, medium and low secure hospitals as well as prison and community settings. He is interested in equity of healthcare for people with severe and enduring mental illness, LGBTQ+ healthcare, public engagement and medical education.
Katrina Cerrado
Katrina holds a BSc in Occupational Therapy and has practiced in the Philippines and Canada in Paediatrics, Acute, and Long-term Care. Currently, as a Clinical Resource Educator in Vancouver, she supports implementing evidence-based practices to improve health outcomes for older adults across regional interdisciplinary healthcare teams.
Jinhee Chae
Jinhee studied English Literature and Linguistics alongside Special Education during her undergraduate degree. Through working in public secondary schools, she has engaged closely with nonverbal students with autism and intellectual disabilities, as well as their families, gaining first-hand insights into the profound challenges they face in daily life.
Adam F. El-Kadi
Adam graduated McMaster University with a Bachelor of Health Sciences, and was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Scholarship in his third year. He is a founder and entrepreneur focused on leveraging technology to rethink approaches to problems in healthcare. He sits as the CEO of Sandbox, Chair of Sleeve Advisory Group, member of the Board of various organisations, with extensive background in leadership and policy work.
Olivia Kalinowski
Before pursuing the MSc in THS, Olivia completed her medical training and doctoral studies in Berlin, while also undertaking additional studies in Philosophy, Anthropology, and History of Art. She has authored publications on the mental health of vulnerable groups and engaged with NGOs and international organizations, such as the UN, to connect research with global health leadership.
Elspeth Lau
Elspeth has an academic background in medical sciences and entrepreneurial business, with internship experience in healthcare investment and translational clinic research. Her primary focus is on stakeholder engagement, market analysis, and supporting translational projects in ageing diseases, and health tech innovation.
Ariane Litalien
Ariane works as an Obstetrician-Gynecologist in Edmonton, Canada. She majored in Social Studies at Harvard University and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 2014, and went on to complete medical school at McGill University and residency training in Obstetrics & Gynecology at the University of Alberta in Edmonton.
Madeline Moradi
Madeline holds a BSc in Biology and Dual Languages (German/Japanese) from Pacific University. She has worked in biochemistry and bioinformatics labs in the US, South Korea, and Japan. Madeline intends to apply her research background and explore her interest in global scientific policy while studying Translational Health Sciences.
Vivien Lee
Vivien is a family physician from Singapore, specialising in intellectual disability. She works at IDHealth, a community-based health team serving adults with intellectual disabilities, and is an adjunct lecturer at the National University of Singapore. She aims to build a more inclusive healthcare system by gaining practical methods for implementing evidence-based practices and innovations for patients with intellectual disabilities.
Bosun Hong
Bosun is a dentist working in primary care settings specialising in oral surgery. She previously followed an academic and clinical training pathway through the NIHR Academic Clinical Fellowship. As a clinician, Bosun all too often experiences the translation of evidence being delayed or not happening at all. She seeks to explore ways to accelerate the translation of healthcare evidence into daily clinical practice, aiming to improve implementation at the frontline.
Jordan Nash
Jordan is a Speech Language Pathologist (SLP) from South Africa, specialising in neurological impairments in hospital settings. She completed a master’s in 2021, researching the role of SLPs in providing psychosocial support for individuals with aphasia. Jordan is interested in bridging the gap between evidence-based knowledge and clinical practice, focusing on interdisciplinary collaboration to improve healthcare service delivery.
Zhanna Oganesova
Zhanna graduated from UCL with a BSc in Human Sciences and currently serves as a Research Assistant in the NIHR HealthTech Research Centre. She has explored the regulatory environment for medical innovation and the role of the private sector in shaping health research agendas. She previously published on the topic, highlighting the expanding ‘off-label’ use of continuous glucose monitors in the UK. She aims to use her experience with HealthTech start-ups to identify strategies that improve patient outcomes by overcoming innovation barriers.
Taylor Johnston
Taylor holds a BBA in Marketing from Bishop’s University and has worked in advertising, bringing new products and services to market. She later completed a post-graduate certificate in Biomedical Science from the University of Toronto and completed clinical training in Traditional Chinese Medicine, becoming board certified focusing on women's health. She seeks to combine her industry expertise with clinical experience to improve access to women’s and family health care.
Wojciech Sierocki
Wojciech is a medical doctor and entrepreneur. He co-founded Data Lake, a registry research company, and has worked in East Africa with an international development aid organisation and in Nairobi, Kenya, with a telemedicine company focused on neonatal and maternal health. He would like to become a more effective leader and entrepreneur by adopting a more learned, efficient and informed innovation translation method.