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
Emma Ahrens
Emma holds a BSc in Biology from Wingate University and an MPhil in Biological Sciences from the University of Cambridge, where she researched placental biology. Her master’s thesis was focused on placental biology and was entitled, 'A novel transgenic approach to study inter-organ communication during pregnancy in the mouse'. Emma is interested in combining her scientific background with a social perspective to support innovation in women’s, reproductive and sexual health.
Akshay Amesur
Akshay is an intercalating medical student at Brown University, where he completed a BA degree in International and Public Affairs. After the MSc in Translational Health Sciences, Akshay will return to Brown to begin his MD at the Warren Alpert Medical School. He is interested in overcoming barriers that prevent scientific advances from reaching patients, and in improving healthcare through innovation and applied research.
Sirak Tesfamariam Habtemikael
Sirak is a pharmacist, clinical and public health researcher, and medical products regulator from Eritrea. He holds a BSc in Pharmacy from the Asmara College of Health Sciences and is a fellow of the International Program in Public Health Leadership. He is interested in improving the implementation of health innovations in low- and middle-income countries, especially through better use of data and technology in resource-limited settings.
Amaani Khan
Amaani graduated from the Honours Life Sciences programme at McMaster University in 2024. During her studies, she was involved in research in both Canada and Germany. She is interested in applying research to real-world clinical settings and is excited to explore how translational health sciences can improve the accessibility of scientific knowledge.
Magdalene Mawugbe
Magdalene studied Disability and Rehabilitation Studies in her undergraduate years, focusing her research on the lived experiences of people with disabilities. She is passionate about using technology to improve access to mental health services for people with disabilities, especially for Deaf individuals, where confidentiality and communication are often challenging in traditional care models, particularly with the presence of an interpreter.
Suzuka Mohri
Suzuka worked in the Japanese government supporting research and development in biopharmaceuticals before completing an MSc in Digital Health at University College London. She is interested in learning methods and systems which can support health-related businesses that require large investments and long development timelines, particularly in translating innovation into sustainable practice.
Jupneet Singh
Jupneet is a Rhodes Scholar from Somis, California and a graduate of MIT, where she studied chemistry and biomedical engineering. She recently completed a master’s in public policy at Oxford and will attend Harvard Medical School upon completing her studies at Oxford. She aims to promote culturally responsive healthcare as an Air Force trauma surgeon and translate research into practical policies for patient care.
Taron Topham
Taron holds a BS in Nursing from the University of Saskatchewan. He has completed placements with organisations including the Offord Centre for Child Studies and Prairie Harm Reduction. Most recently, he worked on a high acuity medicine unit. Taron is interested in using research to support healthcare equity in rural and resource-limited areas, with a focus on digital health and harm reduction.
Wing Lam (Tiffany) Yip
Tiffany has a background in psychology and experience designing and testing self-help approaches for emotional management. Her work has highlighted the importance of context and accessibility in treatment design. She is interested in bridging the gap between research and practice in behavioural interventions, aiming to develop structured and accessible self-help treatments for emotional dysregulation in patients.
Part-time students
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.
William Wynne
William holds an HBSc in Public Health from the University of Toronto. His research focuses on pharmaceutical policy and health equity. He currently works at the Ontario Drug Policy Research Network (ODPRN), providing research to inform evidence-based health policy.
William aims to promote equitable pharmaceutical innovation and enhance patient outcomes through his understanding of healthcare policy.
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.