MSc in Translational Health Sciences: Current student Sachi Chan shares why she chose the programme and her experiences so far

I completed my undergraduate studies in Canada, studying a Bachelor of Health Sciences at McMaster University. I graduated from my bachelor’s degree in the same year that I enrolled and matriculated into the Oxford programme.  

I am an interdisciplinary learner; I enjoy learning about multiple disciplines and seeing how they intersect. Throughout my undergraduate studies, I worked in a few healthcare settings, as a founder of non-profits and in various educational roles. All these experiences, combined with my desire to innovate in healthcare, led me to apply for the MSc in THS.  

I was the youngest student in my 2023 cohort, and while that may sound intimidating, it turned out to be a wonderful experience! I was welcomed to such a safe and supportive learning environment. I felt comfortable sharing my views and learned so much from my peers. My imposter syndrome went away quickly after the first week of in-person classes.  

Currently, I am focusing my MSc dissertation on the intersection of social entrepreneurship and public health – answering the question of how social enterprises (ie businesses that operate with a social-impact mission) address employment as a social determinant of health.  

I am also a social entrepreneur (Invite Health), striving to improve access to employment opportunities for youth interested in healthcare careers. Beyond THS, I’d like to continue contributing to the growing field of social entrepreneurship and healthcare. 

THS 2023 cohort pub social (Trinity term 2023)

There were several things that stood out for me:  

1. I wanted to be in a very interdisciplinary programme. Instead of becoming specialists in one field, we are encouraged to become generalists who can see the bigger picture of healthcare. Since I came to THS straight out of undergraduate studies, I am hoping the programme will help me figure out the next step of my career. I wanted a taught course experience (as opposed to a research-based MSc) that would allow me to learn about different fields, improve my communication skills and still do research.  

2. While there are many types of 'translational research' (including ‘bench to bedside’ translation), this programme focuses on the social science of translation in addition to practical applications. Some of my favourite courses in my undergraduate studies were also social science courses, including the Philosophy of Health & Medicine (funny story: my professor from that course knows Trish, our programme director. He assigned us some of her papers as readings in that course, but I did not make this connection until I started at Oxford).  

3. The social science side in the MSc can be quite a learning curve if you have not studied or practiced it before, but our tutors do a wonderful job of easing us into it. I wanted to focus on the application of research as opposed to only theory. Yes, we also do theory in this programme, especially in the social sciences, but a lot of our learning is informed by real-life case studies (and not ‘hypothetical’ situations) of translation in action. We also use our classmates’ lived experiences and apply that to our understanding of translation.  

Introduction and Research Methods for Translational Science (IRMTS) module group photo, 2023

How the MSc supports my future academic and career goals 

'Why treat people, and send them back to the same conditions that made them sick?’ 
 
This question is a quote I learned a while ago. It reshaped my understanding of effective healthcare, shifting my focus from immediate treatments to upstream, holistic interventions that yield sustainable, long-term results. To me, this means addressing the social determinants of health (the non-medical factors that influence our health, including education, employment, access to healthcare, etc) through entrepreneurship and building innovations with non-healthcare and non-academic communities: youth champions, artists, educators, climate justice activists, social entrepreneurs and more. 

The students

One of the best parts of the programme is the people. Each year, there are about 20-25 THS students in the cohort, and the group has incredible diversity – in age, in experience, in cultural upbringings. There are students in their 20s and students with 20+ years of work experience. We have students from around the world, representing perspectives from the Global North and Global South. In our 2023 cohort, we had 24 students from over 17 countries.  

Sachi and classmates after completing the Patients, Citizens and the Politics of Evidence (PCPE) module

The programme course load

THS has a unique programme structure. We don’t have intensive in-person classes every week like other master’s programmes. There is a lot of self-directed learning, independence and flexibility with your studies. As many students are balancing their careers alongside the MSc, the workload is manageable.  

The modules

In my first year, I took the Introduction to Research Methods in Translational Health Sciences (the mandatory first module); Patients, Citizens and Politics of Evidence; and the Health Organisations and Policy modules. 

Patients, Citizens and the Politics of Evidence was a stand-out module for me, led by Theresa Finlay and Joe Wharton. This module challenged my existing views on knowledge, evidence, and expertise, and prompted me to reflect on the type of research I aspire to do. The most impactful sessions were those led by researchers who were researching their own health conditions. While sharing the challenges and opportunities in their journeys, there was also an underlying theme of hope on their role in improving outcomes for themselves and their communities. We also spent one evening after class watching the movie, Dallas Buyers Club, which was both a great class bonding experience and way to put the lessons we learned in class into context. The module gave me useful tips and frameworks for citizen engagement in my dissertation, which was one of the reasons I chose to enroll in the module.  

This year, I am planning to take Behavioural Sciences and Complex Interventions, Ethics and Justice in Translational Sciences and Translational Science and Global Health. 

Sachi at the Health Organisations and Policy punting social 

The opportunities within the MSc

Oxford has many opportunities for experiential and extracurricular learning. The flexible, hybrid nature of the THS programme offers you lots of time that you can use to get involved within the Oxford community.  

There are several opportunities you can explore:  

• Oxford Colleges: join your college’s societies, befriend other graduate students, and get involved with student life. For example, this year, I am one of the social secretaries with Kellogg College’s Middle Common Room (MCR).
• Oxford Clubs and Societies: join interest groups, attend events, and get involved. For example, many THS students are involved with the Oxford Femtech Society.
• The University Careers Services: explore the wide range of micro-internships, internships and jobs promoted by the service. 
• Other University departments: I am taking part in the Skoll Centre's (part of the Saïd Business School) Impact Lab programme which is a free co-curricular programme for Oxford graduate students interested in impact-driven careers. I found this opportunity on the Skoll Centre’s website since I was interested in social entrepreneurship.  

Impact Labs cohort, hosted by the Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship at Oxford

• Events in Europe: Since moving to Oxford, I have also had the chance to attend conferences in Europe (thanks to closer geographical proximity), including the International Social Prescribing Conference in London and the World Health Summit in Berlin (which I attended with my friend/classmate Danielle Mullings!). 

International Social Prescribing Conference in London (Left), World Health Summit in Berlin with classmate Danielle Mullings (Right)

 

For information on applying to the programme, please click here.