A programme that encourages thinking outside the box
Claudia Andersson had been a dentist for several years when she applied to the Master's Programme in Public Health Science specialising in health economics in 2019. She saw the programme as an opportunity to gain more training that would enable her to give more back at work. However, the programme fuelled her interest in public health in a way she wasn’t expecting.
Hello Claudia Andersson! You are specialising in health economics on the Master’s Programme in Public Health Science at the University of Gothenburg. What is health economics all about?
“Health economics is a highly topical subject as it has a lot to do with how we relate to the earth’s resources. It’s important that we become better at planning and asking ourselves questions like: Where should we be investing our resources? Which diseases and which health interventions should we be focusing on to improve the health of a whole population or a specific group?”
Can you give a concrete example of how a knowledge of health economics can be put to practical use?
“For me as a dentist, it might be about a new technique that ‘everyone’ is talking about. The region where I work might be interested in the technique but they don’t know whether investing in it would really be worthwhile. Or whether the technique, despite the investment cost, might benefit large numbers of patients, maybe even extend people’s lives? That’s an example of the kinds of questions the course looks at. How is what I am doing useful and in what ways can it benefit patients and society?”
My great interest in sustainability has only grown because the course looks at how everything we do can be linked to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.
What else do you like about the course?
“The breadth of the programme and the fact that it’s interdisciplinary and that we study in a completely different way from anything I’ve done before. When I studied to become a dentist, it was about stuffing a lot of facts and information into my head. This programme is about understanding things instead because when we’re talking about health, society and economics, the factors are changing all the time. There’s a dynamism to this programme that I really enjoy.
“The most positive surprise was the way we are encouraged to think outside the box and ask exciting questions like how can we apply human rights? or what is sustainability really? The programme looks at how we can link what we are doing to all the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, social, economic and environmental. The interest I already had in sustainability has only deepened and grown over the course of the programme.”
What is the background of the other students on the programme?
“Students include lawyers, economists, sociologists and engineers and we come from lots of different countries. That enriches the experience and means it’s a good mix when we work in groups. You realise that while your own profession is very important, other professions are too. And we need to work together to benefit the patients as much as possible.”
When I studied to become a dentist, it was about stuffing a lot of facts into my head. Here we have to understand things instead.
The programme is in English. What would your advice be for coping with working in English if people feel a bit rusty?
“I was born and grew up in Peru and did my dentist training in Spanish, so it was a bit tough to begin with. To familiarise myself with academic writing in English I made sure I read all the articles we were given for homework. I also got in touch with ASK, the academic support service at the university library. Before I wrote my first essays I booked an appointment to get help with how to think during the writing process. They helped me a lot and that meant I managed to write in English on my own.”
You aren’t afraid that if you recommend the programme to other people, you’ll create “competition”?
“No, I want more people to take the plunge and take this programme! You don’t need to “just” focus on health economics or public health after completing it. The programme brings up so many things that are relevant, important and affect u all. You can make use of what you have learned in politics, finance and many other areas once back at work.
“I took leave of absence to study and give myself a boost as a dentist. But during the programme questions to do with public health have really won my heart. So we'll see what happens next, I'm open to whatever the future holds.”
TEXT: ANNA VÖRÖS
