As the end of the busy Hilary term beckons students are looking ahead to completing their exams in April, and then setting off for their 8-week research placements. The funded placement, which takes place from the end of April until the end of June, is usually with a global health project in a resource limited setting.
This year students will be travelling to Africa, South America and Asia including Thailand, South Africa, Colombia, Seychelles, Kenya, Vietnam, Zambia, Indonesia, PNG, Brazil and Nepal. Their research projects are wide-ranging from modelling of dengue serotypes in Latin America, mental health literacy in young people in Nepal, to the ethical use of AI to increase efficiency of e-pharmacy and telehealth services in Kenya.
As a prelude to the placement, students presented a proposal of their work to teachers, supervisors and faculty. Students discussed the context and background to their research project, the research questions, proposed methods and relevance, and the project management and timeline. Projects represent the range of subjects covered in the course and are intended to provide an opportunity for students to apply what they have learned in the first two terms. Students may choose their own placement providing it meets the course guidelines.
Supervisors provide supervision and guidance to the students throughout their placements and were able to provide advice and feedback at this stage, mainly in terms of the scope and methodology. The placement forms the basis for the 10,000-word dissertation that is submitted in August.
You can hear more from our students on placement over the summer when they take over the Tropical Medicine LinkedIn account, giving an insight into the country, organisation and work that they are doing.
To see a comprehensive list of the 2025 research placements, see our placement webpage.