Pang Long (MPH ’20)

After taking the ‘Contemporary Global Health Issues’ module by A/Prof Sri Chander, I learnt that WHO’s current key global health priority is Universal Health Coverage (UHC), and major donors like the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation also play influential roles in shaping the global health landscape and direction. This inspired me to join these organisations to gain more insight about what they do and how they function.

In December 2017, I was selected as the delegate of China to attend the WHO UHC Day Negotiation and Simulation Workshop in Beijing, China. 30 delegates representing 10 countries in the Western Pacific Region were guided by WHO experts to delve into health system research and health policy negotiation through the lens of UHC. Exposed to the working environment and challenges, we managed to deliver a joint resolution draft on UHC for the region. Through sharing, I learnt about the health system, health needs and policy direction of each country, together with the difficulties and constraints they face. Of course, I also made a lot of international friends who shared the same passion in global health.

Following the workshop, I joined the Health Innovation & Partnership team at the BMGF Beijing office as a graduate intern. Leveraging on my knowledge of UHC gained from the MPH modules as well as the WHO workshop, I supported the literature review and data collection for an invited manuscript by the Lancet that focused on China’s information and communication technology prowess to help African countries solve issues in achieving UHC.

Working on another project about evidence-based decision-making in immunisation strategies in China, I could see that China is making great effort and progress on vaccination programmes, and the BMGF is very resourceful in terms of expertise and network to support the local government, especially for polio vaccination. I am overwhelmed and amazed by the variety and scope of work the BMGF is involved in. It has been an invaluable learning journey for me to work with brilliant people from WHO and BMGF, and to gain hands-on experience in current global health practices. I highly recommend all MPH students to consider an overseas field practice and explore the many opportunities out there to broaden the horizons for an enriching MPH learning experience.