Heather Wallace – winner of the Val Asche Prize for Academic Excellence 2014 - graduated with a Master of Public Health from Menzies in 2014.
Why did you choose to study public health?
I visited Timor-Leste as a self-funded volunteer with two midwifery colleagues in 2011. On that first visit I was horrified to learn about and witness the dire health and life circumstances for so many people. I was especially confronted by the state of maternal health, and found it hard to believe that in one of our closest neighbours, pregnancy outcomes for women could be so devastatingly different. On returning to Australia, enrolling in the Master of Public Health course, with a view to undertaking a research project focused on improving maternal health, was my response to “what can I possibly do to help?”
Have your studies with Menzies led to further study, and if so what course are you enrolled in or have you completed?
I have been accepted into a PhD program in 2015.
What were the highlights of your studies with Menzies?
With Dr Suzanne Belton’s guidance and support, plus through collaboration with Marie Stopes International Timor-Leste (MSITL) and the University National Timor-Leste (and Dr Ana Soares), we created and undertook a research project seeking to understand and explore the perceptions and beliefs held by Timorese women with relation to family planning. This project has resulted in program changes to the way MSITL deliver their reproductive health care, as well as providing me with some of the foundations necessary for taking my research journey onwards as I embark on a PhD.
Has your public health qualification opened up career opportunities?
The MPH has opened many doors for me, and I feel extremely fortunate to have had such an opportunity.
What is your role/position now?
I am now back in Victoria working for the Women’s and Children’s Health Research Institute on the ORIP (Omega 3 to Reduce the Incidence of Prematurity) study. I am loving having a research job and am enjoying the challenge of engaging with quantitative research.