Josie was in her final term of a Master of Public Health at UNSW during her internship with CHETRE in September 2022. At CHETRE Josie worked on a project about systemic racism in health care. In undertaking the internship program Josie aimed to broaden her research skills away from biological science into social determinants of health while engaging with professionals undertaking public health work.

Prior to undertaking her postgraduate studies, Josie completed a B. Biomedical Science (Hons) at the University of Newcastle before living in Canada and Vietnam for several years. After having completed the internship and MPH program Josie was successful in gaining employment in a Graduate role with NSW Government.

What sparked your interest in health equity?

My interest in health equity was sparked during my undergraduate studies, where I felt looking at the biological aspects of health alone did not give a full picture of the experience of health and disease, and lacked real-world context. This interest was deepened while observing how population health was modulated by environmental, social, and legislative pressures, in different contexts while living overseas. More recently, the way the experience of Covid-19 was modulated by social and financial resources inspired me to undertake my MPH.