Health in Urban Development MSc overseas practice engagements
The Health in Urban Development MSc overseas practice engagements offer our students a unique opportunity to conduct fieldwork including interviews, surveys, mapping and urban health risk analysis.
In Term 3 of the Health in Urban Development MSc, our students carry out an overseas practice engagement as part of the practice module which is an immersive research experience our students investigate the planning of development interventions to advance urban health to become better development practitioners.
Each year, our Health in Urban Development MSc students engage with issues raised by partner organisations and initiatives in a local context. To date, we have engaged with partners and communities in Marrakech, Belfast and Nicosia on themes spanning green urban spaces, access and quality of maternal healthcare services, health concerns of youth studying in universities, water shortage, agriculture, and urban health in contest cities.
The fieldwork component takes place in Term 3 and provides a unique opportunity to conduct fieldwork including interviews, surveys, mapping and urban health risk analysis. Throughout the fieldwork we also meet with health experts working with communities
Ultimately, our students encapsulate their research findings and recommendations moving forward in written reports and shared with communities and local partners with whom we work. These research outputs that operate beyond academia and can serve partner organisations at the same time as building a portfolio for the future career of our students.
Our previous overseas practice engagements
2023: Marrakech
In 2023, the overseas physical engagements (OPE) was held in Marrakech, Morroco in collaboration with the High Atlas Foundation (HAF). Five projects emerged from the OPE in Marrakech. These projects are about: green urban spaces in the city of Marrakech; access and quality of maternal healthcare services to Amazigh women; health concerns of youth studying in universities; water shortage in the region of Marrakech and agriculture and plantation in the region.
Read the report which presents methodology, findings, and recommendations of each project as put-forwarded by the students: Urban Health: reflections on practice.
2022: Belfast
In 2022, our practice engagement was situated in Belfast, Northern Ireland, where we worked closely with Belfast Healthy City, Queen's University Belfast, East Side Partnership, and City Regeneration and Development in Belfast City Council.