Student focus: Aimee Cecil and Jesh Saka
Two testimonials from our recent students highlighting their accomplishments this year.
Aimee Cecil, MSc Orthoptics, 2022-2024
After receiving my Distinction in November 2024, I entered the world of work as a newly qualified Orthoptist. It has been an exciting year, completing my preceptorship at Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and progressing towards a clinical academic career. I published my dissertation in the British and Irish Orthoptic Journal and have presented at conferences alongside top professionals in the field. In the next few years, I would like to embark on a path involving research, perhaps even a PhD, back at UCL with my incredible lecturers who made all of this possible.
Jesh Saka, MSc Bioscience Innovation and Enterprise Best Thesis Prize 2024-2025
Healthcare doesn’t stop at the patient bedside.
That’s the important lesson I’ve learnt after completing the MSc Bioscience Innovation and Enterprise.
For years, I’ve been studying Medicine, with the massive privilege of daily interactions with patients from all walks of life. However, something jumped out at me from early on in my studies; healthcare isn’t a complete science. There’s always more to learn about the human body and mind, and with that presents the importance of innovation.
This understanding led me to take a year out to join UCL’s programme, where I explored emerging technologies and entrepreneurship in healthcare. I was fortunate to learn from global leaders across medical technology and finance, including the Chief Medical Officer at CMR Surgical and Managing Directors at J.P. Morgan.
The year concluded with the honour of receiving the 1st Place Thesis Prize for my work on the health economics of AI-driven hyperspectral imaging in colorectal surgery, completed in collaboration with EnAcuity.
I’m grateful for the foundation this programme has given me, and I hope to stay closely involved in London’s dynamic health-tech ecosystem.