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Bronte Heath, Dementia: Causes, Treatments and Research (Mental Health) MSc
Degree title and year of programme: Dementia: Causes, Treatments and Research (Mental Health) MSc
Nationality: British
Can you tell us a bit about your academic background and what made you choose the Dementia: Causes, Treatments and Research (Mental Health) MSc at UCL?
I was always very humanities focused during school, although I liked the sciences, I always really enjoyed writing. After taking Psychology, History and English Literature at A-Level I went on to study English Literature at the University of Leeds, I graduated in 2018. After my dad had been working as nurse for nearly 10 years, 5 years before my older brother was born, both of my parents - along with both sets of their parents - bought an old house and worked hard to transform it into a nursing home that specialised in supporting people living with dementia. My brother, sister and I all spent our early years living there in the attic, all very fond memories! After a break from Teaching during COVID-19, I worked in the care home to help with staff absence and burnout. I loved it and realised I wanted to continue to work with people living with dementia. My parents care home had always had a lot of interest from researchers and had worked closely with many throughout the years, although there was always a lot of disparities between projects – in some cases we never heard anything following a project and others had a huge impact on changing working practice and quality of care within the home. This interested me; I knew I wanted to learn more about implementation research and translation, as well the role and importance of co-production. When I applied for a Group Coordinator role with Alzheimer’s Society where I could deliver SFTB sessions, I also applied for the MSc at UCL, I hoped it would help me to start developing the Core Research skills I would need to pursue my interests.
What do you enjoy most about the programme?
For me, the flexibility of the programme has been great. As a flexible student, I have worked full-time throughout the programme, which has really allowed me to mould the studying to my capacity at the time. The course has done everything it promised, it equipped me with core research skills to start reading, translating and writing my own research, as well as upskilling me in dementia research knowledge and exposing me to key academics in the field. I have loved it!
What advice would give prospective students thinking of studying at the UCL Division of Psychiatry?
I would say have a good think about whether you want to study flexible or part-time as having that optionality to take or not-take modules throughout the year has really benefited my career progression. I would also say really utilise the opportunity to engage with the professors, they are the leading minds in the field right now and are very open to talking frankly and openly about their research interests and projects, as well as igniting your own research rabbit holes; I really like that my MSc spans over 3 years (as a flexible student), as I get to continue using it to engage with them!
What are your plans for the future once you have completed the MSc?
The MSc upskilled me and put me in the right position to secure my current post with the Alzheimer’s Society as Senior Research Evidence Officer. I really love the role and once I finish my MSc in 2023, I hope to continue to work in research translation and implementation, using research evidence to improve outcomes for people affected by dementia.
Is there anything else you would like to say about your time at the UCL Division of Psychiatry?
The professors have all been brilliant in supporting my personal development and helping me to manage my studies alongside my role. It is a great division and I really appreciate the opportunity to engage with those that work within it during my time studying. Thank you!