Student profile: Public health

Meet Tathra Chai

We caught up with Master of Health Policy student Tathra Chai, to find out why she chose postgraduate study and how she thinks it has helped her career.

Why I chose health policy

A few years ago I was working on a project that had a huge social justice component. Despite our best efforts, we failed to get the project across the line in a way that it really deserved. I decided to study health policy to better understand those processes so that we can be more successful next time.

What attracted me to the University of Sydney

Sydney University was outstanding when I was reviewing my options. The curriculum of the health policy course was a blend of real-world application plus academic rigour.

What surprised me most about my degree

My fellow students come from such diverse backgrounds that it's enriched our learning from each other as well as from the lecturers. The flexibility of the course is also great. I’ve loved being able to choose to do subjects online but also have the face to face on campus intensives.

How this course has helped my career

Working for a pharmaceutical company, I've now got greater insight and stronger skills to understand how health policy affects different sectors of health and how they can work better together to effect more positive change.