Young and full of optimism, I am a Saudi woman who is a natural born leader and a creative thinker. I have lived in Canada before on two occasions for extended periods of time studying English in 2013 and 2015. I have also completed medical school and I hope very much to earn the Master’s Degree in Public Health from XXXX University, my first choice for graduate school.

I need the MPH Degree to contribute to the advancement of public health in Saudi Arabia and to learn how to conduct state-of-the-art public health research, especially concerning Hajj Season in Saudi Arabia, when millions of pilgrims come from all over the world come to visit Makkah. Nothing compares to Hajj in terms of so many visitors to one place at one time. There are a lot of lessons to be learned from Hajj that are of potential benefit to the rest of the world. Hajj is a human laboratory writ large for public health professionals. It should be studied intensely so as to learn all that we can about how diseases are spread.

I work in the areas of administration, communication, and graphic design with several organizations struggling to provide adequate public health care support during Hajj season. I am also currently completing a medical internship which brings me into direct engagement with the pilgrims during Hajj. Previously, I volunteered to help as a medical student. Most of the pilgrims are old and many suffer from chronic diseases in addition to coming from low-income countries that are unable to pay anything for their health care in Saudi Arabia, presenting enormous health care challenges on every level including that of availability of financial resources. We care for foot injuries and many of the pilgrims are diabetic. We try to raise consciousness of hazards among the pilgrims themselves with multi-language poster campaigns and other initiatives, but the challenge is just so enormous. Most of all, we provide first aid for heat exhaustion and dehydration and emergency care for strokes and heart attacks.

I have had nothing but wonderful experiences so far during the time that I have spent in Canada. I love the people and the culture and feel especially close because of the wonderful host families that I lived with while studying intensive English. There are many things that I appreciate about Canadians. Most of all, I their kindness and generosity coupled to their full embrace and celebration of multiculturalism.

Canada gives me great energy, buoys my enthusiasm, and sustains my optimism. I see Canada as my second home and my point of insertion into global medicine and public health. I also see Canada as something of a role model in many ways, particularly as concerns the role of women. I love the vast diversity of people in Canada, the mixture of nationalities. I feel that I am ready to hit the ground running in your Master’s in Public Health Program at McMaster University in part because of my immersion in diversity. Volunteers, many of them from other countries, come to help out with medical assistance and first aid during Hajj. This has very much helped to cultivate my deep passion for diversity and international collaboration and solidarity. Many of my Saudi colleagues have gone to Canada to complete their Master’s and PHD Degrees in public health and I wish very much to do the same. I have participated in several public health investigations one of which is already published and I am in regular contact with colleagues at Sydney university who are also very interested in Hajj research.

Helping others and contributing to global public health is what makes me the happiest. I love to make people smile. During Hajj, some pray for me, helping me to feel strengthened and blessed. I continue to perfect my response to stress since Hajj lasts 10 days and there are always surprises. I only sleep a couple of hours each day or night through this period, and rest when it is over.

Finally, I am very good with computer programs and graphic design which I put to excellent use for public health awareness campaigns. I fully intend to devote my professional life to the development of healthy communities and I want to learn as much as I can not only about Public Health but also epidemiology, thinking globally as a citizen of the world and a doctor with an exciting laboratory at home: Hajj.

I thank you for considering my application to XXXX University.

I aspire to be a spatial epidemiologist, mapping out diseases and developing public health intervention programs that target them as they arise and begin to propagate on a planetary level – so that we can stop them in their tracks.  XXXX’s College of Global Public Health is my first choice for Graduate School for several reasons, especially your fully international perspective, especially rich, interdisciplinary approach to public health issues, and my profound admiration for the research in Spatial Epidemiology undertaken by Dr. XXXX who I see as an ideal thesis or dissertation mentor should I be accepted to your program. A mixed-raced woman born and raised on the Island of Papua New Guinea, I look forward to contributing to the celebration of diversity at XXXX as a Pacific Islander and it is also my hope that being a Pacific Islander will prove beneficial to my career in the future as a spatial epidemiologist, working to map out and fight disease in the Developing World.

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A 27-year-old female student from Saudi Arabia now studying on a scholarship in the USA at XXXX University, I am very dedicated to giving my all to a professional lifetime fighting disease. I currently have two majors at XXXU in Biochemistry and Political science. I write on behalf of my application to add Public health as a minor because it is in this professional direction where my greatest passion lies, preparing me to excel in graduate school in Public Health Epidemiology.

As a highly experienced dentist, I have naturally become aware of the enormous impact of lifestyle and other manageable factors on dental and oral health. My observations and research on this matter fired an intense interest in preventative education in which I have become increasingly involved over the years. However my interest in preventative education has moved beyond specifically dental and oral health to the general health of patients. I have become especially interested in Type 2 Diabetes prevention, a disease which is widespread in the populations I served. I have dealt with this issue on an individual and local level but it now my goal to acquire the skills and knowledge to enable me to become a part of the global solution to this grave and escalating problem and in the general promotion of good health worldwide.

My goal is to join a government department or NGO involved in health education in an under-developed and under-served part of the world. I would probably be of most use in rural South Asia as I am already familiar with many of the cultural and lifestyle factors that are obstacles to good health such as betel nut and tobacco chewing which are both so harmful to dental, oral and general health and the seclusion of women which often results in healthcare being provided only in cases of extreme need, if at all. As a Pakistani female, I feel that I can make a difference in some situations where others may be unable to do so. As stated, I have also taken a particular interest in Type 2 Diabetes which occurs disproportionately in South Asian populations and to which so many other serious health problems are related. This problem is actually increasing rapidly and reaching disastrous levels. One theory is that this arises from rising incomes which, in turn, gives rise to increased consumption of sugar which exacerbates the genetic factors already present. I should be very interested in assisting in some related research project.

I know that good intentions alone are insufficient in themselves to solve problems but that solid research and accurate analysis of results are the foundations to the achievement of beneficial change. In Saudi Arabia I undertook a statistical analysis relating to the effectiveness of fluoride application in pre-schoolers. I also suggested that dental checks be undertaken and basic dental health education provided at the same time as visits to schools by vaccination teams which I believe had highly beneficial results in improving dental health.  I have also undertaken an undergraduate course of study in Statistics because of my interest in research.

Having practised in several countries, I am aware that cultural awareness and sensitivity is vital in health education and that what works in one place may be far less effective elsewhere. I have happily worked and studied with people of many social and ethnic backgrounds.  I enjoy sharing knowledge of my own culture and gaining knowledge of others. My multi-cultural exposure is of relevance to effective health education in which long standing cultural attitudes and habits are often closely linked to health and well-being. I am aware that a temptation towards a ‘box-ticking’ mentality exists among some of those involved in health education. Establishing what methods work with a particular population by rigorous follow up and solid feedback ensures that future efforts in similar populations are of real worth.

While hoping to be part of the global solution to improving public health, I am aware that it is necessary not to become detached from real people with real problems and to avoid seeing people as mere budgetary or statistical units. No matter how exalted a position I might achieve, I intend to constantly seek ‘real world’ exposure to ensure that I retain my focus on the underlying ‘why’ of my studies and work. I am particularly drawn to the program because of the range and relevance of the core and elective courses to my goals and, in particular, the focus on research methods, and the prestigious faculty. I am particularly interested in the work of Professor Bradley Johnson on the unreliability of current sugar consumption guidelines.

To summarize: I am a well-qualified and experienced medical professional who has worked in three continents, with a background in statistical analysis and in providing effective health education in small populations while having a very strong interest in research.  My major recommendation, however, is a genuine passion to improve general health and well-being particularly, but not solely, among Asians.