Undergraduate student and Laidlaw Foundation scholarship recipient, Lizzie Hall is spending six weeks at CGHP developing an impact report that demonstrates the value of learning and working globally to healthcare systems everywhere – including the NHS.
“As a biological science student at Durham University, I have studied diseases, the threat of antibiotic resistance, and the rapidly advancing field of biopharmaceuticals. But biology neglects the social determinants of health and the impact of healthcare inequalities on patient care. During my social medical anthropology module, I was introduced to looking at health from a global and cultural perspective, inspiring my interest in global health. During the next six weeks, I will put this interest into practice during my summer internship hosted by CGHP, with additional mentoring from CGHP’s pro-bono partner Costello Medical, and supported by my scholarship awarded by the Laidlaw Foundation.
The Laidlaw Scholars Leadership & Research Programme provides funding and training to immerse university students in sustainable global change whilst developing ethical leadership skills. The programme is spread over two summers; the first consisting of a research project, and the second a ‘Leadership in Action’ experience.
In 2024, I completed a six-week research project with Durham’s Department of Sociology, evaluating the impact of ‘Hustle Culture’ on student athlete mental health and wellbeing. The second summer’s ‘Leadership in Action’ experience gives scholars the opportunity to undertake a placement with a charity or NGO whose work focuses on ethical and sustainable development. For me it is this internship with CGHP, where I will produce the 2024-25 impact report with the help of Costello Medical.
This report will bring to life the wide-ranging impacts of the health partnerships that CGHP supports, by showcasing their effectiveness in producing reciprocal healthcare improvements globally. This will be done by analysing the impact of the partnerships on participants, institutions, and patients involved in these healthcare exchanges using evaluations and interviews with previous participants. This report will explore how global health work brings knowledge and skills into the NHS, whilst reflecting CGHP’s values of delivering safe, effective, and ethical healthcare partnerships.
The government has pointed to many failings in the NHS, including agonising waitlists, healthcare inequalities, and chronic staff demoralisation. The future direction of the NHS is outlined in the ‘10 Year Health Plan for England’ which includes; prioritising local community treatment, motivating staff, and scrapping the bureaucracy which currently limits patient and staff control over treatment. One of my goals for the impact report is to align some of the outcomes of CGHP’s work with the development objectives of the NHS, to demonstrate the vital role of global health partnerships in building an equitable future in healthcare.
At university, I often feel disconnected from the reality of the topics that I am studying. Although I’m just beginning my internship, I have already learnt about the real-life impact of global healthcare partnerships and have witnessed the hard work that goes into providing these exchanges. I hope that during this internship I will expand my knowledge of global health and continue to develop my research skills to contribute what I can towards ethical and sustainable change in healthcare.”
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