This is the second in a series of posts where alumni tell us about their experiences studying at HCRI and their life and work following graduation.
This post was written by Dr Phanuel Tawanda Gwinji, who was a Chevening Scholar and graduated with an MSc in International Disaster Management from HCRI in 2022. Phanuel has since worked in emergency medical response in UN missions in Somalia and Afghanistan, and recently taken up a post as a Ship Doctor for Princess Cruises. Thanks for sharing your experiences Phanuel!
My time at HCRI, during the academic year of 2021-22, was great. It gave me an opportunity to attend one of the most respected institutions globally particularly with regards to my field of study and work at that time. Having come from a humanitarian background, it provided me with additional knowledge and skills acquisition needed to continue navigating through my chosen career path.
I had no trouble at all getting back to work post completion of studies, as I had to immediately leave the UK right after submission of my dissertation for Somalia to assume a role that I had received an offer for as a contractor with an organisation that was providing services for the UN support office there. A few months after that I then found myself back in Afghanistan with the UN Mission in Afghanistan, where I had been prior to taking up my studies at HCRI. I have now moved from there and am currently a cruise ship doctor with one of the leading cruise lines globally.
I think that my time at and association with HCRI gave me that opportunity to have a different worldview and also was a platform for me to move to greater heights. I was also a few months back admitted as an inaugural Member of the Faculty of Remote, Rural and Humanitarian Healthcare of the Royal College of Surgeons (Edinburgh), a feather which I believe was made possible by me being an HCRI alumnus.
For more on HCRI courses, visit the HCRI website
Learn more about career paths in the HCRI Careers Guide