Graduate Program Admittance Essay

            This is a statement to express my interest in a Joint Japan/World Bank Graduate Scholarship Program (JJ/WBGSP) scholarship to pursue a Masters in Health Policy, Planning and financing at London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM). I am a 33 year old female Medical Doctor from Uganda, I hold a bachelors degree in Medicine and Surgery (MBchB) of Makerere University, Uganda and other certificates in management and research.
             For the past 6 years I have been involved in a number of HIV/AIDS prevention, care and treatment projects as a clinician and middle level manager, I currently work as the Program officer for voluntary Adult medical male circumcision for HIV prevention services at the University Research CoLLC 's USAID/ SUSTAIN project .
             A major challenge in our National Health System is Health financing. And equally important is that my past and current work requires a good understanding of Health policy, planning and financing, I must confess though that my understanding of Health policy and financing is average yet I believe that a manager must have a solid understanding, supported by a strong academic foundation of how to manage and lead a team through challenging times hence the need for this training.
             Owing to limited resources, am unable to finance myself for such a course. I would like to pursue a Masters in Health Policy, Planning and financing at London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in order to exploit this excellent opportunity to get exposed to and acquire the wealth of knowledge and expertise existing at LSHTM. I will also get a chance through this course to interact with students from diverse professional and cultural backgrounds drawn from all over the world. The exposure is important for interaction and integration of diverse ideas and perspectives pertaining to various global issues. The knowledge, skills and attitudes I will acquire as a result of this exposure will in turn empower me to be a better manager able to handle Health programs in such a way that they greatly benefit the persons they are designed for.