Bethan McDonald

I joined the Oxford Public Health training scheme in 2014, coming from a science background in HIV and Hepatitis research. During my specialty training I have worked on a diverse range of health protection, health improvement and health promotion projects at local, regional, national and international levels. Placements have included: NHS England; Public Health England; Buckinghamshire County Council; Oxford University Nuffield Department of Population Health; Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and The Commonwealth Secretariat. I have had the opportunity to work in Sierra Leone as part of the Ebola outbreak response, and with an international team on the Zika Public Health Emergency of International Concern. The training scheme has been an excellent opportunity for me to expand my skills and knowledge in new areas of Public Health, whilst allowing me to pursue my interests and develop these further.

Prior to joining the training scheme I undertook a PhD in Infectious Diseases (HIV molecular biology) at King’s College London. I did my post-doc at Harvard School of Public Health working between Boston and Botswana with the Harvard AIDS Initiative. I then gained my Masters in Public Health and worked at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine on qualitative research looking at HCV testing among people who inject drugs in London.