Hello everyone, and welcome to my blog.
My name is Jonta Kamara and my family is originally from Sierra Leone, but I was born in the US and have grown up in Germany, South Africa, Ghana, Tunisia, and Canada. This led me to become very cognizant of differences in the accessibility of healthcare within and between countries, leading to my passion for public health. As my understanding of public health has grown, I have become most interested in health system strengthening and health policy.
I recently completed my Master of Public Health at King’s College London (KCL). I completed my undergraduate studies at the University of Toronto (U of T), New College. I pursued a major in Health Studies with a double minor in African Studies & Immunology. Throughout my educational programs, I was involved in several public/global health opportunities.
Activities: Rare Disease Review Journal, Model World Health Organization (WHO) conferences, University of Toronto International Health Program (UTIHP) as part of EarthTones and Ontario Model World Health Organization (OMWHO), African Public Health Network at Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University Gender-Based Violence Journal Club, and the King's College London Global Health Society.
Research Assistant Positions: Research Opportunity Program (ROP) at U of T in the Language and Learning Lab; International Centre for Disability and Rehabilitation (ICDR) at U of T, School of Politics and Economics at KCL, and King's Sierra Leone Partnership
Internship: Global Health Policy Intern at Friends of the Global Fight
My tips for grad school and careers within public health
1. Get involved: I highly recommend getting involved in extracurricular activities and conferences as this is a great way to network and get practical experience. The Model WHO conferences helped me network and meet other students interested in global/public health. I was awarded the Best Delegate representing Morocco at LONWHO in 2018.
2. Take on new opportunities: Through my research assistant experiences, I was able to learn more about what kind of roles I liked and did not like. If you do not like a position, it is only temporary and it is better to know earlier what you do and do not like.
3. Coding Software: I highly recommend gaining experience with coding software as data analysis is a very practical skill in public health. From my research experience positions and coursework, I have gained familiarity with the statistical software R, STATA, and SPSS which have been useful skills for job applications.
4. Network: Network with your classmates, attend networking events even if they are not directly related to your field, and use LinkedIn and alumni resources. Use conferences as a great place to network and if possible, create your own business cards to share with people.
Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy this space.