LSTM Programme Officer Interview Prep

Knowledge / behaviours that support equality, diversity and inclusive practice

- As a queer woman, I feel passionately about promoting equality, diversity and inclusive practices - Lots of my experience has revolved around developing equitable health programmes, working with people from diverse backgrounds S: my recent MSc project revolved around ensuring equitable, inclusive care for individuals affected by triple sds who experienced violence. T: taking an intersectional approach, I focused on conveying the views and experiences of marginalised groups, such as women and girls from low socioeconomic backgrounds A: I highlighted issues around.... R: findings were shared with redress, and will be integrated into REDRESS's wider recommendations for the integrated NTD programme

Why do you want this job?

- During my studies, the key areas that always lit me up were around qualitative research and health promotion for NTDs - I have loved my qualitative experience thus far and my recent MSc project cemented that - I would love the opportunity to be involved with a role that involves conducting qualitative research in the field, and engaging with communities affected - I am at the point in my career where I have a few years experience, a solid MSc and I am ready to settle into a research career at LSTM - I am being completely sincere when I say that this is my dream job

Grant writing experience

- I was involved with grant writing whilst at healthwatch - recent role as grants officer at the academy of medical sciences also developed my skills - the organisation provides grants to clinical lecturers - role involved sitting in on review panels, giving me inside knowledge - moreover, I have the relevant skills - namely, attention to detail and writing

Knowledge / experience of NTDs and vector control

- My BSc entailed spending 3 years studying NTDs, giving me a really solid foundation, from parasitology to vector control - Both my research projects at LSTM have focused on NTDs (leishmaniasis and triple sds)

Relevant qualifications and training

- My educational background is perfect - BSc gave me a solid understanding of NTDs from studying vector control and parasitology to exploring the socioeconomic impacts, also developing my research skills - Recent MSc built upon my technical research skills - Notably, both research projects focused on NTDs - Throughout my professional experience, I've also received training in research, data collection and safeguarding

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

- Working on exciting research projects related to NTDs at LSTM - specifically, I hope to be working on qualitative projects, which involve health promotion and capacity building - I would like to have developed my technical skills, taking on more responsibility, perhaps taking on a project manager role - I would also like to be travelling to the field intermittently - have authored a great deal of publications

Experience of health promotion, community sensitization materials, delivering training

- Yes, absolutely - firstly, I have strong theoretical knowledge, from my studies - I also have some experience: - Whilst I was at Refugee Women Connect, I launched a series of public health workshops, covering topics like sexual health and mental health - I had to design them in such a way that they were accessible and engaging to women of differing experiences and language abilities - I was also involved in the health promotion activities of healthwatch - for instance, I contributed workshops on 'staying well in winter' which involved travelling to local community centres and engaging with elderly - leading workshops and activities - I would argue that my teaching experience also displays relevant skills

Knowledge and behaviours that support safeguarding

- a great deal of my professional experience has involved working with vulnerable groups, whether that be female refugees, children, people with learning disabilities or the elderly - I have an appreciation for the importance of safeguarding and have received training whilst at healthwatch S: Whilst volunteering at a school in vietnam, one of the children disclosed to me that she was committing self harm and asked me not to disclose the information T: whilst I didn't want to betray her trust, I knew that she was at risk of harming herself A: I had to notify the relevant member of staff R: the school counsellor reached out

Greatest weakness'

1) I have quite a strong inner critic, and sometimes experience a crisis of confidence when submitting a piece of work. It's something I have overcome throughout the last few years, which have involved producing pieces of work with quick turn arounds. Ultimately, means that I never hand in a piece of work that I'm not proud of. value recognition. 2) I used to struggle with taking on more than I could handle - because I entered Healthwatch at such an intense time and with limited experience, I was really keen to make a good impression. Consequently, I took on huge amounts of responsibility and committed to deadlines that potentially weren't that achievable. The experience taught me the importance of managing expectations and being realistic with yourself - a key learning experience 3) I'm quite competitive - translates to inner motivation

Greatest strengths?

1) Strong interpersonal/communication skills - probably my biggest strength and the reason I enjoy conducting qualitative research and health promotion 2) Synthesising information - concepts, data, practical situations 3) Writing - getting concepts on to paper, tailor organising data, concepts and people - can apply to academic. ppl wanna talk to me, empathy aligned with practical solutions empathic understanding + practical action

Questions for them

1) What do the day-to-day responsibilities of the role look like? 2) What do you see as the most challenging aspect of this job? 3) Can you tell me a little more about the field experience in Uganda? 4) Whats your timeline for next steps? 5) If I am successful, when would you like me to start? 6) how has covid impacted your programme and what progress has been made in the other countries of operation? 7) can you elaborate more on extending the programme?

Experience of qualitative research a) design/implementation b) analysis c) translating into recs and lessons

Absolutely, I have qualitative experience from my time at UNRWA, Healthwatch and YVHSC, best example recent MSc -My project explored experiences of violence in people with stigmatised skin diseases with a view to improve equitable, holistic care in Liberia - Sub-study of a wider evaluative study by REDRESS, supporting Liberia to design and implement their integrated NTD programme which will serve as a blueprint for other regions of africa - Designed topic guides for key informant interviews and vignettes for participatory workshops - had to cancel workshops due to covid, ended up doing 1-1 remote interviews and secondary analysis of illness narratives - Using NVivo, I applied the framework approach during analysis - Ended up with huge amounts of data, translated findings into recommendations and lessons, based on which were most viable and crucial - presented findings at a REDRESS meeting and they will be shared with the MoH

tell me about yourself

From London, graduated from my BSc in tropical disease biology here at lstm a few years ago and returned recently for my masters I've spent the last few years expanding my experience in research and programmes, including research positions in London and for the UN in Jordan Decided to do return to LSTM for an MSc with the goal of developing my technical skills, especially in qualitative research Since graduating have been patiently waiting for a role at lstm - an interim grants position and been doing consultancy work for redress I am being honest when I say that this is exactly the type of job I envisaged myself in - qualitative research on NTD, involves health promotion and field experience - speaks to all of my skills and experience.

Why are you a good fit for this job?

From what I can gather, you need someone with programmes experience; knowledge of NTDs and vector control; experience in qualitative research and health promotion; and exceptional written and oral communication skills I have all of these skills and am highly committed to pursuing a research career at LSTM

Data management

I am completely confident with data management S: my BSc research project involved exploring the cutaneous leishmaniasis outbreak in Syria. Through collaboration with the Syrian relief network, we obtained vast datasets from health centres T: we had thousands and thousands of entries from different health centres, with different approaches to data collection A: I spent a great deal of time combing through the datasheets on excel, correcting mistakes and verifying information with health centre managers R: integrated clean data into a mastersheet for statistical analysis

Excellent oral communication skills

I have excellent oral communication skills, honed through years of qualitative research and teaching

Project management in LMICs

I have solid project management experience from my recent MSc project, my time at UNRWA and Healthwatch, where I led all the charity's projects. My MSc involved working alongside Liberian colleagues to plan the budget and logistics of conducting my study I also have experience of using project management tools such as logframes from my MSc

Writing publications, technical reports and conference presentations

One of my greatest skills - received 90% in one of my final essays evaluating humanitarian accountability measures I've produced lots of reports - at Healthwatch, I led the enter and view programme where I conducted bi-monthly visits to health facilities, where I interviewed staff and service users and produced reports highlighting best practice and recommendations for improvements. I also produced reports on long term projects, such as the falls programme I'm also currently supporting colleagues in Liberia to produce papers for publication and am hoping to publish my MSc project

Adaption/problem-solving

Sitch: initially, I was going to travel to Liberia and conduct participatory workshops with supplementary KIIs. As covid unfolded, it changed to me joining workshops remotely, before they were postponed indefinitely. Task: I had to adapt my research approach entirely Action: I decided to increase the number of KIIs and to capture the views of those affected, I analysed a set of narratives. 1 month before my deadline, an RA conducted remote one-to-one participatory activities - involved me adapting the vignettes and analysing/integrating more results v quickly Result: whilst the uncertainty was stressful, I produced a piece of work I was proud of and achieved a distinction

Conflict resolution

Situation: the enter and view project at Healthwatch involved visiting health facilities, conducting visual inspections followed by interviews with staff and service users. There was one care home where patients reported being given the wrong medication and staff broke down crying because they were being treated poorly and underpaid. Task: I had to report the care home to the CQC and inform the manager. They became aggressive and began ringing to shout at me. Action: I had to remain responsive rather than reactive, calmly repeating that I was just doing my job. Result: eventually they stopped calling, and the home subsequently went into new management.

Time management/dealing with competing deadlines

Situation: when I joined Healthwatch, the previous PO had quit on very short notice, leaving projects incomplete and behind deadlines. Task: I had to catch up Action: threw myself into the role, immediately engaging with my volunteer team, re-working data management systems and conducting my first health visit within my first week Result: I managed to get the projects back on track, and I received very positive feedback - it was great for my development

Strong interpersonal skills, with ability to develop effective relationships with range of stakeholders

The majority of my experience has required strong interpersonal skills and relationship building S: My role at Healthwatch involved managing a team of 10+ volunteers to conduct mixed-method research and outreach events T: So in many ways, my ability to do my job effectively depended on my interpersonal skills and positive relationships with my volunteers, members of the public and managers at health facilities and community organisations A: to achieve this, I organised regular meetings with my volunteers and got to know them on an individual basis. I also strived for face-to-face contact with managers and made myself personable R: I was able to cultivate positive relationships, enabling me to hit targets