Alison Rennie’s inspiring and life changing work in the Scottish Public Health sector was made possible by the Futures Fund.
The money she received from the scholarship allowed her to complete a six-week Internship at the Scottish Collaboration for Public Health Research and Policy (SCPHRP) in Edinburgh.
There, she worked as part of the Research team responsible for shaping policy within Public Health, working closely with the Scottish government and Edinburgh University.
Alison graduated at the summer graduation ceremonies with a first-class honours degree and also received The Public Health Society Best Dissertation Award. She expressed her delight at receiving recognition for her hard work over her time on the course.
She said: “I’m thrilled to receive the award and I’m certain that my experience during the internship at SCPHRP influenced the direction which my dissertation took and its final outcome.”
Alison also paid tribute to her colleagues at the SCPHRP for inspiring her to carry on her studies in the Public Health field and added that the placement would not have been possible without the money she received from the Futures Fund, which was crucial in helping her cover her travel and accommodation costs.
She continued: “This experience cemented my desire to work in research and contributed enormously to my dissertation.
“Without the Futures Fund financial support, my choice of internship would have been restricted to the local area and I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to work with SCPHRP.”
Alison remains a part of the team at the institute and will have her research published later this year before heading to Durham University to complete an MA in Social Research Methods. Her advice to anyone considering applying to the Futures Fund is to grab it with both hands.
She concluded: “Take the opportunity to develop new skills and experience new environments. Get your course director or tutor on board to offer some guidance, as two heads are better than one and the application process is fairly simple. Nothing ventured, nothing gained!”
Article written by Matthew Shevlin, University of Sunderland Journalism graduate.