Health Economics and Promotion alumna Rabiah Al Adawiyah aims to help the resource-limited Asia Pacific

Tell us your story!

One of my senior colleagues was continuing his education at KI, and highly recommended KI as a reputable medical institution. I will sum up my experience as "beyond all expectations". I had a great experience at KI, with dedicated teachers and a supportive environment. Moreover, Sweden mesmerized me as an international student. 

After I graduated, I worked as an intern at MyIndicators for around 6 months by connecting with a former colleague from KI. This was a perfect opportunity for a fresh graduate like me, while I was going through a transition phase toward the next milestone. The internship experience at MyIndicators also offered a supportive environment that enabled me to manage a lot of uncertainties during my transition phase, and helped me land a great PhD position.

I always wanted to continue my PhD since the first day I came to Sweden, and my desire just increased during my time at KI. I did my Ph.D. at the Kirby Institute, a leading research institution on infectious and sexual transmitted disease, based in University New South Wales, Sydney, Australia. I worked on the project related to elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV/Syphilis in Indonesia.

Indonesia is my home country, and Australia is one of the closest countries geographically with a tight collaboration on research with Indonesia. By chance, I received an email containing information about the Scientia Scholarship Scheme at UNSW. Among several projects in global health, there was one project that was highly attractive to me, since it was performed in Indonesia. I also believed that Australia would be a suitable country if I wanted to gear my training and expertise on research related to health systems in the Asia Pacific region.

There are several options that crossed my mind after I am finished, but definitely my ultimate aim is to become an expert in health economics in the resources-limited settings at Asia Pacific. I would love to continue working in research and the academic environment, especially in think-tank and/or research institutions.

What is your advice to students

Start your plan of post-graduation early especially if you are international student. I started my plan at least 8 months before graduation. If I could turn back time, I would have started even earlier!

The earlier you start, the earlier you can make alternative options if your first plan doesn't work out as you thought it might. Furthermore, early planning can ensure you get the most out of your time in Sweden!