Inspired to succeed and create a healthier society with a Federation PhD
After a few years working as a young doctor in Bangladesh, Masud Salehin knew he wanted to take a different approach to health care. Drawn instead to big-picture healthcare projects, he started a “long, long journey” to build the career he wanted.
Three decades spent studying, contributing to healthcare projects with international agencies and working as an academic has led Dr Salehin to Federation University. He’s here to complete a PhD under the guidance of one of the world’s leading public health academics.
Dr Salehin has a Masters in Epidemiology, another in International Health and a graduate diploma in health economics. While he has extensive experience working with marginalised people, on HIV-AIDS intervention projects, and in providing healthcare for women, children and adolescents, he had a knowledge gap when it came to research.
To develop his research skills, public health credentials and international network, he sought out Professor Dr Muhammad Aziz Rahman, head of Public Health at Federation University’s Institute of Health and Wellbeing, whose work is among the most cited globally in the field.
“Prof Aziz focuses on smoking-related issues, migrant health, mental health,” says Dr Salehin. “He has published a lot in my areas of interest and has tremendous connections.”
Dr Salehin's research examines the smoking habits of Australia's GPs which has turned a spotlight on what types of support patients are given when deciding to quit smoking.
Throughout his PhD journey, Dr Salehin benefitted from Federation University’s supportive approach: from refresher classes to hone his research skills to participating in additional research projects.
“It was a sharp learning curve for me,” he says. “I came to know about working in a team, the different roles and how you participate in research meetings. I learnt about preparing for the ethics applications, even how to select a good journal and write a letter to the editors”.
He also had the opportunity to teach, which he says distilled his learning and helped build the public speaking skills essential for a public health professional.
Above all, he says Prof Aziz’s passion for publication, to benefit both career and society, was inspiring.
“He told us that without publication, the research remains in the dark. It needs to be shared with the people it was meant for in the first place.”
If, like Masud, you’re ready to make a difference to the public health landscape through impactful research, contact Prof Rahman at ma.rahman@federation.edu.au.
Want to know more about Federation’s public health expertise? Read our recent article Creating agents of change: the Federation University researcher focused on the big picture of public health.