I am Yagya Adhikari, PhD student at BU’s Faculty of Health and Social Sciences (FHSS). I am honoured to participate in the Turing Scheme (Traineeship) in Nepal. For me this student mobility programme ran for four weeks. In Kathmandu, I attended the Manmohan Memorial Institute of Health Sciences (MMIHS) sessions. I also presented my proposal and discussed it with both MSc Public Health students and teachers and had the privilege to attend the lectures delivered by MMIHS academics. Furthermore, I shared my UK university experiences with the students and faculties. Some of the MMIHS students and faculties will soon participate in the ERASMUS+ exchange programme at BU.
Additionally, I invited to present my research proposal at the “Migration and Health Research Capacity Building Workshop for Early Career Researchers”, organised by BU, the University of Huddersfield, MMIHS and the charity Green Tara Nepal. It provided a forum for discussion and feedback from the participants. Similarly, I took part in the “Academic writing and publishing” book launch workshop at Nobel College, Kathmandu. It was facilitated by Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen and Dr Pramod Regmi both from FHSS.
As my PhD research title is “Parental migration and its impact on health and well-being of left-behind adolescents in Nepal,” I plan to conduct fieldwork next year. Thus, the visit allowed me to familiarise myself with Nepal’s current socio-economic context and understand the ethical procedure prior to data collection and fieldwork.
Networking is another outstanding achievement for me. I interacted with researchers involved in migration and health research in Nepal. One of the cardinal benefits of the tour was the exchange of knowledge and expertise between BU and MMIHS. It was also crucial to strengthen the network amongst public health sector professionals of both nations and establish new connections. The visit helped me understand the recent challenges of conducting research at the field level and gave me the insight to mitigate the issues. In addition, it helped me lay the foundation of my study and proffered me the prerequisite tools to address my research question.
I forged ties with several organisations working in health, migration, and mental health. Some of the key associations we shared our expertise with were Green Tara Trust and Transcultural Psychosocial Organisation Nepal (TPO Nepal). Furthermore, I discussed the proposed research tools for my PhD and the availability of validated questionnaires in the Nepali translated version. It was a win-win visit for both BU and MMIHS Nepal. As a research student, I returned with a rich experience, and I look forward to fostering collaborations in future. Overall, it was a fantastic opportunity to explore and interact with students, academics and researchers internationally.