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Enhancing opportunities for talented Black health data scientists

16 November 2023 | Jessica Mtemeri and Saharla Warsame
Hear from Jessica Mtemeri and Saharla Warsame on their experiences at UCLPartners as part of the Health Data Science Black Internship Programme.

This year, UCLPartners took part in the Health Data Science Black Internship Programme, aimed at enhancing the opportunities for talented Black health data scientists in the UK to excel in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) careers. Jessica Mtemeri and Saharla Warsame joined us to learn more about how health data-driven research can support innovations to improve patient outcomes. They spoke to us about their experience. 

Saharla Warsame 

Developing new skills 

I joined UCLPartners to learn how health data research is initiated, evaluated and how innovation can improve patient outcomes. I was given the opportunity to work across a range of projects, collecting and analysing both quantitative and qualitative data. For example, I was involved in the early stages of a cancer project, co-developing a logic model and analysing open-source data to guide the direction of the project. I was also able to use my quantitative skills to analyse patient survey responses from a remote monitoring tool and developed my communication skills by facilitating a workshop to learn more about implementation of tele-dermatology.  

Gaining insights into data and experiences 

Joining the Evaluation and Insights team taught me what exactly evaluation entails, from the different types of evaluation, to forming an evaluation framework (logic model and a Gantt chart) and how qualitative as well as quantitative data can be interpreted to improve patient centred services.  

I also particularly enjoyed the site visit to Southend-On-Sea University Hospital where I had the opportunity to sit down and listen to the cancer support workers and hear about their experiences. It felt surreal to connect the role of a support worker in my work to actually meeting with several people who work in Mid and South Essex. Listening to their experiences provided me with more insight into how I should approach the project I was working on. 

Going forward, I hope to use the new skills I’ve gained to develop a career in cancer research.

My biggest piece of advice for anyone interested in pursuing an internship in health data research is to push yourself, be adaptive, and inquisitive!

Jessica Mtemeri 

Observing health outcomes on a larger scale 

As a medical student, my academic path had primarily revolved around clinical medicine, but I was eager to explore how data-driven research could be applied to healthcare. The opportunity to work at UCLPartners was a great chance to learn more about the relationship between clinical medicine and the potential of data-driven healthcare solutions. What intrigued me most was the realisation that by working with health data, I would be able toto observe health outcomes on a scale far broader than one patient at a time. It was a chance to gain insights into the health of diverse populations, which only added to the appeal of my internship.  

Helping to drive forward innovation  

During my internship at UCLPartners, I had the privilege of working on a project that involved using open-source data to create an interactive dashboard that assists innovators in selecting GP practices to engage with to drive forward their innovation. This project allowed me to apply data analysis and visualisation techniques to a real-world healthcare challenge, showcasing the practical applications of data research in the field. 

Creative freedom and collaboration 

During the internship at UCLPartners, I learnt how to interpret, visualise and transform data into meaningful insights for decision-making processes. The transition from a clinical medicine setting to a data research environment showed me how important interdisciplinary collaboration is and made me realise how dynamic the healthcare industry is. With the guidance and approval of my manager, I could really shape the direction of my work. I loved the creative freedom I was given.  

I look forward to contributing more to the field of medicine and data science in the future, making a positive impact on healthcare outcomes and patient well-being.

My internship at UCLPartners has been a transformative experience that has broadened my understanding of health data research.