The WHO CC is now offering regular Prizes for essays amongst MPH (Masters of Public Health) Students.
Students contributed many essays on various topics and continue to engage producing some remarkable results.
Please see below for our winners & runners up!
2024 - 2025
Siyuan Fan - Best Comment
As a Master of Public Health student at Imperial College London, Siyuan holds a bachelor's degree in Preventive Medicine from China, a five-year medicine program including a public health internship at the CDC and clinical practice in hospitals. Passionate about research, she has contributed to academic publications and leads a national mental and behavioral health database, collaborating with interdisciplinary researchers from institutions such as the University of Edinburgh and the City University of Hong Kong. Her research focuses on reducing health inequities, particularly in low- and middle-income countries and minority populations, with interests in adverse childhood experiences, behavioral epidemiology, digital health, and data mining.
David Flynn - Best Comment
I am a Global Health BSc student at Imperial College London, intercalating from my medical studies at the University of Liverpool. I am interested in medical technology and innovation, and how this can be implemented across the world.
Jana Antar - Highly Commended
A licensed dietitian/nutritionist, worked for two years as a Health Monitoring Coordinator, implementing and monitoring public health projects for displaced and vulnerable communities. Currently pursuing a Master of Public Health (MPH) at Imperial College London and a Mini-MBA in Strategic Management at the European Institute for Leadership and Management. Recipient of the Said Foundation Scholarship Award.
Gabriella Reyna Ardisa Gunawan - Highly Commended
Gabriella is a Master of Public Health student at Imperial College London. She holds a BSc in Public Health from the University of Indonesia. Passionate about global health, health equity, and sustainable development, she strives to use her knowledge and skills to positively impact others through her work.
Catherine James - Highly Commended
Catherine James is a first-year medical student at Imperial Medical School, London. She wishes to explore how digital medical technologies, and innovation can be used to achieve universal healthcare access and reduce global health inequity.
Harsh Priya - Highly Commended
Harsh Priya was honoured with the WHOCC Award in 2024. She is currently pursuing a Master’s in Public Health at Imperial College London, having previously earned a Master’s degree in Community Dentistry and a Bachelor’s degree in Dental Surgery from the Manipal College of Dental Sciences, Manipal, India. With over 15 years of expertise in dental public health, she is deeply committed to advancing oral health promotion. She has designed Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) on oral premalignant lesions and oral cancer tailored for primary healthcare providers under the auspices of the WHO Collaborating Centre for Oral Health Promotion. Her efforts have contributed to strengthening the public oral healthcare delivery system through the National Oral Health Programme. She provides Tobacco Cessation Counselling to outpatient department (OPD) patients at CDER. She is driven by a vision to reduce oral health disparities through targeted promotion and preventive initiatives aimed at underserved and marginalized populations in India.
Xunziyin Wan - Highly Commended
Xunziyin Wan is a Master of Public Health student at Imperial College London with an interest in exploring the chronic diseases, nutrition, and gerontology. She obtained a Bachelor of Science in Nursing with a minor in Clinical Pharmacy in 2024.
Yudi Zhao - Highly Commended
Yudi Zhao is a Master of Public Health student at Imperial College London. She holds a Master’s degree in Genetics, where her research focused on identifying genetic polymorphisms associated with cervical cancer risk. With experience in pharmaceutical clinical trials, she has contributed to global Phase II and III studies in oncology and chronic diseases, focusing on ensuring study quality and compliance. Yudi is passionate about exploring data-driven approaches to advance healthcare outcomes and support evidence-based decision-making.
2023 - 2024
Yoko Yoshimura - Best Comment
Yoko has received the WHOCC AWARD twice. She is a Master of Public Health student at Imperial College London and holds a Master's degree in Medical Science and a Bachelor's degree in Biology, both obtained in Japan. With over ten years of experience in clinical trials for both pharmaceuticals and medical devices, she has contributed to the launch of six new medical devices. Yoko is deeply interested in promoting health equity and is passionate about advancing low-cost, patient-centred approaches to improving health outcomes.
Airi Imamura - Highly Commended
Airi is a third-year medical student at University College Dublin, currently intercalating in BSc Global Health at Imperial College London. Having grown up in various countries with diverse socioeconomic, cultural and linguistic backgrounds, Airi has developed a keen interest in the impact of social determinants of health on equal access to healthcare. Airi is currently working towards publishing research on the “psychosocial support needs of caregivers of children with disability in Eastern Uganda”, investigating the struggles of mothers of children with neurodevelopmental conditions and required support system development in resource-limited settings with cultural stigmatisation. In the next half of her medical school journey, Airi is looking forward to conducting more research and engaging in advocacy activities to promote inclusivity and equity in healthcare, particularly in the field of maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health (MNCAH).
Samuel Bungaran Partahi Saud Manalu - Best Comment
Samuel is a Master of Public Health student at Imperial College London. Before his master's program, Samuel, who holds an MD from Universitas Sumatera Utara, Indonesia, worked as a physician for five years; gaining clinical experience in hospitals and public health centres in Indonesia. Samuel was then a study physician at Oxford University Clinical Research Unit (OUCRU) for more than one year. His primary interests are epidemiology, clinical trials, health policy, infectious and tropical diseases, and global health.
Ishani Sharma - Best Comment / Highly Commended
Ishani is a fifth-year medical student at Imperial College London with an intercalated BSc in Global Health. She has a keen interest in equal access to healthcare, and climate health including sustainable healthcare provision. Ishani is currently the Chair of the Imperial branch of Students for Global Health UK, a student-led organisation tackling global and local health inequalities through education, advocacy, and community action. Ishani is a three time winner of the WHOCC prize, once for her comment on The importance of implementation and training on electronic health record use, the second time for her comment on The role of frugal innovation in promoting environmental sustainability in healthcare systems, and most recently for her comment on Bridging the equity gap towards inclusive artificial intelligence in healthcare diagnostics.
Gayathri Thivyaa Gangatharan - BMJ Letter Prize
Thivyaa is a Tamil refugee and creative, final year medical student with a first-class BSc in Medical Anthropology from UCL. Inspired by her lived experiences, Thivyaa is passionate about the political backdrop to health, decolonising healthcare, and tackling stigma and discrimination – particularly queerphobia, misogyny, racism and xenophobia. As an aspiring interdisciplinary psychiatrist, Thivyaa is intrigued by the intersections between psychospiritual wellbeing, philosophy, and the arts. Outside of medicine, Thivyaa loves performing spoken word, painting, and using photography and film for political commentary.
Kinan Wihba - Winner
Kinan is a three-time recipient of the WHOCC prize; for best comment, best essay, and most recently for a letter published in the BMJ. A sixth-year medical student at Imperial College London, Kinan has been awarded an intercalated BSc in Medical Sciences and Global Health in 2022. As a former refugee, Kinan has a keen interest in refugee and migrant health and has researched the experiences of refugee and migrant doctors entering and navigating the UK workforce. Kinan has also completed multiple medical education qualitative research projects, and is passionate about equality, diversity and inclusion in medical education and healthcare.
Christine Pettitt - Best Comment
For her comment on Direct access to cancer diagnostics: the promise and perils of bypassing GPs .Christine is a final-year medical student at Imperial College London with an intercalated BSc in Global Health. She has a keen interest in primary care and gynaecology and making healthcare as sustainable as possible. As founder of the Imperial branch of Sexpression:UK, she is also passionate about access to comprehensive, inclusive relationships and sexual health education.
2022 - 2023
Cathy Meng - Best Comment
Cathy is a Master of Public Health student at Imperial College London. She has a keen interest in development of health policy and is currently working on a paper focusing on tobacco control. She has previously led health promotion projects with local non-profit organizations and has experience working with the department of health.
Abhinav Nair - Best Comment
Abhinav is a fifth-year medical student at Imperial College London. His research focuses on the use of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning in primary healthcare
Sehaan Hasan Hannan - Best Comment
Sehaan is a fifth year medical student with an iBSc in Global Health and deputy chair of Students for Global Health at Imperial. Sehaan has a keen interest in medical technology and innovation, particularly it's ability to contribute to and solve population health challenges faced in the UK.
Carol Chan - Best Comment
Carol is currently an Academic GP trainee at Imperial College London. Carol is passionate about medical education, global health and medical leadership. She is undertaking a Postgraduate Diploma in Health Professions Education and has published papers focusing on innovations in curricular development and assessment.
Azita Ahmadi - Best Comment
For their comment on Arguments for and against user fees for NHS primary care. Azita is a fifth-year medical student at Imperial College London with an intercalated BSc in Global Health. She has a keen interest in primary care, particularly refugee and migrant health, and equality of access to healthcare both in the UK and Afghanistan. As chair of Pathway to Med, a widening access charity, she is also passionate about levelling the playing field in Medicine.
Saskia Zimmermann - Highly Commended Prize
For their comment on Arguments for and against user fees for NHS primary care. Saskia is a MPH student at Imperial College London interested in researching health inequalities and inequities. She has previously been involved with different local organisations and has led multiple mental health and wellbeing workshops.
Ayolola Eni-Olotu - Highly Commended Prize
For their comment on Human monkeypox: diagnosis and management. Ayolola is a fifth year MBBS student, with a keen interest in infectious diseases, having founded Imperial's Infectious Diseases Society. She is currently serving as co-National Co-Ordinator of Universities Allied for Essential Medicines UK, a student-led organisation which advocates for equitable access to medicines.
Alexandra Cardoso Pinto - Highly Commended Prize
For their comment on Human monkeypox: diagnosis and management. Alexandra is a fifth-year medical student at Imperial College London with an iBSc in Global Health. She has an interest in child health and infectious disease, and is involved in a number of projects that aim to promote global child health and equitable healthcare.
Avani Ela Kaura - BMJ article Prize
For their letter to editor entitled: "LGBTQ+ healthcare professionals and work related stress". Avi is a third-year medical student at Imperial College London. Eager to implement meaningful change, she has been involved with and continues to work on various research projects in Inclusion Health, Mental Health and Medical Education.
Mahmoud Al Ammouri - Winner
Mahmoud Al Ammouri, a medical doctor, and a Master of Public Health Student at Imperial College London, School of Public health.
Sami Altalib - Runner-Up
- Sami Altalib, Sudanese - Medicine Bachelor and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS), University of Khartoum, Sudan (September 2020). - Teaching Assistant, Department of Community Medicine, University of Khartoum, Sudan (August 2021 - current). - Master of Public Health (MPH) student, Imperial College London, UK (October 2022 - current).
Elizabeth Cannon - Runner-Up
Elizabeth Cannon is a MPH student at Imperial College interested in researching the relationship between social media algorithms and mental health. She graduated with a B.S. in Biology from Hobart and William Smith Colleges in August 2022. She is also involved in the business development of Greening Communities, a non-profit aiming to create more active green spaces in low-income communities in London.
Linwei Li - Highly Commended
I am an MPH student at Imperial College London. I hold a bachelor's degree in Management with an emphasis on health service management from Wuhan University. I am interested in health policy and primary health care.
Rabia Alam - Highly Commended
My name is Rabia Alam and I am an MBBS graduate, currently studying the Master of Public Health course at Imperial College London. Through this course, I hope to enhance my knowledge and skills to work with organisations such as WHO to help achieve better health policies and standards globally. My passion for Public Health began with studying Medicine and through that I hope to contribute to society by promoting a safer and better quality of health to the community.
Kajl Z Ahmad - Highly Commended
I am a Master of Public Health (MPH) student at Imperial College London, interested in healthcare management and the medical humanities. Prior to my masters course, I worked as a Covid-19 vaccination operations manager which drew me towards the field of Public Health. I wish to enter Public Health Management and help implement policies in order to eliminate health inequalities, prevalent in deprived societies.
