Students in Focus
Amanda's journey to improve regional wellbeing and national health
Amanda Jupp is dedicated to public health and humanitarian causes, and she has used her skills as a force for good – globally and locally. After graduating from the 91Porn with a Master of Business Administration in 2004, Amanda worked abroad in epidemics and conflict zones around the world.
“With a background in accounting, I was working as an administrator with Médecins Sans Frontières [MSF] in a large HIV/AIDS program in Malawi, and then on a mission that ran emergency surgical hospitals in Liberia,” Amanda says.
Amanda then transferred from the field to MSF’s Sydney headquarters, before working in project management for Australian aid contractors. She became responsible for overseeing a range of health-related programs funded by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).
“I worked on a project that invested in not-for-profit organisations to deliver water sanitation, and had a whole range of health outcomes in the Asia Pacific,” Amanda says.
“I was also part of a sport for development program that involved partnerships between Pacific and Australian sporting organisations.”
In 2021, Amanda was eager to build on her extensive international experience in the context of health issues affecting Australia. She decided to enrol in the Master of Public Health program at UC. The program’s flexibility – with both online and on-campus options – appealed to Amanda, who was balancing her studies with a full-time job and raising two young children.
“The opportunity to be on campus and experience the practical side has been wonderful, and having the flexibility to listen to a lot of my lectures while I'm on the light rail going into work has been equally important,” she says.
Reflecting on her experiences during the degree, Amanda immersed herself in several units that aligned with her interests in public health. She highlights the Infectious Disease Control subject, in which she responded to case studies on disease outbreaks in various settings.
“Those case studies could be disease outbreaks in restaurants or in aged care facilities or childcare centres,” Amanda says.
“We would go from the initial notification of a case, to joining the dots on other cases that might come through, to calling an outbreak, and taking steps to help the community and health professionals reduce transmission.
“It was very timely, after experiencing the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Another timely subject Amanda took on was Ecological Public Health, which covered the health impacts of environmental disasters like bushfires, heatwaves, and floods.
“I started this unit in early 2022, which was when NSW and Queensland were experiencing severe flooding – so we were basically reading the news and the research papers at the same time,” Amanda says.
Amanda also enrolled in the Global Health unit, which gave her the opportunity to participate in an international peer exchange program, collaborating with students from the Indian Institute of Public Health in Gandhinagar. This experience allowed her to learn from health professionals working in diverse settings, from rural villages to city hospitals.
However, the unit that had the most profound impact on her was Indigenous Health and Contemporary Issues.
“We heard from several First Nations health experts, people who've been involved in the health sector, and those who have been affected by health and social policies,” Amanda says.
“I learned so much, and I completed some of my most thought-provoking research on finding the voice in health and medical research.”
Amanda is expected to graduate early next year, and has completed her final research paper. The paper examines the economic impact of low water satisfaction in regional and remote New South Wales.
She worked with experts from UC’s Health Research Institute (HRI), including Professor Jacki Schirmer, using data from HRI’s Regional Wellbeing Survey to produce a paper she hopes will have real-world applications.
“It’s been an incredible experience to work with leading researchers, and I hope the paper will be more than an assignment, and end up being published,” Amanda says.
Submitting her research paper marked the end of one chapter and the beginning of another. Amanda has been working at the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) since the beginning of last year and has recently moved into a role with the Environmental Health team.
“The NHMRC is responsible for a range of guidelines, including Australian drinking water guidelines and water recreational health guidelines,” she says.
“So, after handing in my final assignment for my masters, I’m exactly where I want to be in my career.”
As Amanda immerses herself in the new role, she reflects on her Master of Public Health journey with a sense of accomplishment and excitement for the future. Her story is one of dedication, adaptability, and a passion for improving health outcomes both locally and globally.
“Finishing uni is bittersweet, as I really do love learning new things and seeing all the work that goes into producing research that can impact health policy,” she says.
“But I’m so excited to be applying the knowledge I’ve acquired throughout the course into the real world.”
Words by Emma Larouche, photos supplied.