Population Health Sciences Society: Welfare Officer

I have thoroughly enjoyed being a member of the Population Health Sciences society over the last year and I’m really enthusiastic to take an active role on the committee going forward. Before coming to UCL, I was a member of the student mental health committee at my college. This role involved organising charity fundraisers, acting as the student voice for my peers and required a great amount of empathy which I hope to utilise as Welfare officer.

One thing I’d like to introduce to the PopHealth Soc is a ‘tea and chat’ drop-in. This will be a regularly held session where students and friends can come and have a chat, raise any concerns they may have and offer a sense of belonging and inclusiveness. When I started at UCL, I found it difficult to find a sense of community in such a large and busy environment. The ‘tea and chat’ sessions will offer a positive opportunity for students to find a calm, friendly environment, a listening ear and a biscuit or two!

I’m also enthusiastic to organise wellbeing and mindfulness seminars, led by wellness professionals, aimed at offering advice on useful coping strategies for particularly stressful periods of your study journey.

Listening and collaboration would be at the heart of my approach to the role – whilst I am excited to introduce my own ideas to support students, I’d be really keen to engage with students to hear their views on the support they would find most valuable.