WHO CC UTS Intern - Olga Tikhomirova

A UTS master’s in public health student, Olga has been working as an intern at WHO Collaborating Centre UTS through the COVID-19 period. Due to strict lockdown rules, Olga had to work remotely from home but despite this was able to maintain a strong presence and a sense of connection to the team. She contributed to many projects and particularly enjoyed the fast speed and variety of work she was exposed to at the Centre.

At the end of this year Olga will be graduating from UTS after three years of studying part-time. She chose this course because of her passion for solving public health issues. Having achieved High Distinction in every subject on the course, Olga was able to prove her commitment to the field of Public Health. Her passion and commitment helped her secure the internship with WHO CC UTS which coincided with start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Given the timing of her internship, a lot of Olga’s work at WHO CC UTS was related to the pandemic. She worked extensively with WHO resources and other trusted online resources to gather the evidence, technical guidance and training resources for the Western Pacific region. 

Olga was also involved in preparation of Regional Updates and worked closely with the Centre Director, Michele Rumsey. By conducting literature searches, documents editing, and writing summaries Olga was able to advance her knowledge of Public Health and contribute to many critical projects undertaken by the WHO CC UTS. 

The skills she learned through her studies at UTS became really useful during the internship.

Reflecting back on her time with WHO CC UTS, Olga was able to make the most of her time with the Centre and found multiple opportunities to apply her research and analytical skills and to grow professionally.