In this blog post, Hatem Mona, Data Scientist/Psychiatry Epidemiologist at Population Psychiatry, Suicide and Informatics (PPSI), Swansea University and DATAMIND, shares with us his inspirational journey into research.
What did you do before joining PPSI at Swansea University?
Before working at Swansea University, I completed a master’s degree in Population Health from UCL, London, with a thesis dissertation on racial bullying and mental health of 16-year-old English students. After that, I interned at CLOSER UCL, where I practised harmonisation of different longitudinal datasets and wrote policy briefs for the UK government.
What sparked your interest in a research career?
During my Environmental Health Bachelor’s degree, I was on a pre-medical track aiming for medical school. A friend of mine suggested volunteering with a team researching traumatic brain injury. My task was to supervise a team of other data entry volunteers. Back then, I met other medical doctors and researchers, and that is when I realised research was more suited to my skills.
If any, what challenges have you faced in your journey into research?
The biggest challenge in my research career is getting the first job. As an international health researcher, I am always competing with local researchers who do not need sponsorship to get hired. This means having a CV with more to offer than a fresh graduate is necessary. Also, the first opportunity might require relocating. I did not think I would be coming to Swansea after completing a master’s in London, but I followed my career.
What type of research have you worked on?
I have worked on and published research related to migration and mental health. My publication is about barriers to accessing healthcare for undocumented migrants in Sweden. Now, I am working on suicide and self-harm among adolescents in the UK. We are trying to establish longitudinal evidence between suicidal ideation (thoughts) and suicidal attempts.
What areas of research interest you? What does the future hold?
The most interesting area of research to me is fertility. The Western world has had a declining fertility rate for many decades. Such changes in demography can result in a fragile society, which will heavily depend on migration to function. Therefore, the integration of migrants and their health is an emerging topic.
What advice would you give to someone looking at a research career?
Ask someone in the field for advice on your career before you start it. Health research can be fun if you like analysing data using statistical software and writing academic papers, but it is a vast field. There are many specialisations that you should take the time to explore.
Hatem Mona works on DATAMIND (and Wolfson Centre for Young People’s Mental Health). DATAMIND is one of the 12 Centres of Excellence based in Population Data Science at Swansea University.
