Medical parasitology is the study of 
parasites that cause diseases to humans
predominently, these are diseases to humans
sometimes they can also involve an 
alternate host
like a reservoir host and sometimes
these are transmitted by insects
and sometimes they're not. 
There are lots of generic skills that the students will
acquire
for example to begin with they'll acquire
skills in
literature searches, how to undertake a
literature review
and how to write grant reports, proposals,
and also undertake a research project
that's independent.
So we hope to train them in all of the relevant skills that will be required
for their proposed careers. 
I chose to study medical parasitology mainly because of
the wide-ranging diseases
that it covers. All the specialist techniques
you get to look at
from diagnosis, immunological, molecular
techniques
and because the hands-on practical
experience you gain
within the laboratory looking at all the
different diseases. So my MSc course
project was
studying helminth infections in Brazil
for this I got to go out to Brazil to
Belo Horizonte
where we worked alongside the human hookworm vaccine trials
and my project was aimed at looking at
how
multiple worm infections affect your
body's response
and compared to a single one. We always want to make sure that whatever
subject we're teaching, it's been given by
the person who's the most
renowned in that particular field.
The intake for this course varies
from year to year.
So they want to do a course that's parasitology based
and perhaps specialize in a particular
area, but that area of expertise will be
sort of determined
by what they've done in the course
throughout the year. We also have
students
who may be in a disease endemic country
who are coming over here
because they require a specific skill
and training in a specific area.
We also have students from the
United States and Canada who come to do the
course here because they don't have
such specialized courses offered to
them
in their particular countries, but what's
common with all of our students
is that they have an interest in parasitology to begin with,
and we hope to develop that interest further.
After finishing my Master's in medical parasitology, I then went on to do a PhD
in immunoparasitology. After that I've
then
come back to the School and a I'm
working on my second post-doc
in high-throughput drug screening
against schistosomiasis parasite.
The most unique aspect of this course is contact with
all the staff here at the London School, so
each of the students here will have
access to so many members a staff who
are world leading experts in their
particular field
and they will give invaluable
opportunities to prospective students
for their
future careers and also
whether or not they want to do an
independent research project with that
expert too.
So the lectures and practicals on the MSc I found both intellectually
challenging
and highly interesting, all the lectures
on the course were both
approachable and friendly so I feel that
my decision to study here at the London School
was the correct one
as I found the varied expertise here at
the School, allowed me to learn so much, and all the very people you get to meet
here also which now have become lifelong
friends.
