Nicola Hawley
- Course
- Human Biology BSc
- Subject area
- Biosciences
I vividly remember my Human Growth and Development module, which was one of the core undergraduate Human Biology classes, being the turning point for me in terms of my career. I had been searching for a way to use my interest in health without pursuing clinical medicine, and that class taught me that there was a place for human biology-focused research in driving clinical decision making. That led to my focus on public health, and the rest is history...
My current role, like many university researchers, involves a combination of research, teaching, and service to the university (participating in committees and advising students).
The School of Public Health at Yale is one of the leading research institutions in the US, so I spend the majority of my time on research. I lead a program of global health research that focuses on how chronic diseases (obesity, diabetes, hypertension) impact maternal and child health, so I spend a lot of time traveling among major research sites which are in the Pacific Islands.
As an undergraduate I also learned the importance of thinking critically, how to evaluate and synthesize evidence, and how to communicate experimental findings. I use those core skills every day and try and teach my students in a similar way.
The lecturers that I worked closely with at Loughborough have been my role models. I'm lucky that now I get to call some of them my colleagues and collaborators!
My decision to study at Loughborough was actually driven by its sporting reputation. I played volleyball - sometimes every day - throughout my entire undergraduate and postgraduate career.
Highlights outside of the classroom have to be some of the trophies we lifted in major national competitions and the sheer joy of being part of a wider team of athletes who were taking home the BUCS honours year after year.