Diogo Martins

Country of birth: Portugal

Country of residence: United Kingdom

Areas of expertise within Global Health:  Medicine, Public Health, Health Policy, Climate and Health, Neglected Tropical Diseases

Education:

London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), Doctor of Public Health (DrPH)

LSHTM, UK): Masters in Public Health (MScPH)

UBI, Portugal: Integrated Masters Degree in Medicine (MD)

Professional experience:

Wellcome Trust, UK – Global Policy Officer, Senior Policy Officer, Policy & Advocacy Lead (2017-present)

WHO, HQ – Intern with Climate Change Team (2017)

World Medical Association, HQ – Member Junior Doctors’ Network (2015-present)

Northern Regional Health Administration, Portugal – Public Health Medical Trainee (2016-2019)

Sao Joao Hospital Center, Portugal – Junior Medical Doctor (2015).

International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations, IFMSA – Publications Director, Liaison Officer to UNESCO and Supervising Council (2011-2017)

Portuguese Medical Students’ International Committee – Projects Director, Treasurer, Vice-President and Supervising Council (2011-2014)

Languages: Portuguese, English, Basic Spanish and French

Countries in which Mentor has worked: Portugal, UK, Switzerland, Brazil and Italy.

Why do you want to be a Mentor?

Helping others is what I like to do the most. Although I am a younger professional for a mentor, I have 10+ years’ experience in global health and have worked in many national and global health-related organisations, and have now settled in Wellcome Trust, the biggest charity in the UK. This path was not easy, nor straightforward, especially coming out of a medical background where the next steps are always more predictable. I am confident that my knowledge of the field and the strategies I developed to overcome all my career challenges can be useful for other students and young professionals (SYPs).

In addition to the support other more senior mentors can provide, I believe that due to my age proximity with the mentees, my experience can be more relatable and useful to them.

Advice to someone entering the field of Global Health

“Two keywords: networking and persistence”.