Doctor of Veterinary Medicine; Team Lead, Bioshield Squad — University of Ibadan, Nigeria (Ibadan, Oyo State)

Standfirst:

Saheed reflects on his internship experience at The Global Health Network (TGHN), where he contributed to building the One Health and AMR Spotlight Hub and learned to design research tools that connect laboratory evidence with practical community impact.

Personal journey & motivation – What motivated you to join TGHN as an intern and how has this experience shaped your perspective on research and global health?  

From small livestock markets and university clinics in Ibadan to research labs and policy conversations, my path has been about connection—linking people to knowledge, animals to better care, and evidence to action. Growing up around food animals and fisheries revealed how livelihoods and public health intersect, and convinced me that practical, community-centred research saves lives. Joining TGHN as a summer research intern aligned with my focus on linking evidence to community-based solutions. Being placed at Oxford gave me a new perspective on how global research ecosystems operate and strengthened my belief that research must be co-designed, accessible, and directly useful for practitioners and communities.

Skills & learning – What new skills or knowledge have you gained during your internship and how do you see these supporting your career as an early or mid-career researcher?

During my internship, I learned how to coordinate digital content, develop training modules for low-resource contexts, and design impact-monitoring frameworks that track engagement and behaviour change. I also learned to integrate my technical background in laboratory science with programme implementation—helping to turn research outputs into tools that improve practice on the ground. These experiences are shaping me into a researcher who connects scientific rigour with practical application.

Overcoming challenges – What has been the most challenging aspect of your internship or any other role, and how did you overcome it? What did you learn from this experience?  

A key challenge during my internship was adapting quickly to a fast-paced, multicultural academic environment after delays in my arrival. I overcame this by maintaining open communication with supervisors, seeking early orientation, and taking a listening-first approach to build relationships. This helped me integrate smoothly into the team despite the initial setback, and taught resilience, adaptability, and the importance of proactive communication for global collaboration.

Contribution & impact – In what ways do you feel your work at TGHN has contributed to building capacity, strengthening collaborations, or advancing research outputs? Can you share a specific example?  

At TGHN, I contributed to designing and launching the One Health and AMR Spotlight Hub—a dedicated space providing practical tools, training materials, and monitoring resources for practitioners in low-resource settings. Through this work, I saw how collaborative knowledge-sharing platforms can strengthen research capacity and support equitable access to information. My contribution helped ensure the hub reflected real implementation needs and provided clear pathways for community-level impact.

Advice to peers – What advice would you give to other early career researchers or students who want to grow their careers in research and global health?  

Start with people, not projects. Build relationships and co-create solutions with local partners. Be open to disciplines beyond your own—the most meaningful ideas often emerge at the intersection of science, communication, and practice. And be adaptable: global health work is full of uncertainty, but challenges often bring growth when met with patience and collaboration.