Dr Ibe Chiemezie, a Nigerian doctor who just bagged a Master’s Degree in Public Health and Health Promotion, has hailed his programme director at Swansea University for contributions to his success.
Dr Chiemezie, known for using music as a tool for health education and advocacy during the coronavirus pandemic, revealed that he struggled academically when he got to the institution.
He said the director, Dr Ruth Hopkins, PhD, encouraged him and picked special interest in his development.
He said her words of encouragement motivated him to keep pushing and achieve his dream in the institution, regarded as one of the United Kingdom’s top 25 Universities.
He wrote while sharing a photo with the tutor:
“Dr Ruth Hopkins, Ph.D, my programme director at Swansea University, took a keen interest in me after I presented a retrospective report of a public health placement I did prior to coming to Swansea!
“Her words to me at a time I struggled academically in Swansea were ‘Chiemezie, you are one the smartest students I’ve had, just get this degree for me!
“These words stuck, and I am happy to have shared this beautiful day with her.
“Dr Ruth is a Fellow of the Royal Society for Public Health, a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health and a Chartered Environmental Health Practitioner. She also has a Post Graduate teaching qualification and is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.”
Swansea University’s website describes Dr Hopkins as a Senior Lecturer in Public Health in the Department of Public Health Policy and Social Sciences.
“Having worked in culturally diverse communities, Ruth brings a wealth of experience which challenges ‘traditional’ constructs of health promotion, public health and health protection, introducing students within this arena to concepts around the use of social marketing, mass media and digital technologies to effect behaviour change and bring about health improvements.
“She introduced Health Promotion in Multicultural Populations to the Public Health and Health Promotion curriculum and brings knowledge and experience of the delivery of public health and health promotion from a global perspective to address health inequalities in Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic groups,” the school stated.