Celebrating student successes

SEDA Student Impact Award

Two MSc Data Science for Health and Social Care students, Yen Culley and Costa Wesele, have received the prestigious SEDA Student Impact Award for their outstanding contributions to teaching and learning within the Usher Institute and beyond.

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As far as we know, Yen is the first student employed as an Internal Periodic Review Coordinator at a UK university. In this role, Yen collaborated with Neneh Rowa-Dewar and Sharon Levy, the Director and Deputy Director of Quality, and Michelle Hart, the Teaching Organisation Manager, to assess and enhance the quality of teaching and learning within the Deanery. Yen’s proactive approach in amplifying student voices earned her accolades from both internal and external teams and students. 

Enrolling in the MSc Data Science for Health and Social Care has shaped my future in ways that I could not have imagined. The opportunity to serve as a student-partner for the Internal Periodic Review project was a truly insightful and memorable experience. I am deeply grateful for the mentorship, trust and support that I have received from staff, tutors and fellow students at The University of Edinburgh throughout this journey.

Yen Culley

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Costa Wesele co-leads the Usher Masters Alumni (UMA) network, alongside Events Lead Helen Donkin, fostering collaborative learning and community engagement beyond graduation. Their efforts have resulted in highly attended online events focusing on personal and professional development topics such as the imposter phenomenon, enriching the Usher community and supporting lifelong learning among student, alumni and staff. As an alumna, Helen was not eligible to be nominated for the award; however, both Costa and Helen work very much as a team.

Our work through UMA network addresses a fundamental need – to belong and connect within a community. Our events and programmes are designed in collaboration with and for our members’ interests, uniting alumni, students and staff from the Usher Institute programmes, across The University of Edinburgh and more globally. I feel so proud to be part of such a project and look forward to its continued evolution in the coming years.

Costa Wesele

Care Innovation Challenge

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Anna O'Gara, another MSc Data Science for Health and Social Care student, was one of the winners at the recent Care Innovation Challenge, a hackathon-style creative weekend focused on idea generation and prototype trialling. Anna presented an innovative med-tech prototype and business plan, which impressed the judges and earned her a spot in the Care Show final to be held in Birmingham in October.

Participating in the Care Innovation Challenge was an incredible experience that allowed me to apply my data science skills to real-world healthcare problems. The opportunity to develop and present a med-tech prototype alongside other passionate innovators was truly inspiring. I am excited to refine my project further and present it at the Care Show final.

Anna O'Gara

Further information

Find out more about the Data Science for Health and Social Care (Online Learning) programmes

Find out more about the SEDA Student Partnership Impact Award

Read our news item introducing the Usher Masters Alumni network

View all the Care Innovation Challenge 2024 finalists