Graduates from Usher programmes were celebrated with a pre-graduation reception, prestigious award presentations and a formal graduation ceremony. Students, along with their families and friends, were warmly welcomed to a pre-graduation reception held on Monday 24 November 2025 at the Playfair Library, Edinburgh. The event offered a valuable opportunity for students to come together ahead of graduation. With many attendees studying online, the reception provided a rare chance to connect in person - often for the very first time. The reception also featured the presentation of several prestigious student awards.2025 Brotherston AwardThe Brotherston Award is a highly regarded accolade recognising outstanding academic achievement in the field of Public Health. It celebrates exceptional performance and dedication to study.This year’s recipient was Master of Public Health on-campus student Zoe Nylund, who was the highest-performing student of the 2024–25 academic year. I am incredibly honoured to have received this award! I could not have done it without the support of the incredible Master of Public Health team, my wonderful cohort, and my amazing advisor. I am so grateful to have studied alongside such wonderful, thoughtful people, and to have had the opportunity to do such meaningful research. I am especially proud of my dissertation, which allowed me to further develop my knowledge in - and passion for - the field of maternal health. I can’t wait to continue my work in this field, and hope to have the chance to work alongside my amazing cohort members again in the future! Zoe Nylund Master of Public Health on-campus student and winner of the Brotherston Award 2025 2025 John Last AwardTwo Master of Public Health online students, Yvonne Kinyanjui and Shane McCarthy, were joint winners of the 2025 John Last Award.Yvonne received nominations highlighting her excellent work as a student representative and the high quality of her dissertation.Shane was commended for his outstanding dissertation examining bloodstream infections in dialysis patients before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, combining strong clinical and public health insight. He will also present this work at a clinical conference in December. I am incredibly delighted and humbled to receive the John Last Award 2025. It means so much to me as it reflects the values John Last stood for: rigour, honesty, compassion and a recognition of the power and responsibility that lies in Public Health. My dissertation on food policy options for addressing Uganda’s obesity burden and my role as a student representative for my Master of Public Health class were based on these same principles. As I move forward, I intend to carry this spirit into my work, and to make a meaningful, tangible contribution to public health in Africa and beyond. Yvonne Kinyanjui Master of Public Health online student and winner of the John Last Award 2025 The John Last award means a huge amount to me both personally and professionally. However, the award (and my dissertation in general) would not have been possible without the exceptional teaching and endless support from the teaching faculty, particularly my supervisor Dr Polly Golding and co-supervisor Dr Nynke Halbesma.For me, personally, the award represents the culmination of three years of huge learning, and challenges, trying to juggle coursework with working as a junior doctor. Professionally, the degree and award will be invaluable in pursuit of a career in clinical microbiology, whereby I intend to put many of my learnings into practice working in a speciality which interlinks hugely with public health. Shane McCarthy Master of Public Health online student and winner of the John Last Award 2025 The John Last Award is an annual prize awarded to student(s) on the Master of Public Health online programme who are considered to have made an exceptional contribution to the public health and/or academic community. The award is funded through a donation from the late eminent epidemiologist and public health advocate, Dr John Last.Graduation ceremonyFollowing the reception, celebrations continued at McEwan Hall, where graduates donned their caps and gowns and were formally awarded their degrees during the official graduation ceremony.Further InformationPublic Health, Master of MPH | The University of EdinburghPublic Health (part-time) (Online Learning) MPH, PgCert, PgDip, PgProfDev | The University of Edinburgh Publication date 02 Dec, 2025
