Research Project Coordinator

Who am I and my role at WMS

My name is Ria Wilson, and I am the Research Project Coordinator for the Warwick Centre for Advanced Health Research Development (W-CAHRD) which includes the NIHR Global Health Research Unit on Improving Health in Slums. Prior to this, I worked in the International Strategy and Relations team at the University for 18 months, and before this I was a fundraising assistant at a Children’s hospice in Mid Wales.

My new role as Project Coordinator offers a very eclectic workload and no two days are the same. I offer administrative support to all projects within the W-CAHRD team which often involves international travel arrangements, arranging and minuting project team meetings, building relationships with partners, recording and reconciling expenditure, and of course developing my knowledge in Global Health research.

What attracted me to WMS

I have always had a passion for all things international, whether that is personal, educational or work related. Before venturing to university to study International Development with Sociology at the University of Chester, I travelled to Mombasa, Kenya where I volunteered for three months looking at sustainability projects for the local community and assisting in a local primary school. This was a challenging experience but equally rewarding and I decided to visit Kenya again. During my second visit I went to Nairobi, and was able to visit Kibera, the largest slum in Nairobi. Here I met with a small organisation working with street children to improve education through sport and art activities, and got to see first-hand the work that they were doing. I had heard about the global health work undertaken in W-CAHRD through my previous role, and was interested in learning more about the vast amount of research in this area. I saw this role advertised, and it was the perfect opportunity for me to be involved in an area that I am so passionate about. The variety of research that is undertaken within the team is fascinating and I look forward to learning more.

My experience at WMS so far

Having only been in the role for six weeks, the opportunities and experiences I have had already have been incredible. I spent my first week in Nairobi where I was invited to attend the annual Scientific Advisory Board meeting for the NIHR Global Health Research Unit, where I had the chance to meet all of the partners we work with and hear about the progress and next steps for the project. Working at WMS is a fantastic opportunity and has given me insight to such interesting aspects of global health research.