09 April 2025
Master's students tasked with briefing politicians
First job as interns was to submit evidence to Parliamentary inquiry
Three MSc students got a big surprise when the first task they were given during their internship was to provide written evidence to the UK Parliament.
MSc Global Health, Social Justice and Public Policy students Maheen Adnan Mailk, Sage Jeffries and Krithika Soma Sundram, had been at think-tank the International Longevity Centre UK (ILC) for less than a week before they were asked to pull together the submission to the Health and Social Care Committee.
The students' roles at the ILC were part of a bespoke internship module which forms part of their postgraduate degree.
The Health and Social Care Committee had called for evidence as part of its ongoing inquiry into the UK’s community mental health services, with a particular focus on adults with severe mental health needs.
“The ILC team spotted the inquiry on mental health, briefed us about it how we should advocate for a life course approach to mental health, split the task between us and we got going,” said Krithika. “We had a few working days to get through it, and Sage, Maheen and I also had to work together to ensure the full evidence spoke the same story.”
The ILC is the UK’s leading authority on the impact of longevity on society, and one of their key areas is mental health across the lifespan, which according to Sage made the inquiry a “fantastic opportunity” to highlight the ILC’s expertise and advocate for “life course approaches to mental health in the UK”.
“I felt honoured that they would entrust us with such an important task right from the start,” she said.
Before starting, the trio were given a couple of questions each to focus on and were briefed on how the ILC typically handles such tasks. They were provided with previous reports for reference - and then off they went.
Luckily – or perhaps presciently – one of the first modules on their MSc was The Politics of Health and Medicine, taught by Dr Mark Eccleston-Turner from the Department of Global Health and Social Medicine.
“I remember how our first assignment in Mark's module really set the foundation, and I was honestly surprised that just a few months later, we would be submitting written evidence to Parliament!” said Maheen. “The MSc has been the building block of everything I do at ILC, helping me understand how policy works, the ethics surrounding health, and how real-world injustices are addressed.”
Their evidence went to the cross-party Health and Social Care Committee, which scrutinises the work of the Department of Health and Social Care and its associated public bodies, examining government policy, spending and administration on behalf of the electorate and the House of Commons.
Its inquiry is considering how service users’ wider health and social needs can be addressed and trying to understand what policy interventions are required to improve how these needs are met. As part of this inquiry, the Committee is also assessing to what extent the Community Mental Health Framework is driving improvements in the delivery of more integrated, person-centred care.
Maheen said: “I hope our evidence sparks a shift in how mental health policies are shaped, and influences policymakers to recognise the importance of early interventions, ongoing support, and a more inclusive approach to mental health.”
The group are fully aware that policy change is a slow and ongoing process, said Krithika.
“It's hard to know how much influence one submission will have in the large scheme of things. But I’m hopeful even if it contributes a little to a more informed discussion on equitable policy,” she added.
Having been thrown in at the deep end, the group are hungry for more opportunities to make a difference.
Krithika says she is reflecting on how to best leverage what they’ve learned, to “pave a career where I can bridge the gap between research, advocacy, and policy working towards a more just world, for all”; Sage says she plans to focus on “reimagining end-of-life care, ensuring it is equitably accessible to all”; and Maheen wants to work on health policy in the Global South to address “the unique health challenges faced by these regions, especially when it comes to creating equitable, sustainable solutions”.
Dr Nele Jensen, who convenes and facilitates the internship module, said: “Creating opportunities for our students to make connections between their academic learning and real-world issues is at the heart of our GHSM Internship programme, and it is great to see the added value these placements offer to our students.”
And in a message to the group, Dr Eccleston-Turner said he was “so very proud”.
“Written evidence such as this is integral to informing Parliament and the government, so I hope you realise your work will make a difference – and remember to put it on your CVs!”
In this story
Senior Lecturer in Global Health Law
Lecturer in Global Health & Social Medicine