Queens’ MPhil student travels to Uganda, funded by the Ajit Singh Travel Award

Louis’ trip focused on his MPhil research on adolescent mental health and cognition in Uganda. Louis began a rotation organised by Makerere University across different clinics and wards at and associated with Mulago Hospital, where he was able to shadow and observe a range of areas, including several psychiatric and paediatric wards and clinics.

When talking about his time in Uganda, Louis said:

“This experience not only helped to ground my tangential MPhil research on adolescent mental health and cognition in Uganda but was also deeply formative for me as someone with interests in global health and young people’s mental health.”

“Spending time in Kampala allowed me to appreciate how culture, history, and political context shape the experience and presentation of mental distress, the state of services, and the way care is delivered. With a long-standing interest in transcultural psychiatry, it also prompted me to reflect on my own positionality, the importance of cultural humility, and the role of diagnosis in the settings I worked in.”

Louis’ trip would not have been possible without the generous funding of the Ajit Singh Travel Award offered at Queens’. Queens’ offers a range of travel grants to its students, with thanks to the Queens’ Alumni Office, which fosters relationships with donors to offer incredible opportunities to current students. The Ajit Singh Travel Award honours anti-Imperialist economist Professor Ajit Singh (Fellow of Queens’ College, 1965–2015; Emeritus Professor of Economics) and his commitment to economic development and social equality.