Rahma Elmahdi

Senior Teaching Fellow in Global Health, School of Public Health.

Who inspires you?

My mum – she showed me that you can beat the odds and survive the challenges of life. Despite losing her husband and her home and having to leave her country, she worked tirelessly to raise six children by herself, in a very foreign country where she was poor and couldn’t speak the language. Like a phoenix she rose from the ashes of her past life, and that will always be my ultimate inspiration.

When did you realise you wanted to work in science?

As a teenager, I wanted to change the world and thought I could do that by becoming a film director. During the summer before I started my A-levels, I read Bill Bryson’s A Short History of Nearly Everything and my views changed completely. I still wanted to change the world, but I realised the best way to do that was through science. This new realisation - coupled with my love for being around and working closely with other people - made my decision simple: I would study medicine and become a doctor.

What are you listening to at the moment?

I’m listening to various podcasts. One of these is called ‘The Guilty Feminist’ which discusses how to be a feminist activist whilst living your normal everyday life. In terms of music, I’m really enjoying Alsarah & the Nubatones, a Sudanese-American artist re-making traditional Sudanese songs with an electro twist.