Juliane Brand, MPH Graduate.
After years of working as a nurse educator in South Africa, Juliane began her career in New Zealand in the unfamiliar field of aged care. Juliane quickly became passionate about the aged care industry and entered the Postgraduate Diploma in Public Health (DPH), as she felt her contributions to the sector would be enhanced by an in-depth understanding of healthcare in New Zealand.
After completing her DPH, Juliane felt inspired and well-supported to continue with a Master of Public Health (MPH).
Juliane's field of interest lies with the care people receive and how it influences their lives. She undertook a qualitative study for her master's dissertation, investigating the quality of life for young people (under 65 years) residing in aged residential care facilities, due to their being no other suitable alternatives that met their needs. Juliane's work was the first of its kind to be conducted in New Zealand and primarily explored what the group perceived as adding to their quality of life.
Importantly, Juliane identified that providing care only does not necessarily add to how the residents experience quality of life. Her dissertation was able to directly inform her role as a general manager at an aged residential care facility. The knowledge that she gained through her study, helped her to truly understand and focus on the quality of life of her residents in their day-to-day lives.
"I am so proud that I was able to complete my master's in Public Health which allows me not only to fulfil my dreams, but also to apply this experience and learning to the day to day life of many other people. I will always be grateful for the opportunities I had. This was all possible for me with the wonderful team of the University of Otago – who helped me to change my life, reach my goal and improve the lives of many others."