Based in Darwin, the “unhurried” capital city of Australia's Northern Territory, Menzies School of Health Research is dedicated to tackling critical issues, including mental health, nutrition, substance abuse, child health and development, and prevalent chronic diseases like cancer, kidney disease, and heart disease. Menzies is also Australia’s only medical research institute focusing on improving the health and well-being of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Menzies's Education Team coordinates and delivers Charles Darwin University's (CDU) postgraduate public health and health research courses. The course lecturers are Menzies researchers and acclaimed experts in their fields. For more than 30 years, Menzies has been delivering public health and research degrees to students who want to make a difference.

For Nicky from Haryana, India, it was Menzies’s Master of Public Health/Master of Health Research (Double Degree) that caught her eye. She saw the program as a crucial step in her development into a professional who can help protect and improve the health of people and their communities. And it was Darwin’s tropical climate that sealed the deal.

Instead of pushing her to practice, the program established in Nicky how essential evidence-based mental health interventions and policies are. This led her to choose Menzies’s double degree; a uniquely research-intensive program, compared to the other public health qualifications she had come across. Menzies was just the launchpad she needed to join the global community of researchers aiming to make real change.

Her calling to become a researcher was sparked during her years as a nurse. Everything she saw highlighted the importance of critical thinking and decision-making skills when caring for patients.

Eager to better understand and improve the mental health of her patients, she began a Master of Nursing that exposed her to the world of research and its potential to transform patient care and the broader healthcare system.

Turning a profession into a world-changing mission

Next year, Nicky will embark on her own research endeavours. While she is still identifying her exact area of research focus, her current public health interests include mental health and the dangers of smoking.

Regardless of what she chooses to focus on, Nicky is sure the lessons she’s learned so far will remain useful. “I’ve learned to be patient, to adapt to hectic environments, to analyse data effectively, and most importantly, to maintain a good schedule that comprises healthy amounts of professional and personal pursuits,” she says.

Endless possibilities await

Upon graduating, Nicky is open to the idea of gaining professional research experience in Darwin before bringing everything she’s learned back to her hometown in India. “I look forward to becoming a public health researcher, with the hope of improving lives,” she says. “Darwin is definitely a great place for research especially if you’re someone who loves the peace and quiet.”

Just as impactful to Nicky was the experience of living in Darwin. Being in a traveller’s paradise -- with a tropical outdoor lifestyle, many Asian-influenced eateries, exquisite national parks and an endless ocean right on the city’s doorstep -- has been a defining aspect of her journey here. “I especially love watching the sunset by the beach,” she says. “It’s so pleasing to the soul.”

Whenever she can, she makes the most of the city’s opportunities for leisure and exploration together with her new friends — most of whom she met at the Charles Darwin University’s International House. To Nicky, living here has been nothing short of enriching. Students come from around the world, making the campus an inclusive space to learn and live together.

A home away from home

Nicky with her husband, celebrating with her International House friends.