Meet Nordman Wall, Oxford-Kellogg Graduate Scholar (MSc Evidence-Based Health Care)
Meet Nordman Wall, a 2024/25 recipient of the Oxford-Kellogg Graduate Scholarship.
Nordman is a physician in Sao Paulo, where he specialises in internal medicine and trains medical students and residency doctors. He joins us from Brazil to study the MSc in Evidence-Based Health Care part-time.
We asked Nordman what inspired him to return to education.
Since the pandemic, our population has been overwhelmed by untrustful and misguided information about scientific methods. Medical colleagues have been faced with inadequacies and a lack of reasonable resources for healthcare research. The sense of a collapsing system, overworking professionals, and an insecure environment for medical education led me to want to dig deeper into the concepts and principles of evidence-based medicine.
As part of this search for improvement, I was drawn to the Centre of Evidence-Based Medicine at Oxford University. This degree offers people like me the chance to improve the way practitioners use medical literature and help the next generation of physicians practice more secure medicine.
Initially, Nordman felt quite daunted by the prospect of travelling halfway across the world to study at a world-renowned institution such as Oxford. However, receiving the Oxford-Kellogg Scholarship changed his mindset:
Discovering that I was being awarded a full scholarship to pursue my dreams felt overwhelming. The fact that I was going to be supported by the University and my new College felt like a confirmation that I was on the right track.
This new venture wasn’t only a matter of self-improvement anymore, but a landmark for everyone in my community who believes in the power of education as a transformative tool in our healthcare system through evidence-based medicine.
He also shared how he’s feeling about joining the Kellogg College community:
As Oxford’s most international and interdisciplinary graduate college, I’m assured that I’m going to find so many people with similar experiences as me. Even though I’m preparing to widen my concepts in my field of interest, I know that the student communities are one of the best things about Oxford.
I am most excited to share my dreams and beliefs with and learn from others. I truly believe that sharing is the best way to improve, and I can’t wait to discover different ideas and other people’s perspectives from around the world.
We asked him if he has any advice for anyone who might be thinking of applying to study at Oxford:
My main piece of advice to others who might be reading this and thinking ‘Can I do the same?’ is to trust yourself and the advice of those who care about you. In my case, it started with a conversation with my wife, where I was expressing my frustration with our current medical situation. When I found course details for the MSc in Evidence-Based Health Care at Oxford online, it was my wife who told me I could make it if that’s what I wanted to do. It felt so simple but enough to push me on.
The same happened when I asked for recommendation letters from my old professors and told my friends and family. Soon, everyone around was cheering for me, and that achievement felt as if it was theirs too. The achievements that last are those that are built and celebrated together.
Nordman also shared his goals for the future:
The prospect of learning with those who are already building new landmarks in my area is already broadening my horizons as a novice scientist. The next couple of years may be the most exciting ones in my career as a student and I am preparing myself to enjoy every coming opportunity.
I am not sure what will happen afterward, but I have a clear picture of what I want to become: someone to inspire my students and guide them to a better and more efficient way of practicing, and therefore providing the best care for their patients.