Sanjay Thompson

I am Sanjay Thompson and I defended my Doctoral thesis in epidemiological criminology in early 2024. I am currently working as an educational counsellor at a college. I also have a podcast called Wise Grad.

There were many things I enjoyed during my postgraduate research studies. I can be biased, but I absolutely loved the Center for Primary Health Care. My three supervisors were super supportive. If I were to do it again, I would have to do it with them. They allowed me to grow, and make wrong decisions as well, and learn from them. They really facilitated exploration and learning for me, and also told me when things would be impossible.

I was engaged in the Medical Doctoral Student Council. I was the communications officer there and my time there was fantastic. I got to use my communication skills, organizing PhD Day and hosting the event, and communicating in newsletters to the students, for example. All of us advocated PhD student issues and tried to facilitate change at the university.

I like setting up short term goals. In six months, I can see the results much faster and motivate myself. There were times during the PhD training when I was thinking “Why am I doing this? Am I sure? Do I want to do this?”  Close to the end, it was very stressful. But when I looked back six months, I could see the growth that I had made, and how well I was doing. I still see growth in myself and because of the support I had, I can still help myself to grow. I know what to do to become better at what I am doing.