Undergraduate Case Studies

“I chose my final year project with the Institute of Infection and Immunity, which proved a truly enjoyable and fulfilling experience. My project supervisor and personal tutor mentoring advice went well beyond my university years. I loved my time at St George’s. The teaching and lecturers are great and are truly passionate about what they do. I particularly liked the interaction between teachers and students during scenario-based learning, working in small groups investigating diagnosis and treatments. And here I am now, building up my professional pathway – working in the Bacteriology and Virology department of an NHS laboratory!”

“The immunity and infection module was such a good chance to learn more about the complex workings of our immune system. The lectures are so informative as they are held by experts in the field and it was always interesting to be able to hear about current research they are undertaking at the Institute of Infection and Immunity. Learning about infections that evade our immune response and cause global issues, such as HIV and tuberculosis, put things in perspective. The guest lecture was a great chance to hear about emerging infections and zoonoses from the director of the WHO Collaborating Centre for characterisation of rabies and rabies-related viruses. This module has given me the much-needed background knowledge to build upon in my MSc.”

“Infection and Immunity is a well-structured and organised module. Starting from basic immunity, the module gradually builds knowledge at a reasonable pace, allowing difficult concepts later covered to be more easily grasped. The topics covered are varied and interesting. The lectures given tend to feel succinct and relevant, lecturers are agreeable, lively and will engage interest well.”

“I am delighted that I was able to study at St George’s for my undergraduate degree. One of the most memorable experiences was the final year, which, in all honesty, proved to be equally tense and fulfilling. I have chosen to complete my research project in microbiology within the Institute of Infection and Immunity – focusing on improving the understanding of environmental contamination of hospital patients colonised by resistant Gram-negative bacteria. Specific university modules enabled me to develop new perspectives on microbial resistance, essential for delivering my final-year dissertation. Lectures on microbial genomic bioinformatics, statistics and R package were particularly useful. I felt that I had all the support and guidance that I needed to engage in my first fascinating piece of research.”

“I found that working with the Institute of Infection and Immunity has transformed my learning and was an extremely beneficial experience. I had the opportunity to work with a large data set and learn the statistical tools needed to analyse it and produce results which can affect future clinical practice. I felt well supported while doing my research project and this allowed me to apply my mathematical skills in a practical manner. Furthermore, I was able to illustrate the results using graphs under the guidance of the staff at the institute. This has changed the way I understand data in the medical literature and I find it easier to understand statistically significant results. Through my dissertation I could appreciate the importance of antibiotic resistance and how crucial it is to prevent it. I was able to learn more about the antibiotics needed to treat specific conditions, thus improving my microbiology knowledge. In summary, this will help my future practice as a clinician, as I will be able to interpret studies which will complement the way I treat and advise my patients.”