Najmah

Lecturer, Department of Epidemiology, Faculty of Public Health, Sriwijaya University, South Sumatra, Indonesia
Doctor of Philosophy

She wanted to gain international experience and knowledge at the doctoral level to share with her students and academic colleagues, says Dr Najmah who came to AUT as an international student from Indonesia supported by a Manaaki New Zealand Scholarship to study a PhD in public health.

“I chose the PhD in public health because I’m a lecturer in the field. My job requires me to produce quality research in the field of public health, so obtaining a PhD in public health was necessary. I also knew that gaining this qualification would enable me to offer my students international knowledge and learning experiences that will allow them to compete at regional and international levels.

“From the beginning, I had supervisors who were very welcoming and willing to accept and guide me in starting my research journey at AUT. I also liked that the AUT South Campus was quite new. I wanted to share in this spirit of transformation, and I felt well cared for when I began my studies at AUT.”

For her doctoral research, Najmah focused on the prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission, supervised by Associate Professor Sari Andajani and Associate Professor Sharyn Graham Davies.

“My thesis topic was ‘My baby deserves love, not HIV: Enabling HIV-positive Indonesian women to access prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV services’. My research participants included women living with HIV, NGO peer-support workers, midwives, physicians and HIV specialists who produced visual artefacts, and used folksongs, storytelling, drama and puppet shows to answer the research questions.”

Supported to thrive
Najmah says she would highly recommend postgraduate study in public health to other students.

“I always recommend the PhD in public health AUT to all of my colleagues who want to pursue doctoral studies. I've seen how good the support system is at AUT – the supervisors are extremely helpful, and the research and publication opportunities after finishing your studies are plentiful.”

She also appreciated the support available to students who are parents, and has shared her PhD mum stories on AUT’s website and her personal social media and blog.

“I loved the support system at AUT for students with young children, including a parents’ room in the library, childcare subsidy, peer support and scholarship support. I came to New Zealand with my husband and two young children under three years old. I brought my children to supervision meetings, and also brought them to the library, where I would spend my day looking after them and writing my thesis when my children were napping. I delivered my third child during my PhD journey.”

Making an impact
Najmah now loves educating the next generation through her role as a lecturer in the Department of Epidemiology at Sriwijaya University in Indonesia.

“As a lecturer and researcher in the field of public health I get to meet young students who have the future of my country in their hands. I can help my country by educating them well and providing them with the necessary knowledge, so that when they have careers and become policymakers in Indonesia, they will make decisions based on the correct theories and learning experiences. In the next five years, I hope to become a professor in public health and women’s studies, so that in the long run I can better support my country's policymakers through books and advice.”

While she still has big goals to better support her country, she has already achieved so much in her career in public health.

“After graduating from AUT, I put my knowledge to use, particularly the theory of feminist-participatory action research and women's empowerment, by launching a number of programmes that have a significant impact on communities and women, namely the ‘Smart village’ in South Sumatra. The activities I initiated received several ministry awards as well as provincial recognition.

“As a result, I’m now a member of the expert group that advises the Governor of Indonesia’s South Sumatra Province on health issues. As a researcher, I’m pleased because I can contribute my thoughts on important issues in public health and can become a resource for policymakers. On a global scale, I can also collaborate with many international researchers in the same field.”