Blog: alumna Ilinca on working at the WHO

''Greetings to Maastricht University alumni from Geneva! My name is Ilinca Radu and I am a Maastricht University alumna, having graduated from the Bachelor of Science in European Public Health in 2018. I am now enrolled in my Master’s and interning at the World Health Organization (WHO) Headquarters in the Department of Mental Health and Substance Use with the Alcohol, Drugs and Addictive Behaviours Unit. My team currently consists of 8 members, including technical officers and scientists trained in the fields of psychiatry, psychology and public health.

I started my internship on January 13^th and on March 16^th most WHO staff, along with 20+ interns were sent to work from home for an indefinite period of time, in line with the Swiss Federal Council’s decisions and measures to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus.''

Incredible weeks in the office

''The nine weeks that I got to spend in the office as of now were incredible. The recent teleworking arrangements have evidentially restricted some of my learning objectives, emerging from the cancellation of lunch seminars, briefings and loss of direct interaction with other departments’ staff. New arrangements are also being considered for the World Health Assembly due to have taken place from May 17^th to 21^st.

However, despite the very difficult and challenging times that we are experiencing, what I lost in the face-to-face interactions and in-house opportunities at the headquarters, I gained in having to swiftly and expediently adapt to the new reality of teleworking by familiarizing myself with and juggling the numerous IT tools and platforms for teleworking (e.g. learning how to automatically generate transcripts of recorded meetings in Microsoft Teams and edit documents jointly with my unit in an efficient manner).''

Additional tasks, additional learning experience

''Furthermore, while additional tasks and deliverables have been added on our plate - relating directly to COVID-19 and its implications for substance use, treatment service delivery and provision, gaming and gambling behaviours, and overall mental health of people affected by the virus itself or by the confinement and lockdown measures -, the added work for our unit and department has also added to my learning experience.

Researching into the impact of COVID-19 on the mental health of those affected, and suggesting guidelines and recommendations for governments, policy makers, healthcare providers, caregivers and people with substance use, and gaming and gambling disorders, has taught me so much in the area of managing non-communicable diseases during an infectious disease pandemic.''

''Solidarity is the key to defeating COVID-19''

''Moreover, working at the WHO during such an unprecedented health emergency is remarkable. It is a privilege to learn first-hand from WHO’s and consequently the world’s leading epidemiologists, infectious disease specialists and health emergency preparedness experts about WHO’s response in supporting countries in tackling the virus. WHO does so by tracking and identifying cases, sending essential supplies and personal protective equipment to frontline workers, training the responders, advising the public on how to protect their health and being at the forefront of accelerating Research & Development of vaccines and treatment.

Having started my internship in early January, I witnessed WHO’s response to the virus almost at the inception of the epidemic. I am very proud to intern at the WHO in these times, am grateful for the amazing exposure into the response efforts and being able to play a (small) part in it through my work in the Department, and the overall experience.

As I wait for a return to the office and normality, I urge fellow Maastricht University alumni to follow WHO recommendations to protect themselves, their communities and stay healthy. As our Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus put it: ''Solidarity is the key to defeating COVID-19''.''