International Collaboration: Visiting Scholar Experience

Visiting Scholar programs give researchers an opportunity to step outside their home institutions, to gain fresh perspectives, and broaden their expertise.

Earlier this year Xuemei Zhang, a PhD candidate at the Nossal Institute for Global Health, undertook a short-term visiting scholar placement at the University of Cambridge. This valuable international and interdisciplinary experience has added new perspectives to Xuemei’s doctoral research and her broader work in global health.

While at Cambridge, she actively engaged in seminars, interdisciplinary training, and academic discussions, bringing valuable cross-cultural insights, particularly through her work with large-scale longitudinal datasets from Chinese cohorts. Xuemei presented her PhD research on the burden transition of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), sparking engaging conversations on the intersections between epidemiology, economic development, and comparative health systems.

The opportunity to connect with global scholars through meaningful academic exchange has been one of the most rewarding aspects of the visit. The experience has deepened my understanding of how diverse health systems respond to shared challenges and reinforced the importance of international collaboration in advancing public health. Xuemei Zhang

Xuemei was selected as a Visiting Scholar at the University of Cambridge based on her strong interdisciplinary research combining epidemiology and health economics. Her work on NCDs in transitional economies and the economic impacts of hearing loss aligned closely with Cambridge’s focus areas.

Special thanks to Cambridge Public Health colleagues for their generous support during Xuemei’s time at Cambridge, and to her University of Melbourne supervisors, Professor Barbara McPake, and Dr Tianxin Pan for supporting the application process.

Xuemei Zhang, is a graduate researcher at the Nossal Institute for Global Health. Her PhD topic is 'Is the health burden of NCDs shifting from rich to poor in China: implications for health policy and clinical practice?'