Profile
Dan Brunsdon
An anthropologist walks into a bar and asks, "Why is this joke funny?"
My CV
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Education:
Cirencester Deer Park School;
Cirencester College;
University of Birmingham;
Durham University -
Qualifications:
GCSEs in English, Maths, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, History, IT, Geography, Religious studies, PE, Design and Technology.
After my GCSE’s I studied History, Archaeology, Psychology, Anthropology and Classical Civilisations at A-level at my local college. I also studied a Btec in Uniformed Public Services there.
For my undergraduate I studied Anthropology with Political Science at the University of Birmingham, before going on to do my Masters of Science in Medical Anthropology at Durham University.
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Work History:
Research Assistant with the University of Aberdeen at the Health Services Research Unit working on clinical trials;
Research Assistant with Durham University on Lassa fever.
Research Fellow with the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
Research Assistant with Central and North West NHS Trust.
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Current Job:
Research Assistant at University College London.
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Employer:
University College London
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About Me:
I’m an anthropologist and I live in the big smoke. A hobby of mine is Polaroid photography. I like learning new languages and currently speak sign language and beginners Mandarin. Just a cool cat who unironically enjoys out-dated slang.
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I never really knew what I wanted to do when I was in school, I never felt particularly good at my classes or interested in one set job. However I was lucky to find something that I really love, anthropology, and I’ve tried to just make sure that each year I’m doing something relating to that.
I currently live in London where I work as a medical anthropologist. I love spicy food and can only really cook different Asian dishes. My favourite author is Terry Pratchett, and my sport is rock climbing.
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My Work:
For my job, I go to places around the world where there are diseases and speak to people who are sick, their family members, and health workers. I then try to understand what needs to be done to prevent more people getting sick.
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When people get sick with a disease, they need to be able to get the right treatment. But they can’t always do this and we don’t always know why. My job is to speak to people, and everyone around them, to find out what can be done better to make sure they are able to get the treatment they need. I also speak to people who give the treatment, doctors or other health workers, to find out their opinion on what should be done and the problems they have faced. I then try and bring all of this information together to be able to say what has gone wrong, what has gone right, what needs to be changed, and why this happened to begin with.
My job is part of a larger group of work that tries to stop diseases from spreading, and to try and help those who are already sick with it. This means I usually have to travel to places around the world where more people get sick with different diseases than they do here in the U.K. This means I have traveled to places like China, Sierra Leone, and Nigeria for my work.
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My Typical Day:
My typical day can change if I have to travel or not. When I am abroad, it involves a lot of early starts, day planning, speaking to people, and organising files. When I am in the U.K., it involves a lot of data analysis, report writing, presentations, and meetings
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When I am travelling, my typical day will involve going out to speak with people who are experiencing the disease we are studying and recording this information. This means going to their communities wherever they are in the country. Sometimes this can be quite far and in some interesting places!
When I am in the U.K., I work mainly in an office analysing the data we collected whilst abroad. I also have to write up the reports and findings from our study and give these as updates to other members of the team. This can sometimes involve presentations and meetings, or making calls and writing emails. I find a way to make it as relaxing and enjoyable as I can when work gets too intense though!
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What I'd do with the prize money:
I would create a short animated story board video explaining medical anthropology and what it is we do. I will then take this to the annual London Anthropology Day event in London and share it with college students to engage them with this kind of work
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My Interview
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How would you describe yourself in 3 words?
One cool cucumber
What did you want to be after you left school?
A writer
Were you ever in trouble at school?
A fair amount...
If you weren't doing this job, what would you choose instead?
Charity work
Who is your favourite singer or band?
Atlas
What's your favourite food?
Anything spicy
If you had 3 wishes for yourself what would they be? - be honest!
To be a prince, to be saved from drowning, to free the genie
Tell us a joke.
As I handed my dad his 50th birthday card, he looked at me with tears in his eyes and said "you know, just one would have been enough".
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