Chahat Arora (PhD student from AcSIR and MAX-MIME) was awarded the NIHR Global Health Research Short Placement Award for Research Collaboration (NIHR GHR SPARC) Round 4 and undertook a placement at the MRC Epidemiology Unit, University of Cambridge, UK, under the esteemed guidance of Professor Nita Gandhi Forouhi.

This experience provided a unique opportunity to refine the students research skills and delve deeper into nutritional epidemiology. The placement became a cornerstone of intellectual and professional growth, broadening the students understanding of epidemiology, refining analytical capabilities, and significantly altering her research perspective.

During the placement, Chahat engaged in a variety of enriching activities- literature reviews and discussions, which helped shape and refined her research objectives. Additionally, she developed a detailed research framework and gained hands-on experience through training sessions on dietary assessment tools and dietary data analysis, equipping her with practical knowledge for advanced research. She also had the opportunity to visit the Nutritional Biomarker Laboratory, where she observed advanced techniques used in the study of nutritional biomarkers. Furthermore, she met with the Dietary Assessment Platform team, learning about their innovative approach to dietary assessments and the tools used for diet recall.

The exposure to new research environment and innovative methodologies has undoubtedly marked an important moment in Chahat academic journey.