Emmanuel from Uganda wants to contribute to solving a global challenge

Emmanuel Cohen Waluge (27) is currently taking an online master's degree in Healthy Ageing and Rehabilitation (MARE) at Western Norway University of Applied Science (HVL)

– The most interesting part about this online master’s degree is that it is multi-professional. MARE provides knowledge which crosscuts medical sciences, bio-medical sciences to social sciences.

It was the interest in geriatric medicine and the opportunity to gain knowledge in the field of healthy ageing and rehabilitation that made Emmanuel choose MARE at HVL.

– I chose this program with the expectation of enriching my knowledge, not only in geriatric medicine but also in ageing processes, changing roles and priorities as one ages, as well as rehabilitation of older citizens, he says.

The global challenge of an increased geriatric population

With an increasing geriatric population Emmanuel finds the skills and competence from the master in Healthy Ageing and Rehabilitation to be very useful.

– Before starting I was a practicing medical doctor in Uganda. I finished my medical education with an integrated master’s in medicine and surgery. I have considered specialising in geriatrics and I therefore believe MARE will come in handy when working with older people.

Emmanuel would like to use his combination of medical education and MARE to work as a doctor at rehabilitation centres.

– I would recommend MARE to other medical, bio-medical and social sciences scholars who are interested in contributing to this global challenge of a large geriatric population, Emmanuel says.

Study from anywhere in the world

Healthy Ageing and Rehabilitation is a fulltime online master’s for health and social professionals from around the world. The mode of teaching is mainly virtual classroom lectures on Zoom, including both digital group discussions and group assignments.

The rest is mainly self-study which can be either individual assignments or individual research and report writings.

– The online classes are given in English, which makes it easier for international students to master the concepts being taught. The students come from different fields within health and social care, and it is interesting when group members discuss topics from their professional aspects, Emmanuel says.