Tozoe Marton was first introduced to Heller while pursuing her undergrad degree in sociology and international relations at Simmons University. “One of my professors at Simmons, Valerie Leiter, is a Brandeis PhD alumna and she told me that I should really look at Heller for graduate school. I’m so glad that she did because she was absolutely right.”
Marton enrolled in Heller directly after graduating from Simmons and is now pursuing dual master’s degrees in sustainable international development and global health policy and management.
“I’m taking courses in STATA and applied regression—it’s so difficult but I love it so much that I’m planning to take econometrics,” she says. “I also love my class on International Health Systems and Development. We’re learning about all the interactions of different factors in a health system—it’s showing me how to apply the skills that I want to have when I graduate.”
One of the biggest surprises she’s experienced at Heller is the depth of diversity in the classroom. “I don’t just mean diversity of background, which there’s a ton of, but there’s also diversity of thought. It’s really common that a student will say something in class that I never, ever would have thought of myself. I love that about this program.”
Eventually, Marton hopes to work on issues related to maternal mortality in low-income countries in Africa. “When I first got here, I was focused entirely on health care access,” she says, “but after studying here for just a few months I’m seeing that health systems issues are also problems of efficiency and quality.”
She’s also thinking ahead to her summer practicum and what kind of field work will best set her up for future career opportunities. “I’m not sure if I want a practicum that’s more policy-focused or more research-focused, but right now I’m thinking the research route would be better for what I want to do. I don’t have a lot of research experience so far, and from what I can see, the most effective policies are backed up by research. I think that may be the best way for me to have a huge impact down the road.”