(Oscar Franco, 40,
Professor of Preventive Medicine)
“I was born in Bucaramanga, Colombia. At high school I got a scholarship to study abroad. I remember sitting on a chair waiting for an interview to apply to an American school when I saw students come out of another room. “What are you guys here for?” I asked. “To go to Australia”, they said. On the spot I decided I wanted to join an Australian high school. It became a private school in Surfers Paradise. The first weeks were difficult but I soon found my niche and great friends. I was only 16 years old then.
After that I went back to Colombia to study medicine. For some time, I worked in the rural area. I attended a lot of births and provided medical care for children and women – they were such inspiring years! Through some wandering, travelling and studying abroad, I did a masters, a PhD and a Postdoc at Erasmus University, went to the UK for a number of years and now I’m back, working here as a professor. The best thing about my work is lecturing. I try to remember what I needed as a student and picture myself as part of the audience that I am teaching. I aim to prepare my lessons to perfection, always ensuring that I cover students’ needs. I love to interact with my students and have lively discussions. My next class will be about clinical epidemiology and prevention. I’m looking forward to it!”
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