Luke Squires

My Graduate Story

Since graduating from the University of Birmingham, I've built a career in local government public health, working across areas such as suicide prevention,  healthy weight, and health protection. My work focuses on addressing the wider determinants of health, the social, economic, and environmental factors that influence people's wellbeing, and creating systems that make it easier for people to live healthier lives. I'm currently working as a Public Health Strategist at the London Borough of Havering. I lead on our healthy weight strategy, a whole-systems approach to tackling obesity that looks beyond individual choices and focuses on how local environments, services, and policies shape people's health. This means working with everyone from planners and leisure teams to schools and housing officers to embed health considerations into everyday decision-making to tackle the root causes of obesity and support residents to live healthier lives. I also performance manage our commissioned tier two weight management services that help families and people with learning disabilities maintain a healthy weight.

My Typical Day

A typical day can involve anything from meeting with colleagues in Planning and Regeneration to embed health into the design of new neighbourhoods, to reviewing data on service outcomes, writing cabinet papers, and working creatively with providers to improve services making them more accessible and effective. The role is varied, strategic, and rooted in real-life impact that lets me combine evidence, policy, and community insight to create change

My Graduate Journey

During my BSc in Sport and Exercise Science, I really enjoyed the aspects of the course that explored 'exercise as medicine' and the research that demonstrated how lifestyle factors can improve outcomes across a range of physical and mental health indicators. I found it fascinating how much ill health in later life could be prevented by leading a healthier lifestyle.

I looked into various NHS roles like cardiac physiology and physiotherapy, but I was concerned that a frontline NHS role might feel like a conveyor belt of patients with health problems that could have been avoided if the root causes had been addressed earlier in life.

I was still researching what to do as a career after university, and in my third year -while exploring job options - I came across something called 'Public Health' I didn't know much about it at the time, and this was before the COVID-19 pandemic, which later brought public health and epidemiology into the spotlight. I knew it sounded interesting, that it happened within government, and that it had something to do with policy.

I contacted different local councils near Birmingham to ask about work experience, and Wolverhampton City Council kindly got back to me with an offer of a two-week placement. I learned from Public Health Consultants and shadowed meetings, it was the most I'd ever enjoyed work experience, and it didn't feel like work at all! They even recommended next steps and how I could start a career in public health.

I'm forever grateful to the Wolverhampton team who took time out of their busy days to teach me about their roles, their projects, and what their day-to-day work involved.

After this, I worked for a year in a hospital as a Healthcare Assistant to save up for a Master's in Public Health, which I also completed at Birmingham. When I graduated, I came across a graduate entry role in the public health team at the London Borough of Havering.

It was a competitive process- the interview panel asked me to prepare a presentation on a public health topic and followed it with several questions. I was offered the position and moved to London shortly afterwards!

My Birmingham Experience

Looking back, my Sport and Exercise Science degree at the University of Birmingham was where my interest in public health quietly began to take shape. At the time, I didn't realise I was thinking like a public health professional, but the course taught me about the importance of prevention, the role of lifestyle factors in health outcomes, and how exercise can be used as a form of medicine. I became increasingly interested in how physical activity, diet, and broader behaviours can influence both physical and mental health, and how early intervention can have a powerful long-term impact. That foundation sparked an interest to think bigger "beyond the individual” and eventually led me to a career in public health.

My Master's of Public Health then gave me the tools and confidence to turn my interest in prevention into a practical career. It helped me build a strong foundation in epidemiology, health policy, data analysis, and health promotion, and gave me a deeper understanding of the social and structural drivers of health. More than anything, the course sharpened my ability to think critically about complex health challenges and work collaboratively to find solutions. It was the bridge between my academic background and the real-world skills needed to work effectively in local government public health.

Birmingham's Impact

The University of Birmingham's Careers Network played a really important role in helping me prepare for my career. I attended CV and cover letter writing workshops, which gave me the tools to present my experience and skills with confidence. I also took part in LinkedIn profile workshops, which helped me understand how to build a professional online presence and connect with others in the field. The job fairs were especially valuable they gave me the chance to speak directly with employers, ask questions, and learn about the wide range of careers available in the health sector. These experiences helped me explore different paths, refine my interests, and feel more confident about the steps I needed to take after graduation

My Top Tips for Current Students

1. Explore what's out there. Public health is a broad and varied field, and there are many more roles than people realise. Many local councils offer entry-level officer roles aimed at graduates. You don't always need years of experience. Think about which parts of your degree you enjoyed most (e.g. behaviour change, health inequalities, research, exercise as medicine) and look for roles or sectors that align with those interests.

2, Learn where to look for roles. Keep a regular eye on NHS Jobs, Local Government Jobs, Public Health Jobs, and individual council websites. Some roles close within a few days, so check often.

3. Reach out and research. Don't be afraid to contact the hiring manager listed in job adverts for an informal conversation, they can give useful tips or even shape your interview answers. Also, thoroughly research the council: check their JSNA, local health strategies, and any recent projects or services the team has been involved in. Being able to talk about these at interview shows genuine interest and preparation.

4. Nail your interview prep. Go through the person specification line by line and prepare an example for each point. If a presentation is part of the process, tailor it to the local area. Use local data, highlight relevant population needs, and show you understand the context.

5. Make your application stand out. Draw on anything that makes you a bit different: projects, volunteering, placements, conferences, or skills training you've done as a student all help. Mention anything that shows initiative, curiosity, or a commitment to learning.

6. Practice selling yourself. Writing about your skills and experience takes time to get right. Use university resources or mentors to practice CVs, cover letters and interviews. It can feel awkward at first, but it gets easier the more you do it.

7. Be kind to yourself in the process. Adjusting to full-time work is a big change, and it can take time to settle into it. Leaving university is exciting but also unsettling, so don't worry if it feels difficult at first. And try not to be disheartened by setbacks, the job market is competitive, and it can take a while to find the right role. Rejections are frustrating, but they're also a normal part of the process.

8. Be curious, stay open. You might not land your "dream job" straight away, but your first role can still give you valuable experience and help you figure out what you enjoy. Every opportunity helps shape your path, even if it doesn't look like the perfect fit at first.

The best thing about my course

One of the best things about my Master of Public Health course was how well supported I felt, even though we were studying remotely during the pandemic. The lecturers were incredibly approachable and understanding, and there was a real sense of community among the students despite not being on campus. A few of us even set up our own online study groups to help each other through the statistics modules, which we all found challenging, but thanks to that support, we all ended up getting good grades.

During my undergraduate degree, which was before COVID, what I enjoyed most was being on campus. I loved the energy of student life, meeting new people, chatting with course mates after lectures, studying in the library, grabbing a coffee by Old Joe, and exploring all the different societies. I used to love walking around the Barber Institute art gallery between lectures, unwinding at Joe's Bar, and making the most of the amazing gym facilities. The University has so much to offer both academically and socially, and I'd definitely recommend making the most of every opportunity and connecting with as many people as you can while you're there.

My biggest achievement whilst at Birmingham

My biggest achievement was completing my dissertation, which explored the association between air pollution and cardiac arrests in the community. It was a challenging project that involved analysing complex environmental and health data, and really pushed me out of my comfort zone. Despite the difficulty, I scored highly and received great feedback from my supervisor, who even encouraged me to publish it as a paper and do a PhD. That meant a lot to me, but after years of studying, I was ready to take everything I'd learned and start working in the public health field. Still, I'm really proud of the work I put into that dissertation and how much it taught me about public health research, determination, and trusting my abilities.

The scholarships I received

For my MPH Master of Public Health degree I received the Birmingham Masters Scholarship which was £2,000 tuition fee discount in 2020-21. 

Receiving the Birmingham Masters Scholarship made a huge difference to my postgraduate journey. It helped ease the financial pressure of further study, allowing me to focus more fully on my learning and make the most of the opportunities on offer. I was able to dedicate more time to my studies, take on voluntary and placement experiences, and immerse myself in the subject without the added stress of juggling multiple part-time jobs.

The support gave me the stability to invest in my future, and it ultimately helped me take that next step into a career in public health. I'm incredibly grateful for the opportunity it gave me to keep learning, growing, and developing professionally.