Anya
Whitham

Anya Whitham, a 24-year old London native and NTU alumna. She pursued an MRes in Exercise Physiology at Nottingham Trent University after completing her BSc in Sport and Exercise Science.

After graduating in 2022, she is currently a Health and Wellbeing Physiologist at Nuffield Health where she is conducting health assessments to mitigate the risk of non-communicable diseases through lifestyle interventions. A passion rooted in her long-standing interest in sports science and health improvement. She collaborates with a multidisciplinary healthcare team at Canary Wharf Medical Centre to support clients' health goals and volunteers with a local dementia charity, contributing to community health and well-being.

Anya chose NTU for postgraduate study due to her interest in the health aspects of sports science and her desire to engage in research:

Anya: I chose to study my postgraduate course because it was a subject that I enjoy and wanted to learn more about in a more focused way. I also wanted to delve into research more and was keen to explore the health side of sport science (instead of performance enhancement) as well as continue my time at NTU and Nottingham.

Her postgraduate experience was highlighted by her main project, which she found rewarding: 

Anya: I thoroughly enjoyed my MRes year and would probably say it was my best year at NTU. There are several highlights but the ones that stand out are from working on my main project -  working with such a brilliant team, collecting data, interacting with participants, writing my thesis and just overall having a good time - such a buzz and it very much didn’t feel like work or studying!

Outside the lecture halls, she  actively participated in extracurricular activities, such as attending conferences, summarising research for MPs and playing sport:

Anya: I was involved in writing summaries for MPs about recent research with the gut microbiome. I attended a couple of in house conferences at NTU about recent research in Exercise Physiology/ the Science and Technology Department. As part of my course, I was also involved in a couple of other projects which I enjoyed participating in and collecting data. I also was Treasurer and played Korfball for NTU over the four years which ended very nicely by winning the Plate!

Anya's shared a glimpse into her current role in the as a Health and Wellbeing Physiologist, where she applies skills acquired from her MRes course:

Anya: I am currently a Health and Wellbeing Physiologist. I complete several health assessments per day where I perform various tests and measures such as venepuncture, physical measures, ECG, functional movement and more, to improve people’s health and lower their risk of non-communicable diseases through lifestyle interventions (sleep, diet, exercise, stress etc).

What attracted her to study this field at NTU was the opportunity to focus on the health aspect of sport science and helping people:

Anya: From a young age I have always been interested in the sport science field: from playing in several sports teams to learning what happens to our body when we exercise. This led me to study BSc Sport and Exercise Science. When I started to pick my own modules like nutrition and exercise physiology, my interests shifted to focusing more on health and ways to help people and improve their health. I learnt more about preventing and lowering the risks of certain diseases and conditions.

She faced some challenger going on her postgraduate study and acknowledges the significant support she received from her supervisors and staff at NTU, which was critical to her success and enjoyment of her postgraduate year.

Anya: Participant recruitment, change in thesis question, presentations, were a few challenges that I faced during my MRes course. However, with organisation, preparation, adaptability and the invaluable support of my supervisor, they were easy to overcome and did not actually feel like major barriers. While these challenges have not directly influenced my current role as they were very specific to my MRes, it has highlighted the importance of teamwork and having a good support network when working.

Anya's is volunteering with a local dementia charity, contributing to community health and well-being:

Anya: In my current role, I provide advice and I work to improve people’s health through lifestyle intervention. I take those skills and volunteer with a local dementia charity which works to improve health and wellbeing through movement and arts and crafts. It is so warming to see the positive effect that these activities can have on our participants in the community.

In the field of Sport Science, she notes an emerging focus on the gut microbiome, aging, and the role of nutrition and exercise:

Anya: Sports Science can be such a broad subject that it has many areas that you can delve into. I have personally delved into the health aspect and am interested in ageing and the ways that we can optimise health and slow down or prevent progression of non-communicable diseases. More recently, I feel there is upcoming research on the gut microbiome, the ageing process and the importance of nutrition and exercise.

On how NTU influenced her career goals, she states:

Anya: NTU helped me find the areas in Sport Science that I enjoy the most which naturally will influence my future roles in this field. My MRes course provided me the opportunity to experience what a good team is, what research is like and the importance of this field for the future and why I hope to stay part of it.

Her education at NTU has equipped her with valuable skills such as:

Anya: My MRes course provided me with several skills such as research, communication, teamwork and working with different participants and patients. I learnt clinical skills such as blood sampling, blood pressure, organisation and time management which I currently use now. My studies also prepared me with the knowledge of the area and a good work ethic and presentations.

On the support available from tutors and staff at NTU, she shares:

Anya:  I feel really lucky to have worked with such a brilliant Supervisor and Team throughout my MRes year and genuinely know, I wouldn’t have enjoyed the year and achieved a distinction without them. I felt completely supported with all aspects of my MRes and it always felt so easy to talk and ask for help when needed. Other module lecturers were also very helpful throughout, always taking the time for questions and help with assignments.

Reflecting on her time at NTU, Anya found it easy to settle in, thanks to her prior undergraduate experience and the close-knit community on her course:

Anya:  Studying my BSc at NTU prior to my MRes made it a lot easier to feel comfortable and very settled straight away -  many of my course mates from my undergraduate course and university friends also stayed in Nottingham doing the same or different course, or were working. It also helped that my course was quite small, so it was easy to chat to new people and get to know them. My main project team, who I hadn’t met before my MRes, were so kind that it was so easy to get along - I am still in touch with them all and they have become really good friends.

Anya enjoys many indoor and outdoors activities:

Anya:  I am often found doing arts and crafts using various mediums, outdoors, catching up with friends, board gaming and playing various sports.

Words of wisdom: If you had a time machine, what would you tell your student-self?

Enjoy every moment because it goes so, so quick!

You can follow Sofyia's journey beyond her studies on social media:

LinkedIn: Anya Whitham