Dr Anar Ulikpan—Endeavour Postgraduate Scholarship
Home institution:
Host institution:
Health Science University Mongolia
The University of Queensland, Brisbane
“My Endeavour Scholarship has equipped me
with skills and knowledge for conducting further
research and has opened many doors for my
future career.”
Anar Ulikpan presenting as an ‘Emerging Voice’
at pre-conference in Global Symposium on
Health System Research, Beijing 2012
An Endeavour Postgraduate Scholarship provided Anar the opportunity to further pursue her
interest in learning about improving aid effectiveness in health and potentially contributing to
strengthening of the health sector through effective donor-recipient cooperation.
Anar’s research focused on examining current aid relationships between donors and recipient
countries and ways of improving it through supporting in-country capacity building and ownership.
“Quite often development assistance has been led and managed by donor agencies taking the
ownership away from the recipient governments, which had to be challenged in order to minimise
dependence and promote home-grown sustainable development.
“The process of learning obtained along the way of conducting my research was invaluable. It has
equipped me with skills and knowledge for conducting further research and has opened many doors
for my future career,” Anar said.
As one of the winners of the Emerging Voices competition run by the Institute of Tropical Medicine,
Belgium, Anar was given the opportunity to present at the pre-conference in the biannual Global
Symposium on Health Systems Research, Beijing 2012.
The diversity of various nations and acceptance of various cultural and social values and norms are
the highlights of her time in Australia.
“People in Brisbane are very friendly and welcoming, which made me feel at home from the very
beginning.
Dr Anar Ulikpan – Endeavour Postgraduate Scholarship
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“Coming from Ulaanbaatar in Mongolia, which is the coldest capital city in the world and then
getting used to sub-tropical weather condition was quite a challenge. The morning I left my city, it
was -30 °C, and when I landed in Brisbane it was +35 °C! It did not take me too long to start loving
sunny and ‘sticky’ Brisbane.”
Anar strongly believes that the friendships she built during her PhD journey will be maintained. She
also continues her collaboration with her host supervisor, Associate Professor Peter Hill. Recently
they jointly developed a successful grant proposal that will look at primary healthcare quality
challenges in the Asia Pacific.
Her advice to potential Endeavour recipients is to treat the opportunity as a learning journey and be
proactive, expand your network and lead your own journey. Do not just lock yourself in a study
room or lab. Focus on the process of learning and the product—your research will eventually come
your way.
Anar has authored and co-authored numerous articles on global health, health systems and health
policy that are published in the international peer-reviewed journals, including the following that
were written during her Endeavour programme. Further articles can be found on Google Scholar.
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Ulikpan A, Mirzoev T, Jimenez E, Malik A, Hill P. Central Asian Post-Soviet health systems in
transition: has different aid engagement produced different outcomes? Global Health
Action. 2014; 7: 24978.
Ulikpan A, Narula I, Malik A, Hill P. "In the driver's seat": the health sector strategic master
plan as an instrument for aid coordination in Mongolia. Globalization and Health. 2014;10:
23.
Ulikpan A, Hill, P., Malik, A. U., Shakarishvili, G. and Narula, I. Can a Sector-Wide Approach
Underpin and Advance Universal Health Coverage? Asian Social Work and Policy Review,
2012; 6: 56–65.
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