Pyae Linn Aung 

Pyae Linn Aung was born in 1988 in Yangon. He gained admittance to one of only four medical universities in Myanmar, and graduated with a degree in Medicine. He came to a decision to pursue a career in Public Health after completing his residential medical training in Patheingyi Township near Mandalay, and witnessing the widespread healthcare issues there.  

He told us: “I saw the hardship of people living in rural areas struggling for their lives. I had witnessed that most of them were poor because of the economy, and the country could not provide them a suitable job with a sustained income. Moreover, most of them were suffering from diseases like HIV, TB, malaria as well as non-communicable diseases, and unfortunately could not afford proper treatment. It was then I realised that change is needed in every aspect of our poorly structured healthcare system. Myanmar is on the path to political change, a change which needs to drag the healthcare system along. Therefore I decided to participate in this cause as a Public Health professional.” 

Prospect Burma awarded him a scholarship to participate in the Master of Public Health (MPH) programme at Mahidol University, Thailand. His thesis on malaria control and prevention was well received, and he graduated in 2015. 

Since graduation Pyae has been working as a Deputy Project Manager for the Myanmar Medical Association, an NGO staffed by Burmese public and clinical health workers. He has participated in a number of malaria control campaigns. In the future, he hopes to use his expertise to formulate and implement more effective and comprehensive strategies to combat malaria in his country.