Alumnus Nyles Romes

Fabiola M Rivera
May 6
3 min read

Bio: Nyles is a 2021 GDS & Medical Anthropology alum currently finishing his MPH in London. He previously worked in public health consulting and plans to continue research in health equity and transformative justice.

From GDS to Global Health: Navigating Bureaucracy with a Critical Lens

If you had asked me during my first year at UVA where I’d be today, I never would have guessed I’d be finishing a Master’s in Public Health in London. Back then, I was a Cognitive Science major, convinced that "hard science" was the only path. But, as many GDS students know, David (Professor Edmunds) has a way of finding the "loose-on-the-ground" kids and showing them a different way to think.

After taking a methods class with him, I made the jump. I double-majored in Global Development Studies and Medical Anthropology, and that combination fundamentally changed how I approach everything—from government consulting to academic research.

The Professional Pivot: Consulting at the CDC

After graduating in 2021, I entered the world of government consulting, working closely with the CDC on public health strategic planning. It was a massive learning curve. I was helping organize national webinars on substance use and suicide prevention, and I saw firsthand the bureaucracy we often talk about in the classroom.

The "edge" that GDS gave me in that corporate environment was invaluable. While others approached problems from a standard business perspective, I was the one asking:

Is this strategy actually equitable?
Whose voices are missing from this data?
How is power dictating the knowledge we're producing here?

I realized that even in big systems, there is room for social scientists to be transformative, but after four years, I knew I wanted to go deeper into the "why" behind health disparities.

Transitioning to Academia: London & Beyond

I’m currently completing my MPH at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. Moving to London was a life goal—I wanted to experience the "global" part of global health, not just talk about it in a Virginia classroom. My cohort is from all over the world, and that diversity has been as much of a teacher as the curriculum itself.

My current research focuses on Health Services and Substance Use. I recently completed a systematic review on "street medicine" (mobile clinics), looking at how people experiencing homelessness navigate these spaces.

My GDS roots are still showing: my summer project uses a theoretical lens to look at Ketamine. I’m exploring how its "identity" shifts—from a medical anesthetic to a recreational drug, to a breakthrough psychedelic treatment—and how those frames impact policy and harm reduction.

The "GDS Muscle Memory"

GDS doesn't just give you a degree; it builds a certain kind of "muscle memory." You learn not to just absorb knowledge, but to engage with it, critique it, and understand that it is always relational.

For the current students worried about the "What will you do with that major?" question: The flexibility is the power. Whether you become a doctor, a lawyer, or a researcher, you will enter those spaces aware of the power dynamics and limits of your own field. That critical lens is exactly what makes you useful in the real world.

Final thoughts for the GDS cohort:

Push the boundaries: Use your capstone to dive into what actually keeps you up at night.
Get out of the bubble: If you can, go somewhere where you aren’t the "expert." It’s humbling and necessary.
Network naturally: Reach out to the alumni database. We’ve been where you are, and most of us are just a LinkedIn message (even if we hate the platform!) away.