Alexandra Beckerling

Alexandra Beckerling is a junior doctor working within the rural healthcare system of South Africa’s Eastern Cape. While she hopes one day—“when she’s all grown up,” as she likes to say—to become a paediatric surgeon, she is currently dedicated to providing high-quality care in a resource-constrained setting and meeting her patients’ needs as best she can.

She completed her undergraduate medical degree (Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery) with distinction at the University of Pretoria. Since entering clinical practice, she has learned that the transition from academic excellence to professional competence requires many periods of growth. A central part of this growth, she believes, is self-directed learning — a commitment that ultimately led her to Oxford. Recognising the need to strengthen her skills as both a clinician and an emerging researcher, she sought to expand her current capabilities in preparation for pursuing a Master of Medicine as part of her specialist training.

Alexandra has a deep love for learning and is particularly excited to engage with the diverse perspectives of her fellow students on the Postgraduate Diploma in Global Health Research. She anticipates that the experience will be enriching, stimulating, and humbling.

Outside her professional life, she loves her work, her dogs, and has a creative interest in hand-building ceramics.