FGLI Yale alumna and Oxford MSc student: Oxford housing

Hello, my name is Veronika Denner! I was born and raised in Vienna, Austria by a single mom. I was the first person in my high school to ever make it to an Ivy League institution and the first person in my family to study at university at all. At Yale, I pursued my Bachelor's on almost full financial aid and majored in Ethics, Politics & Economics, achieving a 3.97 GPA, despite constant chronic pain from endometriosis, a medical leave and an unstable family situation with an absent father.

This February, I was admitted to Oxford's Global Health Science & Epidemiology MSc program. Despite more than 400 attempts of applying to scholarships and reaching out to potential donors, including the Austrian Ministry of Education, it looks unfortunately very unlikely that I will find funding for housing and cost of living at Oxford for the 2024-2025 academic year (still waiting to hear back about academic funding).

I have a proven track record of academic excellence and effective endometriosis advocacy and speak more than a dozen languages. Pursuing the MSc in Global Health Science at Oxford would allow me to build on my previous work and become a global leader in the field of endometriosis and global/women's health.

What is endometriosis?

Endometriosis is a systemic chronic inflammatory illness characterized by the growth of endometrial-like tissue outside the uterus. Endometriosis can grow on every organ of the human body, causing chronic pain and a diverse range of symptoms in the reproductive, urinary, digestive, respiratory and nervous systems. Moreover, 30-50% of endometriosis patients struggle with infertility. Despite affecting 10% of the female reproductive-aged population, diagnostic delay of endometriosis amounts to 7-10 years in the US and the UK, and treatment options are very limited.

A little bit about my endometriosis advocacy:

Ever since I had to stay on medical leave from university between March and December 2022 due to debilitating endometriosis, I have been very involved in endometriosis advocacy and research. Since January 2023, I have served as the Policy and International Outreach Chair of End Endo Silence, a German NGO fighting for a national endometriosis strategy. In February 2024, I became the NGO's co-president, fulfilling tasks such as drafting policy proposals for regional governments, doing research, creating social media content and onboarding new team members.

I have also organized numerous events on the topic of endometriosis, including a Yale pre-release screening of the documentary Below the Belt, an Endometriosis Awareness Action Day and a conference between endometriosis experts in Germany and the US. My work on endometriosis has also sparked my interest in FemTech and epidemiological research. Currently, I am interning with EndoCare Therapeutics, a biotech company aiming to advance endometriosis diagnosis through the development of a sensitive, non-invasive and cost-effective diagnostic tool.

I am also heading my own endometriosis advocacy Instagram account under the username @missendoitall, which features more than a hundred posts with information about endometriosis and interviews with experts and patients.

My life has been all about overcoming obstacles and making the allegedly impossible possible. I would be immensely grateful for any and all donations, which would help me, once again, overcome financial adversity and pursue my dreams of making the world a better place.

Thank you very much for your help!