Helen Myers: Hello Everyone!

It is with great pleasure and excitement that I start this blog for everyone who wants to keep up on what is going on in the Master of Public Health Program and for those who may want some inside perspective on what being a student in the program is like. I encourage everyone, and especially anyone thinking about starting the MPH program to post comments and questions about the program or public health topics you’d like to hear about from the student perspective.   Current and perspective students are always welcome to send us questions or set up a time to meet by emailing myself and my fellow GRAs, Emily and Hunter, at cph-mphgra@uiowa.edu.

I thought I’d start my first post by sharing how I got to this program and some the experiences I have had since starting it. I spent the last two years just across the bridge at the Carver College of Medicine doing all the great things one does in the first two years of medical school. To say I learned a lot is an understatement; I had fantastic opportunities there and I formed friendships with people who supported me through every exam, every study session and every late night trip to the cafeteria. From the first day of anatomy lab to the day I took my first USMLE exam, 148 other people did it all with me - thats them in the picture at our white coat ceremony.   Then, the time came for me to leave the safety of MERF and start this MPH program.

Since beginning this year of MPH course work, I have become more thankful for the opportunity to pursue this degree, and I’ve discovered just what a great decision this was for me. I’ve met people from all different fields – those in epidemiology, biostatistics, environmental health and community and behavioral health. I took a course on US healthcare with several policy students, who will one-day lead our hospitals and healthcare systems, and I’m taking another with law students and business students about working in non-profit organizations.

I was able to meet with Mary Story, a leader in the fight against childhood obesity and to attend the Pediatric Environmental Health Conference and hear from those who are making our homes, workplaces and farm lands all safer. This conference is also where I got to study with American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Charlie - the little guy in the red circle.

I have found the College of Public Health and the MPH program to be an exciting and welcoming place – not only because of the beautiful new building in which I have classes but also thanks to the faculty who approach their classes with the mindset that they are training the future leaders of public health and my peers who come from all backgrounds but share common goals.

In future blogs I will address what one may do with an MD/MPH degree and other dual degrees. I plan to touch on some of the public health issues I spend a lot of time thinking about and studying. Last year’s bloggers, Katie and Ryan, shared news articles they thought everyone would find interesting so I will try to keep that up as well. Until next time, I wanted to leave everyone with some pictures of myself and my two awesome Co-GRAs - you may have seen the more professional picture, these ones are of us trying to get a shot mid-air, who says work can't be fun? Plus, it was a good way to get exercise in the middle of the workday.