Why MD/MPH?

For my post this week I would like to address a question I have been asked quite a bit in the last three years:  this is the question of why I chose to pursue an MPH in addition to an MD degree and what I plan to do with the dual degrees. With an MPH degree I could pursue a career with a county or state public health department, a career in policy or government, I could focus on public health research or administer interventions and public health campaigns.  The most basic answer however, is that even if I never do enter any of these professions and instead make the same career choices I would have without this additional training, I believe that this education will make me a better physician for my patients than I would have become otherwise. 

Everyone in medical school wants to serve their future patients to the best of their ability.  For me a part of this is getting the dual degree. This program affords me a greater understanding of the environment in which my patients live and work, of their communities and the forces that influence them.  I think that I will be a wiser physician by following health care policy changes and acknowledging the changing landscape in which care is provided.  I am gaining the skills to communicate with statisticians and researchers in epidemiology.   All of these things will help me to achieve my goals in medicine. 

The more complicated answer to the question is that beyond patient care, I do hope to spend some of my professional time working on projects with public health departments, serving on boards for non-profit organizations, conducting research and implementing interventions both locally and abroad.  I know that my public health education will aid me in reaching these goals as well.  As a physician I want to always provide direct patient care but I also appreciate the power of public health to improve the lives of far more people than I could ever see in a doctor’s office.  This dual degree is providing me the knowledge to do both.

During my time in medical school I have been fortunate to become involved with the Medical Student Section of the American Medical Association (AMA-MSS) and the Iowa Medical Society (IMS).  I have also just started to learn more about the American Academy of Pediatrics.  A great deal of what we discuss in Public Health is a focus of organized medicine (preventative medicine campaigns, payment models, evidence based medicine, etc.), and so I am hopeful my courses will help me to serve these organizations. 

Additionally, ever since taking my undergrad courses in child and family services at Syracuse University, I have often thought that I would like to one-day open or be involved in a redesigned clinic for women and children.  The clinic would address some of the barriers this population faces to receiving care such as transportation and child care and also offer educational programs and social services in the same location.  One of my elective courses in particular, Nonprofit Organizational Effectiveness, is giving me the opportunity to explore this idea once again in great detail.   I have learned how to create a mission statement, vision and values for an organization, perform a SWAT analysis and designate objectives – there is far more that goes into these tasks than I had previously realized.   At the end of the semester I will finish a complete strategic plan for the clinic I have envisioned.  This is a project I am doing for this course but I feel that I could actually come back to it and use the strategic plan I create later in my career.

Thank you for indulging another lengthy post this week. I hope it has been helpful to anyone considering the MD/MPH or any other dual degree program.  I am happy to answer any specific questions about the program by email or in person.