By Alex Bradshaw
A unique opportunity will be available starting in fall 2005 to U of L students who want to pursue careers in health care: the Master of Public Health degree.
Many students are currently unaware of the MPH program, or do not know how complex the concept of “public health” really is.
Avonne Conner, one of 25 students enrolled in the freshman class of the MPH program, said that public health encompasses an array of fields.
“When I think of a career in public health and how I would define it, I envision a health professional treating entire populations, encouraging adequate nutrition, healthy lifestyles and disease prevention,” Conner said.
The School of Public Health’s goal with the MPH program is to transform the student into a knowledgeable “jack of all trades,” said Dr. Pete Waltin, an assistant professor and acting chair of the School of Public Health and Information Sciences. In such a variable field where a worker could face anything from helping to control a disease outbreak to taking a stance on seatbelt laws, it is vital that the professionals be up-to-date on a number of specialty areas.
The Master of Public Health degree offers five core areas of study: health services, biostatistics, epidemiology, behavioral sciences and environmental sciences.
“We take a liberal arts approach to public health,” explained Waltin. “[The students] need an understanding of everything.”
The academic requirements for the Master of Public Health program promote a melting pot of students from all academic backgrounds. Although undergraduate grades and good performance on standardized tests are certainly important, the field of study is not crucial as long as the applicant has completed a bachelor’s degree. Dr. David Tollerud, a professor and chair of the department of Environmental Sciences in the MPH program, said that the program encourages students from every academic department to apply.
“This isn’t a field that is only for the biology and chemistry majors,” Tollerud said. “There is going to be science and number-crunching involved in the curriculum, but that is only one element.” Students shouldn’t panic if math and science are not their academic strengths, he said.
The Master of Public Health prepares students for careers in several areas of health care. The light at the end of the MPH tunnel is a long list of career opportunities. For students considering medical school, aspiring toward a career in public service or looking for a management position in health care, the MPH can provide that opportunity.
Conner has high expectations for what she can do with her degree after graduation. She plans to attend medical school and some day work for the Centers for Disease Control.
Students like Conner are optimistic for good reasons.
They have seen graduates from MPH programs across America flourish in health care. Latonia Peters, the MPH program coordinator, said that U of L’s program is no exception.
“My problem wasn’t that I couldn’t find a job with the degree, but choosing from all of the options available because I had completed the Master of Public Health program,” Peters said.
That’s a “problem” most students would welcome.
