Considering MD/MPH- help please!

[154241]

Hi guys,

Beware—long post! Thanks to anyone who takes the time to read this; answers to any of my questions would be greatly appreciated.

I'm currently applying MD-only for the entering class of 2008. I found out about public health about a year ago and was excited to see that there were dual MD/MPH options (I would especially like to do epi or global health), but since I had very little public health experience I assumed I would not get in and decided to put it off until later in life. Then I saw some threads in this forum that say that MD students with good stats (my GPA=3.86, MCAT 36Q) could get in even without significant experience. Is this true? How about at the top schools that require 2 years work experience—do they waive this if you are an MD student (I saw Harvard and UNC mentioned, any others?)? I have already sent in secondary applications to my schools, so I have missed the chance to check that little MD/MPH box on the application. How difficult is it/is it even possible to get into the dual MPH after applying as an MD-only?


My limited experience (as a vaguely defined “student assistant” working at a hospital)—I did a patient flow study for a chemo room, tracked breast cancer patient outcomes, and calculated revenue for some new equipment. These were all approx. week-long projects. I will be volunteering full time this year with a Katrina relief agency in New Orleans; it’s not public health related, but I might get some administrative/grant-writing experience. I have clinical research experience with a publication pending. And I can get a strong letter of rec from a vice president of the hospital who has an MPH. Is this enough to get my foot in the door at some MPH programs? Finally, would you all recommend emailing people in the MPH dept at my chosen schools for more advice, or would they be annoyed by my super naïve questions?

Thank you all soooo much for any help you can give me!

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[swim2006]

It can completely depend on the medical school you go to. I know there are some where you don't apply to until after you start med schools and some you apply at the same time, if you were to do a dual degree. Alot of this information is available on website on the med schcool website or there is a name of the person that works with dual degree students

 

[154241]

First of all, thanks swim2006. I've been emailing schools and finding out more about individual application processes. Now I have another, broader concern: Say I get into an MD/MPH program. How can I tack on another year's worth of debt when I am looking at up to 200k already? Especially since I would like to go into global health, probably not the most financially lucrative field? I've heard of people getting their MPH's paid for later through fellowships or something; should I hold off, try to do relevant research/travel experiences during med school, and hope one of these opportunities comes along for me? (I don't even know what these opportunities are/who would be paying for it...) Don't get me wrong, I would love to do a combined degree, but I am already sweating the money. Surely someone else has had this same problem, but I don't have any contacts in the areas of public health I am most interested in and am really pretty clueless. (Another reason I would like a dual degree--it seems like there would be more mentoring for someone like me.) I would appreciate any advice or any websites that would help answer this question; thank you all so much!

 

[thedelicatessen]

I think it would be difficult to get back in the initial classroom setting once I've entered the workforce as a physician, but I'm fortunate enough to be in a combined program that doesn't require an extra tuition or time. However, I suspect the majority of people who have both degrees do not do so with a combined degree program. If you choose to postpone the MPH, perhaps you could still network through a med student interest group or something. No matter when you choose to pursue the MPH, you will have to sacrifice your time or money or both.

This site is pretty comprehensive describing the different aspects in getting an MD and an MPH, including timeframes. http://www.amsa.org/cph/mdmphguide.cfm

 

[154241]

This site is pretty comprehensive describing the different aspects in getting an MD and an MPH, including timeframes. http://www.amsa.org/cph/mdmphguide.cfm

Thanks delicatessen! That's a really useful site. I'm jealous of your combined program.

 

[erikalindsay]

Just an FYI, too...about 5-7 out of 25 people in my MPH program (maternal and child health is what I'm doing) already have an MD. It seems quite common for people to do an MPH as part of a fellowship or as additional training later in a professional career. 2 of the women in my program just finished pediatrics residencies and are required to do the MPH as part of their fellowships, for example.

The U of M (Minnesota) is where I go, and there are several people in the MPH programs who are med students, as well. They take off 1 year after their 2nd year in order to do the MPH. They take a specific set of classes that are stripped down from what those of us in the traditional 2-year program take.