Interested in Public Health (focus on epi)- degree options?

[emzerlee]

Hi everyone. I'm a rising junior and currently contemplating whether I should still be pre-med. My heart has never been fully into it, and after taking an introductory global health and epidemiology this year, I'm starting to think I should pursue an MPH rather than med school. I've developed a strong interest for epi (specifically involving infectious disease). I've done a bit of reading online, including the posts on this site, and it appears that most high ranking officials in public health have an MPH/MD. I'm still trying to figure out exactly what I want to do in life since time seems to move much faster than I'd like, and in the future, working somewhere like the CDC or WHO would be amazing. I know having an MD would open a lot of doors, but I honestly don't think I'm willing to invest that much money and great a great deal of time if I'm not truly invested. Are there any other degree paths (such as MPH/PhD among others), that would make me a competitive applicant for jobs down the road like an MPH/MD? I know this may be a little far out but I guess it doesn't hurt to consider these things since I have to decide if I want to take the MCAT/finish my remaining pre-med reqs or not. All advice/comments are greatly appreciated

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[sameas]

An MPH will open doors in state/local departments of health who are doing the infectious disease prevention and surveillance on the ground. Public health is done on the state and local level, with funding and guidance from the CDC (prevention & surveillance) and other federal agencies such as HRSA (funds health centers).

You may want to consider a PhD if you want to do research, publish, and become influential with public health leaders. A CDC job is not likely as they have a small staff and they contract with nonprofit or university partners who conduct the research/surveillance. In HIV, for example, local health departments get money from the CDC to do surveillance. The CDC oversees the process, but they are the tip of the pyramid, with the fewest jobs.

Also you may want to consider working for foundations such as Robert Wood Johnson Foundation or the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Working for a foundation as a program officer would be a great career path. Also there are numerous nonprofits active in infectious diseases--both domestic and international.

Personally, I have been able to go far in public health with a master's degree in community psychology. Initially, I wanted to be an evaluator/data analyst and ended up being a grant writer. I consult with academic physicians and nonprofits to develop proposals to the NIH, HRSA, or CDC. I don't mind my role as technical support person, as it gives me the freedom to work on diverse public health topics.

 

[Stories]

Well... I think it depends on what kinds of work you'd like to do. As a junior, you've seen what your professors do in the lab and in the clinic--those professors have doctorates (whether a MD or a PhD) and they end up being PIs on projects and lead research teams/groups. Consulting firms and health department work is accessible without one of those higher degrees. Depending on what kind of capacity you'd like to be at the CDC or WHO, a MPH may be all that's necessary. I suggest you look at job postings on each website and see what education requirements are for the jobs you're interested in and look into those career trajectories and base your educational requirements on that.

 

[emzerlee]

i really appreciate the responses! thank you!

 

[emzerlee]

Well... I think it depends on what kinds of work you'd like to do. As a junior, you've seen what your professors do in the lab and in the clinic--those professors have doctorates (whether a MD or a PhD) and they end up being PIs on projects and lead research teams/groups. Consulting firms and health department work is accessible without one of those higher degrees. Depending on what kind of capacity you'd like to be at the CDC or WHO, a MPH may be all that's necessary. I suggest you look at job postings on each website and see what education requirements are for the jobs you're interested in and look into those career trajectories and base your educational requirements on that.

well as of now, I am more interested in applied epi than academic research epi. I'm not entirely sure if I would be limiting my career options in applied epi with just an MPH..also I did read that a lot of MPH programs recommend 1-2 years of work experience before applying. I'm assuming working for a non-profit org or getting international experience with an org is a common route? Any specific orgs or suggestions are appreciated!

thanks again!

 

[IntriguedStudent]

well as of now, I am more interested in applied epi than academic research epi. I'm not entirely sure if I would be limiting my career options in applied epi with just an MPH..also I did read that a lot of MPH programs recommend 1-2 years of work experience before applying. I'm assuming working for a non-profit org or getting international experience with an org is a common route? Any specific orgs or suggestions are appreciated!

thanks again!

If you're interested in applied epi and academic research epi, then I would suggest just getting your MPH and seeing how far that will get you. If you find you simply can't move up further in the future, I would suggest going the PhD route over an MD for your specific interests. An MD is beneficial if you're looking at the clinical research side of things, but a PhD will get you far in terms of academic research.