Should I pursue an MPH?

[trueblue824]

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I'm a senior at the University of Miami majoring in psychology and biology. After a year of working with a study on MSM who were victims of abuse in childhood and how they respond to CPT, I've become extremely interested in the psychological factors that influence health outcomes and progression of diseases (particularly mental health-based interventions). I still want to go to physician assistant school; however, I would like to pursue a Masters in Public Health before I do so. I'm leaning towards concentrating in epidemiology, behavioral sciences (only some programs offer this concentration), or health promotion & disease prevention. I would like the chance to work in a community health setting, where I could utilize what I've learned from both degrees. Based on what I've described above, would the MPH be a good idea for me to pursue?

 

[Amicable Angora]

It's not a bad idea, however, how much would it cost you?

 

[Solara]

My best advice to you is to talk directly to faculty at University of Miami and ask them this question. They'll have far more experience to draw upon when helping you answer this question. Talk to program directors of your school's public health program to get their input.

Also, there are tons of threads on this particular SDN forum related to "Should I do an MPH or degree X". I would spend some time looking at the pinned threads on this forum that explain the benefits of each degree.

 

[mclysek]

I am doing an MD/MPH, and we are actually looking at what you are interested in. I too am interested in depression and its effect on health. I REALLY wanted to go to UM for medical school, especially for their 4 year MD/MPH program. I found out that their program is not accredited. I ended up going to my state school, which is top 25 in med and top 15 in MPH. Make sure you look and find an accredited MPH program, because many are not. This is something I was not aware of, until I started to research more. Also, look at PA schools, because some may offer PA/MPH dual degrees. Mine is a 4 year MD/MPH, they have JD/MPH, MBA/MPH, and various other dual degrees. This may make your time shorter, and easier to get in to a masters. Basically, they started a 4-year MD/MPH (used to be 5 years) at my school, and were begging medical students to do this. If you have any questions let me know!

 

[Jay K]

Yes. Go to Hopkins.