Best Global Health MPH program?

[hoya25]

Hi everyone!

I'm currently an undergrad at a top 25 US university (obvious by the screen name) with a 3.2 GPA and will be taking the MCATs soon.

Because of a recent change in academics and postgrad plans, I've been seriously considering pursuing an MPH before applying to med school.

I've been focusing on MPH programs focusing on global health, as I'm also applying for a fellowship for research abroad as well.

The schools that I'm considering are BU, GWU, Yale, Columbia, and Emory. While I know that there has been some recent debate on this forum about BU's viability, I'm very interested in their program in the Philippines.

Can anyone give some feedback not only about the schools I'm looking at and other schools that may have strong Global Health programs I may not know about, but also about pursuing an MPH right after undergrad, with no real work experience in the field.

I really appreciate it.

Please PM me if necessary.

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[DrJosephKim]

Have you considered Tulane?

 

[johnnyquest2009]

I started at BU this last week, and I am very excited with my choice. I was accepted into Tulane, GW, USF, Emory(rejected to first choice, accepted into second program) and rejected from Harvard. I say look at each program and find out which one fits you the best. You need to remember how many people actually use this list serve for Public Health.(not that many). So take what you hear on here with a grain of salt.

So if you do like the BU program go for it! Although some on here like to bash BU, you have to remember that students from BU are obv. still getting jobs as their wouldnt be a program if they were'nt. In the end it’s about making the best of your education, not its rank. If BU is the best fit for you then go for it. It was good fit for me because many of the classes are offered at night, so I am able to work at an AIDS clinic during the day. Since it is a larger program they also offer many classes on various topics.

Just remember that alot of the Prof. at BU have also taught at Harvard, at Emory, and other places. (Over 70 faculty memebers in the International Health Program alone, and remember that you will take between 16-30 credits within this division, thats 5-10 classes/professors, and as a student you can review end of sememster evaluations from previous years to see if the 5-10 professors you choose to take out of 70 are considered "good" by others.)

You also stated that you wanted to do one of the study abroad programs which I think covers 16 credits, which would me a majority of your IH classes anyway.

 

[DoggieHowserMD]

USC has a Master of Science in Global Medicine (Global Health) program that may be worthwhile to consider:

http://www.usc.edu/schools/medicine/education/degrees_programs/msgm.html

 

[boboca]

Many of the global health programs require work experience of 1 or two years. Especially, the top programs ie. JHU, Harvard, etc. I'm pretty sure Emory requires it too. and if it's not required it's highly recommended such as Columbia's program (not it's own dept. but you concentrate in intl health). Tulane's program is really good, but you also have to be fluent in another language other than English. If you're interested in Global health, it would be highly beneficial to have some sort of int'l experience before you go to school.

 

[usman006]

What did you end up deciding and are you happy with your decision? I;ve narrowed it down to GWU and BU (also was admitted at U of M-TC and Tulane) and I cannot figure out where to go! DO you have any recommendations? I'm in the international health program at BU and global health at GWU. I would like to work for the UN or WHO.

 

[jkmph]

Global Health is Emory's best department.

 

[autumnempress]

I will be attending UMich in the fall- in addition to the MPH programs, they have a university-wide initiative on Global Health that involves students in all programs- engineering, medicine, economics, etc. You might want to look into it: http://www.globalhealth.umich.edu/

Also UNC-Chapel Hill is a School of Global Public Health and does a lot of research abroad. Both John's Hopkins & Harvard also have fantastic GH programs, but unless you're doing an MS instead of MPH, they don't admit straight from undergrad. Yale has a good program, but I felt that they didn't have as much of a global reach as some of these other schools.

I'm getting my MPH straight from undergrad and it's definitely doable if you're able to prove that you're committed to the field and that you're a good fit for that program.

Hope this helps- PM if you need more info!

 

[MedusaFelix]

Which programs require 1-2 years of work experience and which don't? I'm not sure what I'm currently doing would count as work experience so I'm sort of hesitant

 

[Laborer]

Harvard and John Hopkin's are major players in global health, for obvious reasons. If not one of those two, Emory is the place to go.

Emory's Global Health program is huge and filled with a diverse array of students from all over the world. CDC has a growing GH department (Global Disease Detection). Check out what Emory's MPH students have been doing abroad and I think you'll be impressed:
http://whsc.emory.edu/home/news/media-kits/public-health/global-field-experiences.html

But the major player that doesn't even have a true Global Health major is Columbia, with the Earth Institute becoming a major institution in the global health framework.

Tulane and BU are both very respectable also

 

[Member430]

I am also interested in International/Global Public Health programs. I live in Atlanta, so for financial reasons I am definitely going to apply to Georgia State University.

Emory is my first choice school. I just discovered Tulane's program and it seemed perfect for global public health.

I originally wanted to go to JHU but their program is for experienced professionals unless I want to get a MSPH which I don't. The same for Harvard.

BU is on my list and im taking UMD off of my list because their program just seems like they won't really be focusing on me and the professors would focus on their research or their work in the UMD hospital. That's not for me.

I'm trying to expand my list of schools to apply to because I feel too attached to schools on the east coast, but it's hard when I don't really know which GH programs are the best.

 

[364462]

The "best" MHP program is all relative given the numerous factors that we may use when evaluating programs. For instance, Yale's overall MHP, in my opinion, is respectable, but I would argue that it is primarily using its Yale name as caché. Meanwhile, many may not have Boston University (BU) in mind, but it has one of the highest quality healthcare policy and management programs in the country. Many lesser known programs, though no less quality, have excellent community-based concentrations or tracks. UCLA and U of M have strong ties to the local communities where these schools are located. Some of their programs have specific connections in the field. If you do want to work in international public health, with an eye to working and living abroad, then I think it makes the most sense to reach for the stars and go for the schools that, for better or worse, are widely recognized not only within the field of public health but also throughout the world.

More specifically, I think it's nearly impossible to get into a Global Health related concentration or track without significant international experience. There are reasons why top-ranking MPH schools, such as Harvard and JHSPH, almost always admit applicants not only with significant professional experience but also with prior postgraduate degrees - in the case of Harvard, the requirement to have a doctoral degree or significant experience in addition to a masters degree.

If there is one advise I can share, I would encourage folks to evaluate programs in a backwards way (.e.g., looking at employment statistics of recent and past graduates, views of professionals in the field about the program you have in mind, etc.). Emory and Tulane, for example, may have excellent Global MPH programs - indeed, it seems they do. However, how do you imagine your future employer - say, the WHO in Geneva, an NGO in Asia or Africa, or a global fund in the Mid East - will view Emory or Tulane? Have they heard of Tulane? This may be a poor comparison but here it is: Princeton consistently ranks as the #1 undergraduate university in the country. However, Harvard almost always ranks the highest throughout the world and consistently receives the higher number of international applicants.

I hold a doctorate in psychology and will be starting a fellowship this fall. I plan to apply for an MPH program, for the entering 2013 class. So, research research RESEARCH the programs out there. You just never know. Best wishes to everyone in the upcoming application cycle!