Thoughts on Global Public Health

Amanda

 

Last semester I took an HMP course about comparing health policies in high-income countries in the world, primarily in Europe.  Not only was this a fantastic discussion-based course, it also opened my eyes to many of the global problems public health is facing in countries we normally regard as well-off.  Obesity and the aging population are two of the major issues that come to mind and are clearly on the front lines of public health in the US as well.

After learning about how various countries tackle (and fail to tackle) these emerging problems, it quickly becomes discouraging when evaluating the current US health care system and solutions.  Why does the US health care system cost almost twice as much as other leading high-income nations, yet we remain behind many of these countries in health outcomes such as mortality and life-expectancy?  Unfortunately, this environment is exactly what we are graduating into.  However, as one of my friends encouraged me, this is also a great opportunity to work as a public health professional.

As I learned from my HMP course, many of the answers can be gleaned from studying other nation’s health care systems and how they adapt to problems we are facing as well.  I’m still at the very beginnings of my education in public health and have a long way to go, but I’m starting to understand the point and task of public health on a global scale.  For any prospective students out there, Michigan provides an excellent opportunity to study many of the public health issues facing the global population, both in industrialized and developing nations.  From understanding the big picture to focusing on interest areas such as the AIDS epidemic, mathematical modeling of diseases, and cardiovascular disease risk factors, the scope of public health is ever-widening and in need of fresh new candidates every day.  Thankfully I still have three semesters left to see what areas I’m most interested in!

Hail to the Victors

Amanda

There are many rough days when I’m exhausted, sore, and just plain sick of running.  Sometimes I question why we bother to work so hard or what keeps us going so long.  This past weekend made all the effort very worthwhile as we won the Big Ten Cross Country Championship!  It had been our focus all year and took an incredible amount of teamwork this past Sunday to achieve our goals.  Having such a welcoming team has been a blessing for my last year of cross country and has helped me to improve drastically.  So while I have yet to blog much about my experiences in the classroom, I couldn’t resist sharing this excitement.  Michigan embodies an excellent school, and of course, some fantastic sports teams!

Michigan women’s cross country: Big Ten Champions!

Lessons From the First Two Weeks of Graduate School

Amanda

The first two weeks of graduate school have been a whirlwind of classes, meeting people, reading, (lots and lots of reading), and exploring life as a Michigan student.  From these experiences, I’ve already learned several things both in and out of the classroom:

 

• There’s a lot of reading assigned in graduate school, but you’re not expected to read it all (and your professors know it!)  Rather than read to read, read to get the main idea: learn what you’re supposed to learn and move on.
• Try a variety of courses; one of my favorite classes is way outside of epidemiology but gives me a new perspective to look at public health.
• Difficulty falling asleep?  Due to some late-night internet browsing of my own, I read that staring at a computer screen before going to bed results in problems falling asleep.  Random, but useful.
• Get involved!  Join a student public health organization, start research with a professor, decide to complete a certificate program, make the most of your experience at UofM. Many people have encouraged the importance of this!
• Exercise is a great stress reliever.  Nothing clears my head like a good run, and getting outside is refreshing after class all day.
• Public health is not an isolated field; it has aspects in every part of our lives!  Just consider how all your classes are integrated: epidemiological studies create the data (analyzed using biostatistics) for comparing health systems in various countries, health education programs can improve living conditions, and global ties places it all in a worldwide view.  One of my favorite parts of the Public Health program here at Michigan is discovering these interactions between different areas of public health.

What else have you learned from your first experiences as a graduate student?  What has been exciting these past few weeks, and do you have any advice to share?

A Wide Open Future

Amanda

Hi Everyone!  I am one of SPH’s newest bloggers, and I hail from local Tecumseh, Michigan.  While it may  be fairly close to my hometown, after four years in a tiny undergraduate school, the huge University of Michigan is sure to be bursting with new opportunities and experiences!

 A little bit about myself:

I graduated this past May from Hillsdale College with a degree in Biology, and now I’m looking ahead to concentrating in Epidemiology with a global health focus.   I also recently got married just two months ago!  Needless to say, there will be many changes this coming year.

I must admit that as excited as I am to be studying Public Health here at Michigan, I’m just as excited to be running for the varsity track and cross country teams here.  Running has always been a passion of mine; I love the competition, the camaraderie, and the feeling of really pushing yourself to the limit.  So even though this year will be pretty hectic trying to balance both school and athletics, it will also be very rewarding to see what I can accomplish in both!

Goals for the Year:

1. Balance: I know spending 30+ hours a week on training as well as being a full-time graduate student will be tough, and on top of that being involved in research and many of the other opportunities that will present themselves over the year.  So I won’t be able to commit to everything, I’ll have to really manage my time well, and I’ll have to learn to say that dreadful word “no.”  If there’s one thing I’ve learned from undergrad, it’s to commit to one or two things and put yourself whole-heartedly into those activities!
2. Challenge:  I didn’t come to the University of Michigan looking for an easy graduate degree; I came here because I knew I would be challenged in the classroom, in my opinions, and  in my research.  I want to challenge myself to think critically, develop my own thoughts and ideas, and put myself in situations outside my comfort zone.
3. Immersion: I want to become a complete Public Health nerd  I want to learn all I can to understand what public health means, how it plays a role in daily living, and how I can contribute to improving it.  I want to be as involved in my education as possible to get the most out of Michigan during my two years here.

I’m looking forward to meeting everyone soon!  Here’s to a great start to the semester!