Having a Master’s in Public Health (MPH) with a concentration in Health Promotion and Policy has the potential to enable me achieve my personal and professional development goals in the area of delivering health improvement outcomes in Nigeria, a country that is in dire need for innovative healthcare solutions for its rising population
Healthcare in developing countries in the 21st century is a far cry from healthcare in the developed world, where investments in medical research and facility infrastructures have been made to address community health challenges – particularly in preventive medicine. In this regard, my ultimate goal is obtaining a MPH and to see people in the developing world, particularly in my home country of Nigeria gain undeniable access to a robust healthcare system that meets their needs.
With the high cost associated with tertiary education, getting a tuition scholarship through the Nigerian Young Professionals Forum (NYPF) will go a long way into helping me achieving my goal. In addition, the skills and knowledge I gain from my education will help with health promotion in Nigeria. Despite the large number of healthcare practitioners in Nigeria, the number of people without access to healthcare is still significantly high and it is a source of concern to both public health practitioners and government policy makers. The situation is exacerbated by the number of people (particularly low-income individuals) dying from diseases like malaria, measles,
The invaluable skills that I have gained and learned through my after school clubs, Future Business Leaders of America, (FBLA) and National Honor Society( NHS), has stirred up a desire in me to help my community and to make a difference in the lives of people, by majoring in the Public Health field. Through Public Health, I will help those in my community at large to live healthy lives; mentally, socially, physically and culturally. Healthcare is an essential need in life and is a great field that would allow me to make a difference.
The healthcare sector offers a variety of professional opportunities that include pediatric, geriatrics, public policy and many other areas in which I hope to make a impact towards. I have always been intrigued by medicine and continue to gain more interest in public health. In the future, I desire to combine both medicine and public health by participating in an MD and MPH program. My experiences and education provide me with constant motivation in achieving my goals.
A Heart for the Work: Journeys Through an African Medical School by Claire L. Wendland is both an first hand account of time spent in an African medical school and hospital as well as a critique on Western medical practices. Dr. Wendland, an accomplished anthropologist and physician, provides a first hand account of her time in a Malawi, one of the poorest countries in the world. Through this account she provides insight into the complete journey a student must take to become a doctor in conditions much different than our own. These insights and research are used to argue that medicine, or biomedicine as it is called, is part of a cultural system and is predicated on the cultural ideals and resources of developed nations. Wendland uses the differences in moral order, technology, and resources between the Malawian culture and our own culture to provide evidence for her main argument.
With the focus on these five areas, Governments in each country are creating health systems that aim to provide services that are affordable, equitable and accessible. To achieve a sustainable health system, cooperation and participation of all health care providers is vital. This will work towards WHO’s goal of achieving “better health for all”
While interacting with current medical students pursuing the MD/MPH dual degree at a UTHSCSA student panel, I realized that obtaining an MPH would align greatly with my interests and career goals, allowing me to expand the scope of my medical education and enhance my critical thinking skills. I enjoy how public health combines various aspects needed to treat disease and improve health outcomes, and I know that integrating the MPH core concepts with my medical degree, will help me to become a well-rounded and better physician who approaches healthcare through both an individual and population-based perspective. An education in public health will provide me with various opportunities ranging from the creation and development of community health projects, to contributing to the modification of current health policies. I will seize the opportunity to work with professionals from all occupations including educators, clinicians, executives, and I will become an advocate and a credible voice for positive change through a better understanding of the healthcare system that is in place
As a future physician, I want to provide the necessary health care and guidance to children of low-income families, both here in the United States and in developing nations. Current advances in technology and medicine have allowed a vast majority of diseases to be treated, prevented, and even cured; yet, it is a grave reality that many individuals still do not have these innovations available to them. Ultimately, my goal is to act as a link between
During my numerous trips to Nigeria to visit my extended family, I saw firsthand how international health disparities can affect communities. It is often challenging to make the highest standard of care available to all groups and individuals here, and I became increasingly motivated to devote myself to the mission of reducing health disparities in African countries. People in my family, regardless of societal class, suffered from various illnesses including HIV/AIDS, malaria, and polio because of poor access to quality healthcare services. My goal is to return to underserved communities in the United States and Nigeria after being armed with the training from the University of Michigan School of Information that will allow me make
The poor areas have many less doctors than the wealthy spots, even though the rural areas suffer from much harsher diseases on a larger scale. The countries either provide medical training for their own citizens or fund their training from somewhere else, but once the students have the skills to save lives, they move to different places for higher pay. This issue lies not only in South Africa, but in the entire continent. For example, for every Liberian doctor working in Liberia, there are two working abroad. Not only is there a shortage of doctors in general (averaging about 1.15 doctors for every 1,000 people in sub-Saharan Africa) but a shortage of nurses and midwives. Over two-thirds of mothers in Africa have no health professionals to guide them through hardships regarding pregnancy and childbirth, causing Africa alone to be responsible for over one half of the world’s infant and maternal
In addition to practicing medicine, I aspire to dedicate myself to improving access to healthcare. Acquiring the skills to practice clinical medicine is fruitful when patients are able to receive the needed care, as demonstrated by JD’s case. I gained a deeper understanding of the challenges in accessing healthcare internationally through the research I conducted in
The Liberian Government, through the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (MoHSW), the caretaker of the nation’s health services and advocate for children’s health and welfare has prioritized improving its health sector. However, the colossal task of bringing the health system back to pre-civil war years has become a formidable challenge. Besides, the limitation of services to both the rural and urban poor, the health system lacks trained medical personnel, including technicians, nurses and doctors (Bertelsmann Stiftung, BTI. 2016).
Good, accessible healthcare has always been a part of my life. This summer I got to see firsthand that this is not the case for everyone. I knew disparities in healthcare were prevalent in the world, but seeing it in person instead of reading about it in a global health textbook opened up a whole new door for me. As I have reflected on these experiences, I have come to the realization that me becoming a doctor is not about “me” necessarily. I have the opportunity to gain a good education and contribute to this world, which many people do not have, and I cannot think of a better way to do this than to help improve health. With my medical degree, I want to go and work in Zambia, and really any other country which faces large disparities in access to quality health care because I have been fortunate enough to be given the opportunity to enter the medical profession and it is time I use the resources I have to help the global community solve this issue.
My interest for public health stems from the need to aid numerous people in disease and injury prevention, health protection, and strategies for health promotion. I hope to earn a Master of Public Health with a focus in the area of health care management as well as hospital administration in relation to public health policy development and education. I aspire to develop enhanced intervention policies that can provide the population with direct access to primary health care due to public health preparedness education and strategic planning.
After finishing my Undergraduate, I have seen it wise to purse masters in public health, an area that I have much interest in. Having pursed a Bachelor of Science, Biological Sciences, minor in psychology, expanding my knowledge in the field of public health has been my next option. The vast knowledge that I have gained learning and working can help me while pursuing this program. Given the chance I would be able to fulfill my career goals.
With seven billion people in the world, healthcare and healthcare infrastructure are increasingly important. Public health professionals are currently focusing on the following five topic areas to improve global health. By ensuring that everyone can have access to adequate care, the healthcare community can reduce premature mortality rates and the severity of epidemics.
I was drawn to the idea of not only focusing on one-on-one patient care that doctors provide, but also solving problems that affect the health of entire populations. The study of disease and health within populations; for instance, preventing disease, promoting health, and reducing health problems between groups are the main reasons I want to pursue an M.P.H focusing on epidemiology. These are my strongest interests because I believe they are important in improving our world’s health.