Macaroni And Cheese: A Personal Statement Of Purpose

In our first week of class, we have looked at the first three chapters in, Health Care Delivery in the United States. The first chapter talks about how the health care system has moved from a mindset of restoring a person’s health, into the phase of preventative medicine, which we see now. This has resulted from measurement of how the health care system is working, and with research looking at patients throughout the years. We now know, that any problem, disease, or condition, should be treated early or prevented if possible. The health care system has been working with public education to make citizens aware of what tests and preventative programs will be of assistance to them. (Knickman & Kovner, A., 2015).

Public policies that focus on lifestyle determinants promote better health outcomes for an entire population by means of education, implementing wide spread policies, and initiatives for at risk areas of the population. Socializing and empowering determinants help connect and form a relationship between structural determinants and lifestyle determinants. This section of our health policy really helps tie in a key component that gives our national health policy a higher chance of success as a whole, it is more or less the bridge that binds the other parts. Doing this ties the individual and collective responsibilities for better health and allows a higher chance of success on both the individual and societal levels (Estes et. al., 2013).

The person who first sparked my interest in pursuing a career in medicine was my Mom. She used to tell me a story and say “you are one of my many miracles sweetie.” After being diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and undergoing multiple rounds of chemo and radiation, the doctor told my Mom she would

Food is the substance that sustains the human body. Our bodies would perish without the nutrients we obtain from eating; however, there is more to food than simply the energy we gain from eating. The act of eating a meal is a sacred process, sometimes even ritualistic. Families around the world come together around the dinner table to laugh, talk, and reconnect. My family is one of those many, sharing meals at every occasion. Whether it is someone’s birthday, religious holiday or special event, my family never fails to seize the opportunity for eating dinner together. There is a plethora of food options that are generally eaten in my household. When choosing which one to write this final paper on, the choice, at first, was not clear. Each

Until the 5th grade of medical school, when my clinical clerkship began, I had just passed many tests without a passion. My first rotation at the university hospital was pediatrics. A little girl, I called her K, changed me completely. She was diagnosed as having an abdominal malignant tumor and her tumor was not responding well to chemotherapy with radiation. Just a medical student, I could not do anything to treat her disease, but see, play, and talk with her and her mother every day.

When I first arrived at UC Davis as an undergraduate, I was unaware of what global health was. Although my interests aligned with health topics, such as disease prevention and improving health literacy, I did not explore any other graduate degrees besides an M.D. However, my career plans changed when I joined a public health advocacy group called RIVER (Recognizing Illnesses Very Early and Responding). RIVER prioritized educating underserved populations in Davis and the Greater Sacramento area about how essential preventive care is to one’s health. Through my participation in the organization as a board member, I learned more about preventive care and applied that knowledge by teaching underprivileged communities about how to make healthier lifestyle changes through exercise and nutrition. This organization’s

The society within which individuals live can influence their health, with involvement in social and community networks, including friendships, contact with relatives and supportive community interactions, which plays a very essential role in maintaining health.

Over the last 150 years physicians’ views on approaching the diagnosis and treatment of their patients have undergone many changes. Their views refer to the application of two distinct models of health: the biomedical model and the social models. Each model focuses on different causes of disease: the biomedical model predominantly on biological, or proximal causes, and the social models on both the distal and proximal causes, including all social, psychological, biological and behavioural factors. The social models have noticeably increased in significance due to the shift of the leading causes of disease from mainly biological to social. This essay will discuss first the increasing prominence of the social models and their relevance in addressing current population health issues. Second, this essay will discuss the effectiveness of social models when analysing the health-related causes of the obesity epidemic, an example of an issue in population health.

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.

All Americans do not have equal opportunities to health and the ability to make healthy choices. Barriers to health and healthier decisions are sometimes too high for individuals to overcome even with great motivation. [Roberts Wood Johnson Foundation; commission to build a healthier America 2013].1 Profound influences on health are found to occur outside of treatment facilities where majority spend most of their time. The ability to live a long healthy life is determined by various social factors such as behaviour, community/society, education, income, racial/ethnic groups, the environments where we live, learn work and play. These factors are far from random and seem to be predetermined by various factors within and around the built

Seven in ten deaths in the United States, are attributable to chronic disease (“Leading Causes” 1). These diseases are not on account of bacteria or viruses, which could be treated with an appropriate prescription or vaccine. Chronic conditions are developed through unhealthy lifestyles and behaviors such as a lack of exercise, poor nutrition, poor sleeping habits, and substance use (e.g. tobacco). Consequently, seven in ten of every death can be prevented with changes in lifestyle. The CDC states that these conditions, “are among the most common, costly, and preventable of all health problems” (“Chronic Disease” 1). Although these conditions have clear and definite causes (knowing the exact reason and “cure” for them), they are becoming more prevalent rather than domesticated. According to Wu and Green, “Between 2000 and 2030 the number of Americans with chronic conditions will increase by 37 percent, an increase of 46 million people” (1). This increase comes with an increase in health care costs: the CDC reported that the U.S. spent three trillion dollars on health care in 2014 (“Health Expenditures” 1). 86% of these costs was associated with these conditions (“Prevention” 1). Despite there being a range of causes of why patients make these choices, one issue that may be less familiar to others is the lack of knowledge in preventative medicine among health care professionals. Current training standards are not adequately educating or equipping health care professionals

In public health, as in many fields there are a set of conundrums that practitioners, leaders and law makers have to address in order to provide the most appropriate service to their populations. One of these conundrums is the battle between what is good for the community vs. what is good for the individual. This topic will be broken up to the community vs. the individual, and discussed based on research done by Kass et al, and Oriola, and will be concluded by presenting possible solutions.

It was the end of my first year of medical school, as I sat beside my grandmother I realized a lot had changed from my last visit. My grandmother, the woman who came to Canada to help raise me, who was once strong and full of energy, was now frail, with blisters all over her skin and unable to sit upright without help. Reading about Diabetes is one aspect of learning, but actually seeing its effects gave me a whole new perspective about what it means to be a doctor.

In simple terms, an individual’s health very much depends on factors which are out of their control. While these factors are highly numbered, I will discuss the most influential aspects which affect our overall health. Various studies have documented the certain relationship between these social determinants of health and it has been evaluated and continuously studied over the years.

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.