Why pursue public health?

I want to change the world. I find that it is so easy to become caught in a world which often times seems unfair, judgmental and untrustworthy. We live in world where people are dying for numerous reasons, many of which, they shouldn’t be dying for. I, therefore, feel a strong affiliation to all individuals in our global community and think that we all have a vested responsibility in making this world a better place. It is perhaps lofty to believe that one can change the world, yet if everybody felt that they could, the world in which we live today would be different

Why choose public health of all disciplines? Public health, itself, implies the health of a population. I strongly feel that the health of a population is often times linked very intimately to the health of an individual and that public health officials are specifically needed in order to establish partnerships and relationships among specific health care provider groups which facilitate care. It is with the collaboration of population and individual based care that the need of the greatest amount of people can be met. Public health also proves to be an exciting field which is rapidly expanding. A public health degree essentially is able to supply students with tools in order to plan, evaluate and implement health projects on a larger population scale. Hence, my undergraduate major, faculty within the University of Virginia, the important relationship which exists between service and health, the essential tools which this program is able to provide, the novelty of the program itself as well as the importance of a broad culturally conscious foundation all serve as reasons why the BA-MPH degree is of great importance to me.

Majoring in Infectious Diseases in Developing Countries allows me to see the world of health from a completely different, context driven, perspective. My desires for creating my own major are very much in line for my desire to have the opportunity to participate in this graduate program. My major essentially looks at disease from a broader context and allows the combination of a science background fused with a liberal arts enriched program. My aspirations for the major have been focused on looking at disease from a socioeconomic, cultural and economic perspective, and highlights the fact that often times health is governed by various other factors which may not directly be linked to health care per say. To elaborate, my major establishes the importance of interdisciplinary and creative solutions which are necessary for health care problems. I strongly believe that this education process has been integral to the growth of me as an individual as well as a student. As an individual, I feel that my course of study has clarified my future purpose. As a student, I feel a great inclination to go to my classes and finish my coursework because I thoroughly enjoy the process. I feel that this graduate degree will reward me with similar feelings of happiness and academic fulfillment.

I have always deeply desired to invest in an education and career path which keeps this particular goal in mind. Before one can ponder why service itself is so important, it is important to question why health itself is integral to the quality of life. Firstly, one’s health is deeply associated with one’s overall wellbeing. An individual who is not healthy may not be able to work, pursue their aspirations, or complete simple tasks independently. The positive state of the health of an individual allows him or her to function not only in daily simple activities but to engage in a more complex role that the individual plays in society, at work, as well as in the home. Health, therefore, is so deeply connected with an individuals overall ability to function and conduct their lives independently and securely, that I strongly feel that it is a field which desperately needs more individuals from all sectors and aspects. Health and service are also deeply associated together in various ways. Because health is so deeply connected with the individual’s ability to complete simple as well as complex tasks, the service aspect allows a health care worker to facilitate the lives of the individuals who are not able to independently live their lives due to some health conflict. Therefore, this line of service is particularly intriguing and fascinating as it addresses a basic need, and facilitates the lives of various individuals at a very integral level. It is the connection between service and health which deeply draws me to this line of work. Public health therefore facilitates this relationship by extending the health care services from an individual to a population. The extent and impact of this form of service holds various promises for the future of health care. Furthermore, public health initiatives often times focus on preventative medicine vs. the more traditional treatment based medicine, making this aspect of this field particularly fascinating. This approach deeply appeals to me as it not only is often times more cost efficient to invest in preventative initiatives, but these programs often help save and facilitate the lives of various individual nationally as well as globally.

On my journey as an undergraduate, I have discovered that my goal in life is to facilitate the lives of individuals who face dire conditions due to socioeconomic and/or cultural reasons from a health conscious standpoint. Although I have been having many challenges in sorting out how exactly this facilitation should take place, I strongly believe that this degree will provide me with the strong foundation which will be the building blocks both for my educational as well as career initiatives in the future. Because the foundation will be based on a fairly interdisciplinary curriculum, this degree will prepare me for various fields explicitly and implicitly related to health for future opportunities. A public health degree also encourages an individual to see the bigger picture. One is encouraged to put any health situation in a larger context which allows one to appreciate and analyze the intricate relationships which exist between health and various other aspects of the lives of individuals. This degree also holds promise as it has wide applications and can be sufficiently utilized in any future academic endeavor as well as career path.

Additionally, my interest in this field of study is also deeply vested in my deep belief that public health scholars are able to facilitate the much needed communication and collaboration between the disciplines of law, medicine, and business. The novelty of the program itself further encourages me to be involved in it as I feel that it is able to change the most at this stage. A new program would potentially be more open to various options and initiatives potentially suggested by students. Recognizing that this program is very new, I feel that I would also provide a valuable contribution to the program in various ways. I hope to transform and/or hone my passions towards initiating partnerships with international as well as national organizations which deal specifically with public health. I find that my undergraduate degree in Infectious Diseases in Developing Countries, will allow me to further hone my education towards a path which not only deeply fascinates me but towards a path which will allow me to contribute in some fashion to the overall program. My undergraduate educational experiences thus far indicate my drive for taking leadership and initiative

Hence, a public health degree, therefore, offers individuals the toolkits for evaluation and research, a broad foundation of health in a larger context, as well as the ability to collaborate, initiate, and maintain partnerships not only locally but also internationally. Furthermore, it allows one to put any health situation in a socio-cultural and political context, which is often times integral to truly understanding and appreciating a health care situation. The degree also provides a strong foundation for any career path as it focuses on honing skills rather than investing only on specific results. Additionally, the opportunity to collaborate and work with various individuals who are passionate in the same field allows one to establish mutually enriching strong relationships and partnerships with other individuals within the masters program.