University of New England

What Does a Master’s In Public Health Degree Do for a Physician?

Stephen C. Shannon, D.O., M.P.H.
President, American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine
And
Immediate Past Dean and Vice President for Health Services
University of New England
College of Osteopathic Medicine

I have been asked many times why I have a master’s in public health, and what it has done for my career, and what it does for physicians in general.  An M.P.H., or master’s in public health degree, is a graduate degree that provides whoever completes it with a broad perspective in public health.  As such, it gives you key skills, knowledge, and perspective in evaluating, managing, and advancing the health of populations. 

This is a very important skill for physicians at all levels.  In clinical practice it is useful because it places the patients and families and communities in which one practices in the context of the determinants of health, which in most cases are beyond the genetics of the individual.  Physicians with public health training gain basic tools in the use of population data to assess their own patient populations as well as those within the groups that they practice.   While M.P.H. programs vary in the focus and delivery methodology of their curriculum, they all provide core training in epidemiology, data analysis, health care policy, the environmental aspects of health, health care management, and health care communication. 

In a broad sense, public health training provides a physician with the skills needed to do clinical and health services research, manage health programs, participate in the development of health policy, assess the impact of the environment on the health of populations, and communicate and educate your patients and populations – training that goes beyond the scope of the medical school or residency curriculum.

If you look around, many physicians in leadership have an M.P.H. degree in addition to their medical degree and specialty training.  An M.P.H. is sometimes a part of fellowship training where research is an important aspect of that training.  An M.P.H. is the most common advanced degree for physicians in clinical research, public health, education, management, and government service.  In fact, an M.P.H. or its equivalent is a requirement for board certification in preventive medicine.  Coupled with residency and/or fellowship training, the M.P.H. degree enables practitioners of preventive medicine to get involved in the research, management and/or policy issues regarding the health of populations.

If you are interested in a career in the military, public health service, state or local health departments, medical education, leadership positions in hospitals or medical care systems, or in being a resource to your patients that extends beyond the clinic into the community, an MPH degree will enhance your abilities and broaden your career opportunities.