Podiatry & Public Health: Masters of Public Health Degree for Podiatrists?
by Roberto De Los Santos.
Did you know that the American Podiatric Medical Association has a joint fellowship program with The Dartmouth Institute?
As a current resident getting ready to enter the real world, I had to choose between finding a job or continuing my education through a fellowship. There are multiple types of fellowship in podiatry, but generally, they can be divided into two main categories: surgically-heavy or research-heavy. From there you can investigate subspecialties, such as sports medicine, wound care, limb salvage, foot reconstruction, pediatric focus, etc. During this time searching endlessly on the internet, I came across a unique option of a Master of Public Health fellowship made possible by APMA at The Dartmouth Institute (TDI).
Dartmouth College is an Ivy League school in New Hampshire. It has approximately 6,500+ students yearly. It is known for its big green colors and is one of the oldest universities, being established in 1769 (1). The TDI has a small college town feel, with a lot of history, strong alumni, and one of a kind teaching facilities. I was interested to find out more about the program, so I reached out to previous podiatrists who graduated.
Who can apply to the program?
Podiatry residents who have successfully graduated from their residency program can apply to the one-year research fellowship at The Dartmouth Institute. You should start to gather information and begin the application process about 12-8 months before you graduate residency.
How long is the Master of Public Health program?
The Public Health Master’s program at TDI is an 11-month program that starts in July. Based on the online curriculum, you have classes 4-5 days a week (1). Since you only have a year to complete the program, the Master of Public Health program has divided the year into four terms.
What kind of classes are expected to take?
Based on the provided information online from The Dartmouth Institute (1), you can expect the following classes: Health reform, statistics, epidemiology, and health determinants, to name a few. Towards the second half of the academic year, you will focus on more research base studies and begin to narrow down on a topic that you will do research on with other peers. In the end, you will present your yearlong work as a capstone presentation.
How to get involved as a Student?
If you want to get a feel of what public health is and what they work on, you can join the American Public Health Association (APHA) Podiatric Health Section and Student Chapter either online or in your school club.
by Roberto De Los Santos.
Sources:
1) “Dartmouth at a Glance”. Dartmouth College. Online Retrieved May 28, 2020.
Podiatry & Public Health
Special Edition, Education
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