Drexel University's Dornsife School of Public Health works with College of Medicine students to develop customized plans of study for students who want to integrate population health into their medical education. An MPH can broaden your understanding of public health and policy, and provide you with research experience and skills to equip you for a career in government, health care administration, academic medicine, and public health organizations. The degree can also help to prepare you for academic residency programs.

In this program, students learn to be physicians with a public-health orientation. The program, built on a foundation of health and human rights, provides strong interdisciplinary training in clinical practice, prevention, hygiene, education and policy making.

MD/MPH Students and Alumni

"I was drawn to Drexel because of the community service initiatives and location in a diverse city because I really wanted a chance to serve minorities in medical school. The excellent public health program here led me to pursue the MD/MPH dual degree to fulfill my desire to assess and treat underserved populations of people." Meet Brett Mitchell, Drexel MD, MD/MPH Dual Degree student.

Read about program alumni Laura Urbanski '15, Allison Myers ’12, Zach Risler ’13 and Halima Amjad ’09, in "The MD/MPH Program: Influencing the Informing Health Policy," in the fall 2015 issue of the Alumni Magazine.

A number of areas on Drexel’s University City Campus have now been designated smoke-free zones, thanks to a senior project from an MD/MPH student, Zach Hughes, who received his MPH in 2016 and his MD in 2017.

Joint MD/MPH Degree

Most students begin the combined MD/MPH curriculum during the first or second years of medical school, although students can also enter the program after the 3rd or 4th years of medical school. Students generally complete both degrees in 5 years, adding a year exclusively for public health coursework between years 3 and 4 of medical school.

Credit is awarded for College of Medicine coursework and generous tuition support is available for the MPH component of the dual degree. Current plans of study for MD/MPH students offer:

• Opportunities to participate in Global Health courses during the summer between 3rd and 4th years (includes experiences in Africa, Cuba, Israel and other locations)
• Integration of public health coursework with students' clinical interests
• Opportunity for mentored independent study, including research, health program design and evaluation, community health assessment

Proposed Plan of Study

MD/MPH students complete the dual degree by adding an additional year to the medical school curriculum. During the full-time MPH year, MD/MPH students will identify a "pathway" to focus their public health coursework, inform advisor assignments, and guide the completion of independent work (the Integrated Learning Experience). Students can choose from four different pathways based on interests and career goals:

• Research Methods in Health Services and Clinical Science
• Health Management, Leadership and Policy
• Environmental and Occupational Health
• Community Health and Prevention

MD/MPH students will also participate in seminars, research presentations, and professional development activities sponsored by the academic departments in the Dornsife School of Public Health that align with these pathways.

Sample 5-Year Curriculum

Students will choose one of the existing MPH majors to pursue and will complete the selected major requirements.

Career Opportunities

The goal of the MD/MPH program is to fast track graduates into physician leadership positions. Some potential career paths may lead to these positions:

• Public health officials
• Medical directors
• Hospital administrators
• Clinician researchers

 
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