Public Health Professional
In 1999, I began to think about retirement--something I had never considered before. One barrier was that I wasn't really clear on what I would do. Being very focused on Southeast Asia (particularly Cambodia), and knowing that health infrastructure was a major problem there, I decided to investigate the Public Health field.
I corresponded with the director of the Master of Public Health program at the University of Connecticut. My idea at the time was to take courses as I could, and spend my summer vacations in Southeast Asia doing something, and arrive at retirement age in 2004 with an MPH, some experience, and some contacts in Southeast Asia.
I took my first course in the Fall of 2000, and loved it. I could not work out a summer project in 2001, but in 2002 I designed and conducted my project in Ban Pao, Thailand.
My objectives have changed somewhat for personal reasons, but I am still actively pursuing my second career in Public Health. I retired in February 2004, and have been preparing for the next phase. In January 2005, I successfully defended my thesis--"Model Geographic Information System (GIS) Infrastructure for Local Health Departments in Connecticut." I graduated in May 2005.
I am currently working with local health departments, and intend to continue my work as a program manager ment for a local health department or as a researcher or program manager for a university, non-profit, or the like. I find the work extremely rewarding.
What is Public Health?
Public Health is concerned with the health of populations, as
opposed to individuals. "[It] is what we as a society do collectively to
assure the conditions for people to be healthy." (Institute of Medicine, 1988,
"The Future of Public Health")
The basic science, epidemiology (literally, the study of what is among the people), has to do with the origins of diseases and the control of their introduction and spread. We encounter Public Health in everything from inspecting restaurants, to setting water quality standards, to responding to new diseases (Lyme Disease, West Nile Virus) and bioterrorism (Anthrax).
Doctors and drugs may work miracles, but Public Health tries to limit the number of people who need miracles, getting most of the results but little of the credit. For example, approximately 90% of the decline in mortality from tuberculosis and other infectious diseases was accomplished by improving sanitation and living conditions in the 100 years before the discovery of antibiotics. Malaria and yellow fever are no longer major threats in the US due to plain old control and prevention (Public Health), not heroic treatment (doctors and drugs).
This is a lesson for many environments--in IT for example, management often tries to avoid investments in infrastructure to support all projects, then pays for it in overruns by the project--to the detriment of the entire organization. On the other extreme, we tend to be dazzled by new techniques and new technology, forgetting to invest in the things that work. The recent SARS outbreak is a good example--in the words of Susan Allan, Health Director, Arlington County, Virginia (October 2003):
"It was the basic, simple control measures that were the most powerful. It wasn't the space suits, for the most part, or the spraying of disinfectants or closing down and relocating people from apartment buildings in Hong Kong. It was simple measures -- masks, screening patients appropriately, separating people from the sick and hand washing."
Basic project management (knowing what needs to be done to address a problem, developing a plan to do it, defining responsibility and authority, defining work products that will be reviewed and approved according to predefined criteria, etc.) works far better than chasing miracles. Unfortunately, miracles are the only remedies that remain if the basics are ignored--and miracles do not happen often.
Here's my discussion of the relationship between process improvement and Public Health.
2005-09-17 17:47:37 -0000