What is your dream job?

[Jezebel]

Like many others, I'm weighing the options of various grad degrees that culminate in a public health career - among them, the MPH. While the MPH seems to be "the degree" for public health, I can't help but feel like it won't satisfy my ambitions to make a serious impact or fulfill my love of knowledge and science. I've been trying to read job ads to get a feel for what is out there, and so far it seems that many of the MPH jobs out there are 'managerial'. Glorified paper-pushing. I guess I don't even know what the possibilities are, but it'd be nice to think I could do more than sit at a desk 40 hours a week, making sure my team plugs in their Time and Attendance correctly, attending webinars, and applying for grants.

So, I charge you, forum readers, to tell me what you think the best (most interesting/coolest/most fun and rewarding) job you can do with an MPH is, or to tell me what you do/hope to do with your degree.

Edited October 11, 2011 by Jezebel

[TypeA]

Broadly, idealistically (impossibly): I want to help rewrite the American health care system as we know it. This is why I'm applying to a MPH/MPP dual degree program.

[vielglueck]

So is the case with the China's healthcare system. How I wish I could reestablish it.

[Thechanger]

I want to be a Indonesian minister of health.. So i need to learn more about public health. I am really interested to be stuying at Harvard Public School.

Decaf, could you explain how i can apply to harvard?? I was confused by SOPHAS system,

What are the requirements must be fulfilled to apply??

Anyone could help me??

Thanks

[dcare]

research on physical activity interventions during pregnancy and the outcomes of child development and growth. I'd also like to work internationally on health program design and promotion for pregnant women.

[phmhjh85]

The big dream is to establish a program for screening and early detection of mental health problems and plan national intervention programs for child and adolescent mental health, something that is lacking entirely in my country as well as most third world countries

Public health is never a paper work job in my opinion and that is why I want to pursue a degree in the states ( JHSPH to be specific)

because most of these degrees are theory and method; meaning field work, instead of continuing the degree I am doing currently to end up doing the same thing I am doing now - teaching and doing administrative work

the way I see it is I have to get my hands dirty- figuratively - in the field work and epidemiology before I sit behind a desk for planning and policy

[UndecidedMan]

The big dream is to establish a program for screening and early detection of mental health problems and plan national intervention programs for child and adolescent mental health, something that is lacking entirely in my country as well as most third world countries

Public health is never a paper work job in my opinion and that is why I want to pursue a degree in the states ( JHSPH to be specific)

because most of these degrees are theory and method; meaning field work, instead of continuing the degree I am doing currently to end up doing the same thing I am doing now - teaching and doing administrative work

the way I see it is I have to get my hands dirty- figuratively - in the field work and epidemiology before I sit behind a desk for planning and policy

 

 

I am also very interested in Mental Health, but it seems that many of these programs focus on public health. Do you have any advice on how to use a MPH toward working in the mental health field? 

[phmhjh85]

On 4/2/2013 at 9:47 AM, UndecidedMan said:

I am also very interested in Mental Health, but it seems that many of these programs focus on public health. Do you have any advice on how to use a MPH toward working in the mental health field? 

I cannot honestly give advice since I have not had much experience yet, hence the desire to pursue a degree thhousands of miles away from home.

 

Most programs integrate mental health in behavioral and health education degrees , I think only JH and WUSTL have degrees with strong focus in mental health as a speciality under public health and not an after thought

Also LSHTM offers the global mental health program

I think that mental health needs a much more interdesciplinary work and advocation since the problem are at many time highly multifactorial. (psychologist, psychaitrist, public health professional, administrators,,..) and its large issues are oven overlooked in favor of "real health problem" meaning physical ones despite how disabling and costly mental health problems can be

Wish I could help more

[mpheels]

Short term, I want to be on faculty somewhere so I can pursue research and teaching activities. Long term, I want to be the Secretary of Health and Human Services. You should have seen the look on my undergrad career counselor's face when that came out of my 19 year old mouth

[JazzHands]

go for a phd if you want to do research/innovate. you'll get more funding too

[MammaD]

mpheels, when you become the Secretary of DHHS, I hope you remember your old pal MammaD from Grad Cafe!

Oh, the places you'll go!

My dream job is to do research while on a faculty and still doing clinical work maybe one day a week. I'd also love to start and administer a MSCR program for clinicians who aren't MDs but want to develop research skills.

[mpheels]

mpheels, when you become the Secretary of DHHS, I hope you remember your old pal MammaD from Grad Cafe!

 

Don't worry, I will!

 

I know it's a big dream, but I did run with a very political crowd in college, and some of the college pals are starting to run for state-level office at least. A few others are starting to make a splash as political advisors. Honestly, I hadn't really thought much about it until I really started planning this move to Baltimore. Now I'm really processing the idea of summer internships in DC and working with the Departments of Defense and Veterans' Affairs (through my advisor-to-be's research), and re-awakening some of my laten political ambitions.

[juilletmercredi]

Ha ha mpheels, it's also my dream to be Secretary of Health and Human Services!

 

But I'm not really a politician, and typically politicians get that spot.  And I honestly don't want to be a politician, either.  So what I think I would really like is to be the Assistant Secretary for HHS, or a deputy assistant secretary. I want to shape policy on health and human services, but I'd rather use my research and science expertise to counsel politicians on policy moves behind the scenes.  The ASH tends to have a research background.  I would like to do research for 10-15 years and then move into policy work afterwards.

 

I'd also enjoy running the CDC or one of the NIH, I think.

[MadtownJacket]

CIO of a hospital.

[MCH_Hopeful_2021]

Yes, I’m reviving this thread 8 years later because it’s absolutely wonderful and a great brain break from the stress and anxiety of applications, a global pandemic, etc. and it’s a great reminder of why we’re all doing this. 

So... what’s your dream? 

[DB_Grad]

I love this thread too! My dream is....many dreams. To do an MPH and work in women's sexual +mental health - specifically with abortion care. To research and write columns on womens health and health policy, to teach maybe in the long-term. 

[SocialKonstruct]

I ended up switching to visual arts after 20 years in the public health and computer software fields. I learned that my idealism was tempered by the destructive politics which has gotten worse today.

My happiness is much better now that I can do photography and sculpture as much as I can. Plus help run a gallery here in SLC too.

[SocialKonstruct]

On 10/10/2011 at 8:19 PM, TypeA said:

Broadly, idealistically (impossibly): I want to help rewrite the American health care system as we know it. This is why I'm applying to a MPH/MPP dual degree program.

I still want a single payer healthcare system and tried to work on that at Yale in 1999-2001. And nothing has changed at all but gotten worse as our health care system is more capitalist than ever.

The major change is that I became a neo-Marxist and anti-neoliberal capitalist over the years. Public health officials are now being treated as criminals- https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/jan/17/florida-rebekah-jones-covid-data-analyst-arrest-warrant

Now public health has become about supporting the fat cats of hospitals and drug companies. I walked away from my public health experience completely in 2008. Very grateful. My dream job is just to be an artist and curator now.

Edited March 7, 2021 by SocialKonstruct

[Mbeeee]

Working on the WHO polio eradication team in Switzerland