Epidemiology

Having attended medical school in India, Ms. Merchant realized the empowerment of reaching out to populations in addition to patients. She decided to study epidemiology to gain research and analytical skills that will easily enable her to become a well-rounded physician, proficient in independent research, and confidently prepared to face the wider challenges in healthcare.

Complementary to her coursework, Ms. Merchant’s public health experiences have been enriching. Her work as an ‘Epi Scholar,’ a program at the NYC Department of Health & Mental Hygiene developed to support health disparities research and train future epidemiologists, as well as her role as Graduate Research Assistant in the Office of the Dean at Mailman have provided opportunities for hands-on learning.

“The breadth of courses offered and a supportive, world-renowned faculty—who are extremely accessible to students - have made me love just about every minute of being in this program,” says Ms. Merchant. “My time at Columbia has given me a new and unique lens through which to view the world, making me more optimistic about being able to create change and mitigate disparities no matter what career path within healthcare I choose.”