Meet the Incoming Class of 2010
So an investment banker, a lawyer and a HIV/AIDS health educator walk into a classroom. Guess which one is headed for a master’s degree in public health?
Trick question. This week the Mailman School welcomed all three of them (along with nearly 600 others) as part of the incoming 2010 class.
The newest members of our community come to the School with a wealth of experience and interests. But they are united by one desire – to use a public health education plus their diverse experiences and skills to address the public health challenges of the 21st century.
Incoming students range in age from 20 to 60. More than a third are U.S. racial/ethnic minorities. Most are seeking a master’s degree but 28 are headed for a PhD and seven are seeking a DrPH.
While some are arriving straight from undergraduate college, others begin their program with substantial professional experience or an advanced degree in hand. Their work experience reflects the many industries that public health touches –from private sector pharmaceuticals to NGO’s both large and small to government and academia.
Strike up a conversation with a member of this incoming class and you might find yourself talking to a student who worked with American Indian and Alaskan Native populations to increase their use of child safety seats. Another member of the class co-wrote a health and human rights education manual about sexual minorities in Botswana--believed to be the first publication of its kind in Africa.
Yet another incoming student founded a non-profit that uses cell phones to empower community health workers in developing countries. Another one helped to bring reproductive health education to immigrant populations in the U.S.
There are students with deep research backgrounds who have focused on H1N1, HIV/AIDS or dementia. And many who have witnessed first-hand the struggles and triumphs of working at the community level to stretch tight budgets and find creative ways to improve healthcare access and treatment to under-served populations.
It’s probably not surprising that one of the most global cities in the world would attract an international group of scholars. Some of the 33 countries that our students represent include: Argentina, China, Haiti, India, Nepal, the Netherlands, Pakistan, Romania, South Africa and South Korea. The U.S. is well-represented too with students from 36 states, from Florida to Maine, Texas to Minnesota.
Plus, there are more than a handful of native New Yorkers willing to give an opinion on anything (of course) from the best restaurants in the city to Broadway shows.
One strongpoint of Columbia’s Mailman School of Public Health is the diversity of its students. Just spend a little time talking with the new class and you’ll see why.
September 3, 2010
