SPH

Nestled behind the columns and pristine buildings of the Harvard Medical School is another small graduate institution--Harvard's School of Public Health (SPH).

SPH has a total enrollment of 778 for the '96-'97 school year, making it a "considerably small school" in comparison to other Harvard schools, says Dean of Academic Affairs of SPH Jim H. Ware. The Business School registrar's office reports their '96-'97 enrollment as 1,782 students and the Law School's youngest class had 1,646 JD students.

With a total of 11 academic departments, the programs offered by SPH encompass a wide area.

The departments are oriented toward careers in health care, allowing students to work for such institutions as the Center for Disease Control and international health care ministries, students say.

While undergraduates can apply to the SPH to receive a Master of Science (M.S.) or a doctoral degree, applicants for the Master of Public Health program must have received an advanced degree--mostly MDs and JDs.

In addition, SPH offers a Master of Occupational Health (MOH) degree.

Carrie B. Daniels, assistant director of admissions to SPH, says that many people come to the SPH because they want to be involved in the health care field.

"People find the issues we are looking at to be important," Daniels says.

Ware says there is a fundamental difference between medicine and public health.

"The core organizing concept of medicine is to care for the individual patient [while] public health has a population perspective," he says.

The goal of public health is to "improve the health of a community as a whole [with a] greater emphasis on health promotion and disease prevention" Ware says.

Daniels agrees, saying SPH gives students an "opportunity to apply [their] skills to do something positive."

Despite the differences between public and individual health care, Daniels says SPH maintains a "strong connection" with the Medical School. Both schools share professors as well as having close ties through the MD/MPH program, allowing some students to take classes at both schools.

James B. Mase '79, a student at SPH, says that it is helpful for medical school students to enroll in SPH to get a more global view of medicine.

In addition to working with the Medical School, SPH works with other Harvard graduate schools, such as the Kennedy School of Government, to form joint degree programs.

The College's Alumni at SPH

Ware says SPH provides an inter-disciplinary environment while allowing students to focus on a particular field of interest.

SPH students come from a wide variety of experience and interest, both professionally and academically, Daniels says.

Mase says he returned to Harvard, and specifically SPH, after having graduated from medical school.

He had suggested to several people that a MPH is useful--especially in the field of international medicine--and finally decided to take his own advice this year.

Mase says he attends SPH because he wants to help "determine the course medicine is going to take."

According to Mase, the majority of physicians at SPH are foreigners. He says, in fact, that as an "American physician," he is in the minority.

Mase adds that people come to SPH because the older students are often going through "mid-career crises" or are looking for international jobs.

Nicholas J. Norton '86-'87 had a different agenda in mind. when he matriculated into SPH.

Norton, who is in his third year of doctoral work in biostatistics, says he decided on his field because it allows him to mix his math skills with his computer knowledge to do research design and data analysis.

According to Norton, public health fits into his aims since he intends to work in academia, perhaps doing research projects on AIDS or cancer.

"It is a lot cheaper to treat the root causes of disease early on before the aftereffects [occur]," Norton says.

Elizabeth R. Bertone '94, who received her M.S. last year and is in her first year of the doctoral program in epidemiology and nutrition, says SPH has made her look beyond just the classroom.

In her opinion, "an M.S. degree is pretty much [useless, but a good way] to feel things out" while creating a stronger foundation in a specific field.

Bertone says the School has provided her with a "strong international focus."

However, Mase says that an M.S. is good for people who are interested in management and travelling.

June M. Chan '94, a second year doctoral student in epidemiology, agrees.

Chan, who worked in a department of cancer epidemiology overseas on a Fulbright Scholarship, says she feels that her year overseas allowed her to "gain a better perspective" of the field of public health.

She says that a large percentage of students who attend SPH have an interest in conducting or interpreting research projects.

The Road to SPH

Unlike tracks such as the one premedical students must take, there is "no preparatory curriculum" for SPH, Daniels says.

However, she says most departments at SPH look for particular qualifications and experience in their applicants.

"Most departments look for relevant experience," she says. "[In] some cases, [that may be] full time work experience."

Ware also says that being at a college like Harvard with such a competitive environment can indicate to officials that the applicant is capable.

As a matter of fact, Daniels says there are a "fair number" of Harvard students at SPH.

Bertone adds that many of her professors "seem to be pleased to see Harvard students [in their classes]."

Daniels says the SPH only specifically requests GRE test scores from its applicants, but will accept other graduate level standardized test scores under certain circumstances.

For instance, medical school students interested in fitting the year-long MPH program into their training, can apply using their MCAT score. This also pertains to doctors who graduated from medical school even many years ago.

Law students and practicing lawyers may submit their LSAT scores in lieu of the GREs.

Padding the Resume

However, Ware and students add that relevant course work for each department can prove to be the extra-needed edge for admission and can help the transition to the graduate level work.

Since all programs require an introductory class in biostatistics, the students recommend taking an undergraduate statistics course.

Mase further recommends a basic economic course, such as Social Analysis 10: "Principles of Economics."

Also Ware and Norton say that multi-variable calculus or applied math can help students.

However, Chan says students do not need to be too concerned about having exactly the right credentials because the introductory courses "start slow."

For departments such as cancer biology or environmental health, Ware and Norton agree that a solid knowledge of biology or the physical sciences is somewhat necessary.

Ware and Norton also recommend a much broader basis in the humanities including liberal arts and social science to those interested in pursuing a degree in fields such as epidemiology.

Norton says he found a general education class about cancer, science and society to be a good insight into the field of public health.

Extracurricular activities and jobs can even fill the seeming void in an application if they are appropriate to an applicant's field of interest, Daniels says.

Bertone says she considers her undergraduate work with the Peer Counseling Group Response to be a "valid experience," adding that SPH seems impressed by students who have dedicated their time to public service as well.

"I think they are looking for people who are interested in [helping] the community," she says.

She adds that working in a lab in college helps to make the transition to laboratory science with a slant on public health smoother.

Mase agrees on the importance of activities, saying they can sometimes determine the path a student takes to get into SPH as well as the field they decide to pursue.

He says he learned about different approaches to international medicine from rotations he did abroad for his residency and a fellowship he did in pain management.

Chan says she was first exposed to SPH in the "Summer in the Sciences" program after her sophomore year in college when she was paired with a member of the faculty at SPH. She then continued to work for professor until graduation.

Regardless of the students' resumes, however, Daniels says that about half of all applicants to SPH are admitted.

Atmosphere of the School

SPH is composed of students from varying age groups and places all over the world.

About one-third of the applicants to the school are residents of foreign countries, Daniels says. According to an information pamphlet published by the School, 27 percent of its students are from overseas.

Classes present different challenges and learning experiences to different people, Mase says.

"For we who have career experience, the courses look very different," he says.

Mase says that people who have direct field experience can often see the objectives of the classes more clearly.

The younger students, such as Bertone, feel equally at home amid the experienced older crowd and say they are sometimes better-prepared for the workload.

Bertone says that she feels her experience as an undergraduate at the College let her know that she was intellectually-capable of handling the material.

'Coming from Harvard helped in [my] confidence," she says.

Bertone says that the course work is about the same at SPH as at the College. She adds that it may have been to her advantage never having become accustomed to a nine-to-five work style.

"[Older] students sometimes take things more seriously but have a harder time studying [and] taking tests," she says.

SPH can present many options to a student who is willing to seek them out individually, Bertone adds.

"Harvard College was a good place to be if you were independent [and motivated]," she says. "The School of Public Health is even more so."

However, Bertone says that although there is not a lot advising at SPH to help students adjust, it is easy to adapt to the setting.

"People are generally P.C., non-competitive [and] very friendly" Chan says.