The Family Medicine/Master of Public Health
The Family Medicine/MPH 4 year residency at Case Western Reserve University is an innovative learning opportunity for two residents per academic year who is interested in developing his or her knowledge and skill base in public health.
What are the objectives of the Family Medicine/MPH 4 year residency program?
- To impart to family medicine residents the capacity to address health needs of the individual and of populations
- To enhance the resident's skills in health promotion and disease prevention at both the individual and population levels
- To increase the epidemiological and biostatistical skills of the resident
- To expand the resident's knowledge base to include community assessment and intervention in addition to individual diagnosis and treatment
- To expand the resident's knowledge base to include a broader understanding of health systems and the role of the physician in those systems
Why does Case Department of Family Medicine offer the Family Medicine/MPH program?
Traditionally the field of medicine has approached the health of individuals through knowledge of biomedicine and application of clinical skills in the context of the doctor-patient relationship. Public health, on the other hand, has focused on improving the health of populations through community intervention.
As illness has become increasingly based on individual lifestyle choice; as health care delivery has begun to focus on “managed care” populations; as prevention has become an increasingly clear imperative; it has become clear that medicine and public health – “twins separated at birth” – cannot survive without each other. It is necessary to address populations to improve the health of individuals and to work with individuals to improve the health of populations. Medicine and public health are not mutually exclusive, but entirely reliant on each other in order for either to achieve their goals.
How will I complete residency and the MPH degree requirements in 4 years?
The resident will complete all family medicine requirements during the first three years of residency. During one semester of the second year and third year of residency the resident will complete core requirements in: Epidemiology, Biostatistics, Behavioral Health, Environmental Health, and Health Policy/Administration. During the fourth year of the residency the resident will continue to see his/her continuity patients in the Family Medicine Clinic part time while completing requirements for the MPH degree.
What fields within public health may I focus on?
Residents in the Family Medicine/MPH 4 year residency may select from any of the Tracks within the MPH Program. These include:
- Public Health Research
- Clinical Track
- Health Services Track
- Urban Health
- Health Care Administration
- Health Promotion and Disease Prevention
- International Health
- Adolescent Health
- Sexuality and Reproductive Health
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