Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) & Master of Public Health (MPH)

Why Pursue Dual Training?

The pursuit of training in public health has personal, professional, and global outcomes that have significant influence on clinical care outcomes. Public health professionals are trained to incorporate a focus on disease prevention through research, promotion of healthy lifestyles, implementation of educational programming, policy development, and administration and regulation of health systems and services. Spanning many disciplines, those in the public health field are challenged with:

• improving access to health care;
• monitoring and controlling infectious disease;
• reducing environmental hazards, violence, substance abuse, and injury; and
• many other global health issues.

Thus, a public health training experience must provide an interdisciplinary and interprofessional environment that fosters learner success as they progress in their comprehensive public health knowledge, competencies, and professional values; identify and pursue individualized educational and professional goals along the scope and continuum of public health settings and sectors; and collaborate with faculty and community partners to improve health equity and overall population health and well-being.

In close alignment with the tenets of the osteopathic medical profession, this combined program of instruction seeks to integrate the traditional osteopathic training, skillsets, and perspectives of holistic, people-centered medical care into the development of professionals who are uniquely suited for leadership in modifying health behaviors/attitudes and improving knowledge through health policy development and occupational, environmental, and population health management.

Program Goals

The intent of this program is directed at allowing osteopathic medical students to:

• Participate in a safe academic environment, climate, and culture to determine future integrated roles to advance research and practice the arena of public health and clinical practice.
• Develop and mature an understanding of professionalism in public health.
• Engage expertly with faculty, other health professionals, and the public to create diverse, effective, and functional interdisciplinary and interprofessional environments dedicated to public health.
• Prepare for a significant role in the public health workforce through applied and integrated learning experiences.
• Become competent in the knowledge and values of population health while identifying and maintaining mindfulness of their own personal and professional health care goals.
• Develop competency and skills in providing service and consultation to public health agencies and organizations at the local, state, national and international level toward the improvement of population health.

Application Process

ICOM encourages student participation in degree programs from external colleges or universities (co-admission or concurrent enrollment) when that participation will not adversely affect the student’s progression through the medical school curriculum. ICOM students interested in participating in this program must seek and receive prior review and approval from the Student Success Committee and the ICOM Dean. Additionally, MPH applicants must meet the admissions requirement for the program at Idaho State University.

ICOM medical students in good academic standing are eligible to apply to the MPH program following completion of their first semester of medical school. Your MCAT score will be used in place of any required GRE/GMAT examinations.

The MPH curricular program is managed and delivered by Idaho State University. The Idaho State MPH program maintains eight admission slots every academic year for ICOM applicants who are reviewed by faculty from both institutions. 

The applicant will meet with the Associate Dean of Educational Development, Innovation, and Diversity and an assigned faculty mentor to establish student success oversight for the required sequence of courses and create an individualized training and curriculum timeline. This curriculum, in combination with that of the four-year osteopathic medical education program, is designed to be completed within a total of five years. Course work is subject to change, based on course availability and satisfactory student performance.

Master of Public Health Curriculum

The MPH curriculum focuses its learners in social and behavioral science while preparing its future graduates to assess behavioral, social, and cultural factors that impact populational health behaviors and health outcome. The MPH degree, itself, requires 42 credit hours for completion.

Disclaimer

The DO-MPH program guidelines are continuously updated and are subject to change based upon individual institutional or program recommendations and policy requirements.

Contact Information

For questions about the DO-MPH program, please contact Dr. Luke Mortensen, ICOM Associate Dean of Educational Development, Innovation and Diversity.