Claire Zeigler is one of a handful of students in the University of Kansas MD/Master of Public Health (MPH) joint program, which aims to fuse the foundation of the medical degree with an emphasis on public and community health. By combining the two approaches, the program teaches its students to transcend the traditionally individualized view of medical care.

“Most people only think about health care when they’re sick. It’s a very reactive process, and we’re trying to change that,” Zeigler said. “We’re trying to get people to think about preventive care. If we don’t understand health that way, we’ll never be a truly healthy society.”

Zeigler, who sounds positively Gandhian in her dedication to underserved populations, has seen the effects of poor health care firsthand. She was born in the Republic of Burundi in Africa and spent her first 18 years living in a number of impoverished nations where health care is a mere dream for many residents. The experience inspired her to dedicate her career to improving health care and access to medical care for those who need it most. “You can really make a change in the way medicine works, and it allows you to give back to the community,” Zeigler said. “Everyone who is part of the MPH program sees that there’s more to medicine than just getting an MD.”

Public health has experienced a resurgence in popularity over the past several years as more cities and regions take on the challenge of improving the collective health of their citizens. From local smoking restrictions to New York’s trans fat ban, municipalities large and small have begun to take a more active role in public health in an effort to alleviate the eventual social costs of treatment.

“There has been a shift toward a global view of health, away from an individual focus on treatment and toward a communitybased view of population health,” said Mary Ann Woirhaye, MPH, degree exists to improve your skills as a physician, especially for those who want to work in a community health setting.” Zeigler saw some of the world’s worst poverty in her time abroad but was unpleasantly surprised to find, upon her arrival in the world’s wealthiest nation, that a large portion of Americans do not have access to proper health care. Worse, many do not live healthy lifestyles and are not educated about how to do so.

One way to shift this trend, Zeigler said, is for citizens and patients alike to stop thinking about medicine only in a reactive manner. Once that shift occurs, significant public health improvements can become possible.

“Can we effect change on an individual level, and then on a local level, or national or even international level?” Zeigler asked. “I want to find ways to increase access to health care, where we can have a huge impact on the future.”

Zeigler’s ambitious goals do not go unrecognized by program administrators. She is a recipient of the school’s prestigious John T. Stewart, III Scholarship, which bestows a $15,000 award to highachieving students who express a desire to stay and work in Kansas. “We look for students that are highly motivated, devoted to the community, and who are empathetic toward underserved populations,” Woirhaye said. “They see a need to make broad societal changes and to go beyond the bedside in treatment and prevention.”

The daunting task of trying to alter personal behavior on a community level does not deter Zeigler, who sees her work in public health as a way to reimburse society for the resources given to her. “The health of the community affects each individual, and each individual’s health, in turn, affects the health of the community,” Zeigler said. “That means our community will only be as healthy as the sickest among us. Those who have been given the tools to effect change are obligated to do so.” +