Public and Community Health Opportunities

The Office of Diversity Programs is directly involved in the improvement of the St. Louis public’s health through an integrated public health curriculum and student-led groups.

Public health training programs

The Saturday Neighborhood Health Clinic offers medical students the opportunity to serve the community while also learning about public health through a practical, hands-on clinical experience.

Saturday Neighborhood Health Clinic: The clinic introduces students to patient-centered health care for indigent community residents.

View a video about the clinic from Medical Alumni and Development’s Mentors series:

Read an Outlook article about the Saturday Neighborhood Health Clinic »

Saturday Clinic Selective: This five-week selective offers an introduction to health administration, policy and economics as they relate to medical care for the underserved. Using Washington University’s student-run Saturday Neighborhood Health Clinic (SNHC) as a case study, students will learn how to run a free clinic, from daily clinic flow to patient follow-up to informed quality improvement; explore the landscape of health care services available to uninsured adults in the St. Louis area, as well as the SNHC’s relationship with these providers; and begin to unpack the structural and political complexities of health insurance. With this toolkit, students will assume responsibility for running the day-to-day operations of the SNHC.

Washington University Medical Plunge (WUMP): As part of the core curriculum, WUMP provides students with an overview of public health in St. Louis through lectures, tours and public health service projects.

“The most meaningful part of the week is that I felt the responsibility to make a change in the tough public health issues in the St. Louis area… As a future physician, it is our privilege and responsibility to address these issues and work with the community to improve their general health…”
– Student participant

Introduction to Public Health Selective: A five-week survey selective, highlighting applied epidemiology, health policy, health promotions and community planning, culminating in a year-long community-based service project.
Public Health Interest Group: A student affinity group that provides guest lecturers from national authorities in public health, networking for students interested in careers in public health and service opportunities.

Degree programs

Melvin Blanchard with residents

Washington University also offers degree programs in public health and population health.

MD/MPH Degree: Available exclusively to current Washington University School of Medicine students pursuing their Doctor of Medicine degree, students in this program earn a Master of Public Health degree from the Brown School in one additional year of study. Designed for medical students with an interest in population health, this program approaches improving community health from the perspective of prevention. Students gain an understanding of the social, economic, environmental and cultural determinants of health and learn to apply evidence-based approaches to community-level disease prevention, health promotion and health policy.

MD/MPHS Degree: The Master of Population Health (MPHS) offered by the School of Medicine is a 10-month, full-time degree program for medical students, residents, fellows and attendings seeking training in clinical research methods. The curriculum emphasizes the role of clinical epidemiology and biostatistics in approaching clinical effectiveness and outcomes research for all medical fields.

Public health student groups

Students participate in a variety of activities and groups focused on public health. These include: