Director's welcome

The MD-MPH program represents a synergistic opportunity for qualified students to engage in both medicine and public health training over the course of five years. The goal of the program is to train future leaders to navigate and also define the intersections of medicine and public health. These intersections come in healthcare systems, in translational and community-based research, in disease surveillance and government public health policy and programs. MD-MPH graduates are uniquely equipped to be excellent physicians in their field and contribute to public health science and practice. This training endeavor is jointly supported by the OHSU School of Medicine and the OHSU-PSU School of Public Health.  

Students who matriculate into the MD-MPH program receive training and exposure to public health throughout the five year training program. There are over 160 graduates from the program with many becoming leaders in their respective fields. Competitive applicants for the MD-MPH program have experience in some quantitative or qualitative analysis of public health, health outcomes or health systems data. I strongly encourage diverse candidates to apply.

Portland is a vibrant city with a variety of neighborhoods to live in from urban downtown to close-in suburbs, a diverse and delicious food scene, and incredible outdoor opportunities within a short drive of Portland – Mt Hood, the Oregon coast, the Columbia River Gorge – and hiking and camping opportunities abound.

The students who make up the MD-MPH Program are an incredibly talented, smart, kind and generous group of individuals who amaze me with their projects, their advocacy, and their scholarship. They come together to create community within each class and across classes. It is an honor to direct the MD-MPH Program and participate in this community.

-Alex Foster, MD, MPH