St. George’s University: On the Forefront of Public Health

They’re in Uganda interviewing people injured by wildlife in the National Park. They were part of a team investigating a yellow fever outbreak in Trinidad. Here in the United Kingdom, they have brought their expertise to bear in the multicultural communities of London. With the Westminster Primary Care Trust, they have worked on projects to prevent cardiovascular disease. At St.  Leonard’s, they have helped develop recommendations to implement breastfeeding programs and also linked up with the voluntary sector to provide services to the Bangladeshi community.

Who are these scientific sleuths surfacing in locations all over the world to study health-related issues? Students in public health and research programs at St. George’s University in Grenada, West Indies.

Global Study Leads to Public Health Expertise

“It’s natural that our medical students would increasingly turn to work beyond the traditional definition of a physician’s practice,” said Margaret Lambert, Dean of Enrolment Planning at St. George’s. “The University has always prepared students from around the world to return to their home countries. And the needs of those countries have led us to evolve our program offerings, including in areas that affect the larger population, such as public health.”

Dean Lambert explained that in the last decade, the University added public health and research concentrations and degrees to its groundbreaking medical school. Students may earn standalone MPH or MSc degrees or combine them with MD or DVM degrees for specialized careers in medicine or veterinary medicine. These are the students now traveling around the world on the front lines of health care.

“In our time, technology, communications and travel have exploded, transforming the world into one globally dependent neighborhood. Our programs allow students to prepare for emerging areas that advance health on a larger playing field – in whole populations versus only in individual patients. We also are readying ourselves, unfortunately, to handle concerns we did not even dream of 25 years ago – bio-terrorism, agri-terrorism and food safety,” said Dean Lambert.

For more information on St. George’s University’s Schools of Medicine or Veterinary Medicine, please visit www.sgu.edu.