I’ve always appreciated the medical mysteries of the human body, but it wasn’t until my senior year in high school that my biology teacher suggested that I should consider a career in medicine. Once I received my visa, I moved from Kenya to Seattle to join the rest of my family. I began school at the University of Washington in pursuit of a career in healthcare. I decided to major in Biology.
A science that not only taught me how different organ systems function to maintain constant internal environment but also how medical intervention is applied in situations where diseases interrupt such a complex system. As much as I was fascinated by the workings of the human body, I found myself actively engaging in the broader perspectives of health particularly the socioeconomic factors that limit health access. I added Medical Anthropology and Global Health as a second major, where I learned more about the social and cultural aspects of human health.
Compared to Biology, this discipline stretched my thinking on how socioeconomical, gendered and racialized health disparities negatively impact health outcomes at both the individualistic and community level. Furthermore, my clinical background has shown me how deeply entrenched these and other systemic inequalities can affect health outcome. In sum, my broad experiences both academically and clinically, have steered me towards pursuing further education in policy research and reform advocacy that strive for improvement of care. For this reason, I am confident that a Master’s in Public Health from the renowned Boston University, would enrich me with the knowledge and leadership skills necessary to become a contributing member advocating for population health rights and equal health outcome.
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Upon completion of my undergraduate education, I began working as a medical assistant at the Foot and Ankle Center of Washington. With two doctors and another medical assistant we saw on average 50 patients a day. I learned a great deal about critical thinking and how modern treatment protocol is applied to treat various health problems. What I did not anticipate was learning about the world of health insurance, and the thorny relationships between medical insurance, patients, and providers. For instance, in order for a low-income individual with Medicaid plans from the insurance market place to be seen by a specialist, a certain criterion had to be met. Since such plans have varying reimbursement rates and high deductibles they had to be referred to a specialist from an Emergency room.
Routine care for patients with chronic conditions such as diabetes is only available for those with plans of better reimbursement benefits. My personal count from our medical dental building of providers that took Medicaid and the most affordable plan on the marketplace (Ambetter) proved interesting; of the 32 specialty providers, excluding the two cosmetic surgical practices that don’t take any insurance plans, only two including ours accepted such plans only with a referral from the emergency room. This count may not have been controlled to compare with other medical provider offices, but it brought to my attention the business-like structure of health insurance.
My prior experiences have made me realize the importance of advocacy and the potential with regards to improvement of care Health is a human right and top of the line care should not be reserved for the wealthy. We need to push for equality in both health access and outcome. Solving such stubborn problems in healthcare requires collaboration with community members, doctors, lawyers and engineers. It is for this reason that I am directing my attention towards the field of public health policy and law to advocate for health justice. Boston University is one of the few prominent programs that not only offers fieldwork research on health policy but also fosters well rounded students that can take on leadership roles in local community health organizations.
I’m particularly intrigued by the work of Professor Wendy Mariner on how she uses her knowledge on human rights and health law to approach and criticize issues health care today. I am also fascinated by the work of Dr. Jennifer Beard on health storytelling and Dr. Austin Frakt’s work on health services research. In addition to the great professors at BU, the opportunity to study in Boston would give me access to cutting edge public health research and practice. It will also enable me to collaborate with nonprofit health organizations in the greater Boston area such as Partners in Health, Ariadne Labs, Disparities Solution Center and the upcoming Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway and JP Morgan Chase health venture. All of which are working towards building an equitable health society.
I envision progress in public health issues and increase in awareness on the importance of public health as a foundation for a healthy life. I aspire to use research, leadership skills, and clinical experience, as well as my creative nature and desire to incite change to become part of the innovative research at Boston University. I believe admission to the Master of Public Health program at Boston University is a critical step in making my aspirations a reality.
