DO/MPH Overview
The DO/MPH is a collaborative program offered by the Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine (TouroCOM) in partnership with the School of Health Sciences and Practice at New York Medical College (NYMC). Combining your DO degree with a Master of Public Health gives you the opportunity to provide more comprehensive and informed patient-centered care, contribute effectively to community health initiatives, health policy, and preventive care practices, and do more on a broader scale.
DOs bring a holistic approach to medicine, recognizing the links between a patient’s mental, physical, and social health. This all-encompassing focus aligns well with the principles of public health. By earning an MPH, you can broaden your reach beyond individual patient care, tackling larger health challenges in your community and beyond. As a graduate of the program you can advocate for meaningful policy changes, lead health-focused initiatives, and design programs that address chronic issues prevalent in your community.
How Physicians Can Make an Impact in Public Health
The hands-on approach and focus on preventive care inherent to osteopathic medicine puts you as a DO in the perfect position to address the unique social and cultural factors influencing community health. You are ready to tackle health-related challenges from a holistic perspective and develop programs tailored to specific populations. Graduates of the collaborative degree are prepared to support the health and well-being of diverse populations, contributing to critical areas such as disease prevention, health education, and policy advocacy.
Adding the MPH to your DO degree prepares you for leadership roles in healthcare settings, including hospitals, government agencies, and international organizations. There is a need for professionals who can integrate clinical expertise with public health strategies to address systemic health challenges.
DO/MPH graduates will enter the workforce with a diverse range of career opportunities. Physicians engaged in public health play vital roles in multiple areas including:
- Patient Education and Safety
- Improvement of population health outcomes
- Advocating for public health policies
- Disaster planning
- Conducting research on community health issues
- Designing and administering public health programs
- Collaborating with public health organizations
The MPH can also help you meet the requirements for board certification in public health and general preventive medicine (ABPM).
Adding an MPH degree alongside your DO degree expands your expertise to include disease screening and early detection programs, initiatives to reduce disparities in healthcare access for marginalized populations, and counseling to increase early interventions in numerous chronic disease states such as diabetes, hyperlipidemia, obesity, and hypertension.
The addition of an MPH degree is so flexible that it can be adapted to your passion and enhance a specific skill set to be most helpful to the population(s) that you serve.
MPH-Generalist Degree
The MPH offered through this collaborative program is an MPH-Generalist degree. The MPH-Generalist degree includes foundational courses in health behavior, community health, public health program evaluation, grant writing, biostatistics, and epidemiology. The curriculum is designed to provide you with a comprehensive understanding of the behavioral, social, and cultural factors that influence health outcomes.
While earning your MPH-Generalist degree, you’ll learn to
- assess the impact of public health policies and interventions.
- deliver health education to underserved communities to drive behavioral change,
- develop strategies to reduce chronic illness and promote a healthy lifestyle, and
- captain public health initiatives while adhering to ethical standards.
How the DO/MPH Degree Program Works
MPH courses are delivered entirely online, providing flexibility for you to pursue MPH studies alongside your DO coursework. The MPH degree requires 42 credits, and 12 credits from your DO program count towards the MPH. This leaves 30 MPH credits you will need to complete the degree. You must maintain a grade of “B” or better in the four transferable courses (12 credits) for them to count toward the MPH degree.
As a student enrolled in the DO/MPH program you will take core courses such as Health Care in the US, Behavioral and Social Factors in Public Health, and Public Health in Action. Additional courses include:
- Evaluating Public Health Programs
- Grant Writing in the Real World
- Community Health Assessment & Planning
The curriculum includes an Applied Practice Experience, which you can fulfill as one of your early clinical experiences. Your DO classes in preventive medicine and behavioral medicine count towards the MPH.
Earn Both Degrees Within Your Four DO Years, or After
You can complete both degrees simultaneously within your four years of medical school. MPH courses start in the third year of the DO program.
The additional 30 credits of required MPH coursework can be taken simultaneously with the DO curriculum beginning as early as the spring semester of your first DO year. If you do not complete the remaining MPH requirements by the time you earn your DO degree you have up to three additional years after graduation from TouroCOM to complete all MPH requirements. Each school–Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine for the DO and New York Medical College for the MPH–will grant their respective degrees upon completion of the respective program.
Approval by the TouroCOM Preclinical Dean on your campus is required to start the MPH program. DO students seeking their MPH degree must remain in good academic standing in the DO program, with all benchmark requirements as set forth in the TouroCOM Student Handbook and College Catalog met, including passing COMLEX L1 and L2 and completion of all DO program requirements in no more than 6 years.
Tuition and Financial Aid
The MPH program is offered to TouroCOM DO students at a discount on standard NYMC MPH degree tuition, reducing the cost of the remaining required 30 MPH credits. Federal financial aid regulations allow students to receive aid for only one program of study at a time.
DO/MPH students pursuing both degrees simultaneously will receive financial aid for their primary degree. With your written authorization you can elect to use a portion of your Title IV credit balance (refund) to pay for ineligible courses that would not be covered by Federal Financial Aid. Beyond that, you will need to independently fund MPH courses.
Additional fees such as entrance fees may apply. No discount is applied to DO tuition.
How Do I Apply?
If you are a student interested in the MPH program, please indicate your interest upon admission to TouroCOM or during your first year. You can apply as early as during the Fall semester of OMS1 for a Spring enrollment.
Admissions require a completed DO/MPH DocuSign application, including your signature. The form will be routed to the TouroCOM Dean or designated representative. Accepted students will receive an admissions letter along with registration instruction, and we will work with you on an individualized program to facilitate a timeframe to enable the successful completion of the MPH which is in your best interest
TouroCOM graduates are welcome to apply.
Contacts
Please see the appropriate person on your TouroCOM campus and let them know your interest in the MPH program once you are admitted to the DO program or during your program tenure.
Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine, Harlem Campus
Arthur Prancan, PhD
Preclinical Dean
arthur.prancan@touro.edu
(646) 981-4612
Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine, Middletown Campus
Stephen Jones, PhD
Associate Preclinical Dean
stephen.jones@touro.edu
(845) 648-1000 x 60209
Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine, Great Falls Campus
Kartick Pramanik, PhD
Assistant Preclinical Dean
kpramani@touro.edu
(406) 401-8123
New York Medical College:
Kenneth A. Knapp, PhD
Chair, Department of Public Health
kenneth_knapp@nymc.edu
(914) 594-2043
