INMED and MPH programs offer American Indian students new opportunity

Document Type

News Article

Publication Date

4-16-2015

Campus Unit

School of Medicine & Health Sciences

Abstract

GRAND FORKS, N.D.—American Indian students at the University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences have a new opportunity to pursue a graduate degree in public health. UND’s Indians Into Medicine Program (INMED) and the Master of Public Health Program have partnered to provide training for four students each year to study and earn a master’s degree. INMED and the MPH programs are a part of the UND SMHS.

Through discussions between the directors of the INMED and MPH programs about the value of public health for American Indian communities, a plan was developed to create an INMED–Public Health collaboration similar to that between INMED and UND’s clinical programs.

“The INMED Program at UND has long supported American Indian students in the health professions of medicine, nursing, occupational therapy, physical therapy, medical laboratory science, clinical psychology, counseling, dietetics and nutrition, psychology, social work, and others,” said Raymond L. Goldsteen, DrPH, professor, Family and Community Medicine, and founding director, UND Center for Comparative Effectiveness Analytics and the MPH Program.

“Additional educational opportunities for members of U.S. federally recognized tribes have been created because of the collaboration between the Master of Public Health Program and the Indians Into Medicine Program,” said INMED Director Eugene DeLorme, J.D.

Goldsteen said the INMED–MPH collaboration has been developed to support American Indian students training for interventions that stress prevention and health promotion. “This is important to address health problems that disproportionately affect American Indians, including unintentional injuries, suicide, alcoholism and subsequent chronic liver disease, homicide, and diabetes,” he said. “The morbidity and mortality rates from these conditions among American Indians exceed those of every other minority group and the population as a whole. These conditions are best prevented and treated through public health programs and policies that incorporate cultural understanding. American Indian students who obtain the MPH degree will be prepared to help communities address these health issues.”

Both programs are physically located across the hall from each other at the School of Medicine and Health Sciences on the campus of the University of North Dakota. DeLorme said, “Participants would enjoy all the support services offered by the Indians Into Medicine Program, including access to INMED’s learning resource center, tutoring services, computer lab, dedicated study rooms, academic and financial aid counseling, as well as a supportive community occupied by staff and other educationally committed American Indian health professions students.”

Applicants to the MPH Program through INMED must be enrolled members of federally recognized tribes; applications are accepted on a rolling basis until the class is full.

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