Public Health Track

Health policy is an important facet of pediatrics and involves state and federal legislative initiatives and health policy planning. Public policy involves the allocations of health care resources and the distribution of health care resources to meet community needs. Through the public health track, residents will have the opportunity to explore courses in public health and be involved in educational experiences related to these issues. There will also be opportunities to enroll in and begin work on a Masters of Public Health during residency training.


What Residents Are Saying About Our Program

“Thank you so much for the opportunity to pursue the public health residency track. Today I took my final two exams, and I cannot believe the semester has come to a close. This experience has been incredible, and I just wanted to express how appreciative I am of this opportunity to chase my interests and passions. Learning about public health problems, health behavior theories for health interventions, and meeting other students and faculty who share a similar passion for child health has been incredible.

These few months have really contributed greatly to my residency; public health and pediatrics is a very unique and special combination; having a medical background and then approaching public health problems really helps to understand the entire scope of the problem. During my coursework, I learned about health communication campaigns and how to motivate individuals to make positive life changes. I will definitely be applying these skills in my continuity clinic as well as in future practice. The opportunity to explore different health problems in the public health coursework is incredible, and I had the opportunity to work on projects such as smoking cessation in the LGBTQ+ population, suicide awareness among 25-45-year-old individuals, and hookah use among adolescents.

I have been speaking with applicants and with the current interns about the public health residency track and strongly encourage anybody with an interest or a background in public health to apply to this track. It is definitely worth it, and I can see myself directly applying these skills in the work field. If anybody is interested in the public health track, I am more than happy to chat with them!

Thank you so much again! I give the public health residency track two thumbs waaaaaay up!”


Track Leaders

Matthew Gurka

Matthew Gurka Ph.D.

Professor And Director, Pediatrics Research Hub (PoRCH)