University of Sourthern California

MASTER OF PUBLIC HEALTH (MPH) ONLINE

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The USC Alumni Association Trojan network comprises more than 400,000 graduates spread across the globe. The USC Alumni Association supports more than 100 affiliated alumni organizations, including regional, alumnae (women’s), generational, affinity and school-based groups, and industry networks. The association hosts hundreds of events and programs around the world, and provides benefits and services to all USC alumni. The USC Alumni Association has a full-time staff headed by the associate senior vice president for alumni relations and is advised by the USC Alumni Association Board of Governors.

Get to Know MPH Students and Alumni

One of the best ways to gauge the success of an online master’s program is to measure the success of its students and graduates. Hear from a few of ours now.

Porsche Clark

Porsche Clark, MPH

USC MPH Online Graduate, Class of 2016
Concentration: Community Health Promotion

The USC MPH Online program allowed me the opportunity to further my education, while continuing to work in my current field and apply my learning in real time. During my time in the program and in the Community Health Promotion concentration I learned how to identify and conduct evidence based research and understand the importance of engaging with the communities you wish to help. I was privileged to receive a stipend in 2015 and attend the national APHA conference in Chicago and was able to connect with other online USC MPH students as well as other public health professionals from around the country. This program offered me the ability to do research with other universities and hospitals during my practicum and my practicum work continued after graduation. I was recently listed as a co-author on two accepted research articles that were published in 2017. Now out of the program, I am taking the concepts and projects started in graduate school and applying them in practice and will be starting my non-profit entitled, “You are Not a Stigma” later this year, which is focused on reducing stigmas in relation to women’s health, intellectual disability, mental health and social economic challenges through education and providing resources.

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Alexandra Bodan, MPH

USC MPH Online Student, Class of 2017
Concentration: Biostatistics and Epidemiology

Alexandra’s area of interest is children’s health and obesity, particularly adolescent children, as many hormonal changes are occurring around this age. She also wants to study factors that contribute to the onset of obesity as adolescents and into early adulthood. She is currently pursuing a PhD in Epidemiology. This will enable her to run research studies while also teaching others who are interested in public health professions. Hear her story now:

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Sunil Saith, MD, MPH

USC MPH Online Graduate, Class of 2016
Concentration: Biostatistics and Epidemiology

 

My time as a resident in our nation’s capital during the passage of the Affordable Care Act, inspired me to take a broader leadership role beyond that of a clinician. It was becoming clear that an interdisciplinary approach had been successful in treating important economically-burdensome conditions such as acute decompensated heart failure. The USC MPH online program allowed me the opportunity to enhance my understanding of how biostatistics can help modulate clinical decision-making and identify its limitations. Since completing my degree during my residency, I was able to publish a case report as a lead author, present several posters at my research fair and am currently working on co-authoring a book chapter on the epidemiology of heart failure as a fellow at New York University. The flexibility and support of this program has provided me with the resources that would not otherwise be available to me in a traditional brick and mortar format.

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Howard Luong, MPH

USC MPH Online Graduate, Class of 2017
Concentration: Global Health

 

Being in the Air Force, I travel a lot and I am located in different time zones. This instructors in this program were very understanding and accommodating to my schedule. Through this program, I am able to apply what I learned to help better my interaction with people of different cultures to accomplish defense and national goals. This program also gave me the skills and resources to construct an effective diet and fitness plan for my squadron in which everyone is excelling in their physical training. I have acquired many skills that I will be able to utilize not only in the military but also on the civilian side.

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Michael Pham, MPH, NREMT-Paramedic

USC MPH Online Alumnus, Class of 2016
Concentration: Community Health Promotion

 

I pursued my MPH online with USC in order to supplement my full-time work as a health educator and Director for my own organization and company. The freedom and ability to attend webinars, while communicating with my colleagues online in discussion and group projects, were great opportunities that I truly appreciated. I feel that I was able to succeed and learn as much as a full-time student on campus. The program allowed me to see the effectiveness of a distance program for working professionals, as well as fostering the same development and professional growth as any other student. Moreover, the USC faculty were committed and invested in my learning. I truly have valued every opportunity that came my way as a MPH online student. While far from Los Angeles county, I was still able to meet with professors and attend events through USC!

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Jenevieve S. Kincaid, MD, MPH, RN

USC MPH Online Graduate, Class of 2016
Concentration: Global Health

 

Earning my MPH Online with USC was one of the best decisions I have ever made. Not only has it helped me improve the quality of care I give my patients, it afforded me the opportunity to travel to Vietnam, and the ability to take on a leadership role as Co-Chair of APHA’s Vietnam Caucus, as well Chair of the Disaster and Humanitarian Committee for the Wilderness Medical Society. I also feel much more prepared when assessing the validity and efficacy of journal articles, both in practice and as a reviewer. Finally, I met some incredible people who are doing amazing work all over this world. I absolutely support and endorse USC Online MPH program. Go Trojans!

Karren Wong

Karren Wong, MPH

USC MPH Online Graduate, Class of 2015
Concentration: Biostatistics and Epidemiology

 

The USC MPH online program provided me with the flexibility and resources I needed to achieve my goals. I was able to conduct Alzheimer’s disease research full-time while completing my degree in two years. The Professors were readily available and as an independent learner, I enjoyed the freedom the program provided and the support from professors and administrators. Obtaining my MPH, in the Biostatistics and Epidemiology Track, allowed me to conduct better research and it opened new doors for me. The statistical background and analytical skills that I have gained will be crucial to my success as a scientist and as a physician. This Fall 2017, I will be attending Michigan State University College of Human Medicine to complete my medical degree. I have also been accepted into their Leadership in Medicine for the Underserved Program, which will allow me to gain my clinical and research experiences in Flint, Michigan. After the recent water crisis in Flint, there is still much to do and I hope to play a key role in making a difference for this community! The USC MPH Online Program has prepared me to take on the public health challenges that I will encounter throughout my career as a physician for the underserved.

Careen Caputo

Careen Caputo, MPH, OD

USC MPH Online Student, Class of 2017
Concentration: Global Health

 

I chose to pursue a master’s degree in public health to seek a better understanding of how to help others achieve a healthier life…including having access to health care no matter where they live. My favorite part of the MPH program was being challenged by my peers and instructors to think about health and well-being from a different perspective than my own. Not surprisingly, one of my favorite classes was Introduction to Global Health, which broadened my awareness of the multitude factors that contribute to an individual’s ability to live to their full potential. As an optometrist for many years, my aspiration is to reduce the burden of vision loss through increasing awareness and access to timely, affordable, acceptable and quality eye care to vulnerable populations both locally and globally. I was privileged to be an intern at Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian in Newport Beach, CA during my MPH practicum. Here I combined my optometric background to assess risk perceptions to diabetes complications in a low-income Latino population of Orange County. My primary focus was to evaluate their understanding of the ocular complication, diabetic retinopathy (DR), and their perception of the risk of developing this sight-threatening condition. The results of surveys at two community clinics revealed that personal disease risk for DR was lacking in 50% of participants. As a result, I developed an educational pamphlet to raise awareness to their risk of developing DR that will be used for future diabetes education seminars and in the participating clinics. Furthermore, I volunteer my professional services at one of the clinics to help increase access to eye care in the underserved population of Orange County.

Jonathan Robinson

Jonathan Robinson, MPH

USC MPH Online Student, Class of 2018
Concentration: Global Health

 

I am pursuing USC’s online MPH to further my understanding of the public health field and strengthen my involvement in overseas aid. I have a passion for understanding what can be done to help better appropriate funds and resources for large scale change in healthcare efforts. I work predominately in the emergency, pre-hospital environment as an EMT and apply much of my education from the MPH program in serving my community through CPR instruction. I strive for policy change to ensure that our pre-hospital medical providers are providing higher standards of care. I also aspire to help equip the public more effectively to respond to emergencies such as prevention of drowning and sudden cardiac arrest. My program emphasis is global health leadership and my planned coursework will strengthen my involvement in international medical care where I apply my experience as an EMT and CPR instructor to train healthcare providers in underserved communities. The MPH provides me with the necessary training and tools to ensure that my work in the medical field is sustainable, follows current health theory and is based upon evidence driven practice.