It takes more than being just a good scientist or researcher to succeed in public health today.
The 109 members of the graduating Class of 2008 were told Monday (May 26) that if they want to thrive in the field they need to hone a host of other skills. Public health has grown well beyond laboratory and field work. It takes a dynamic individual who can negotiate, motivate and inspire.
“Public health is a lifestyle. It’s a style of improving the environment that we live in,” commencement speaker Dr. Georges C. Benjamin, executive director of the Washington, D.C.-based American Public Health Association, told the graduates and their families gathered in Battell Chapel.
In addition to solid research skills, today’s successful practitioners of public health must exhibit strong leadership and administrative skills, good judgment and common sense. They have to be able to rally public opinion and win over advocates. They also need to be “extraordinary politicians,” able to maneuver through complex and controversial issues where competing interests are a fact of life.
With that in mind, Benjamin praised the graduates for a job well done. “On behalf of myself and the American Public Health Association, I absolutely, positively want to congratulate you on your accomplishments and welcome you to the practice of public health,” he said.
Annette Molinaro, Ph.D. and assistant professor of biostatistics, told the graduating class how she discovered statistics while still in high school. She quickly realized that the topic was a good fit. In college she coupled this interest with an interest in medicine. She saw that the proper application of statistics could be used to promote better science.
Molinaro, who was named Yale School of Public Health Teacher of the Year by the graduates, urged the class to use the tools—statistical and otherwise—that they have developed at Yale and apply them to the pressing problems in public health.
“Help us un-muddy the waters,” she said.
Rebecca J. Boulos, in delivering the student address, said that she was impressed with how quickly the class came together as a group, getting to know one another and helping each other to succeed. It made the experience at Yale all the more memorable.
“Looking at this community, I see a group of scholars who have genuinely and emphatically sought opportunities to support, learn from and engage with one another…I feel so fortunate to have shared this experience with you,” she said.
Paul D. Cleary, Ph.D. and Dean of Public Health at Yale, reminded the Class of 2008 that the school—founded in 1915—is approaching it centennial. Significant progress in public health has been made during this time that has improved the lives of countless people. Life spans, for instance, have grown dramatically and people now have to worry about how to care for themselves when they get old. A mere century ago the average life span was 47 years.
But progress has been uneven. Indeed, there are areas in public health—both nationally and internationally—where staggering problems remain and progress is slow.
“There still are unacceptable disparities by race and income in infant mortality rates in the United States and there are health problems throughout the world that should have been solved by now, given our knowledge and resources. We still face daunting challenges, some of which are steadily growing,” Cleary said.
Of the 30 developing nations that make up the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the United States ranks near the bottom on most standard measures of health status. Among the 192 nations for which recent data are available, the United States ranks 46th in life expectancy and 42nd in infant mortality, he said.
Cleary urged the graduates to maintain the drive and the principles that brought them to YSPH in the first place and to use that passion to change to world for the better.
“Regardless of the path you may choose, maintain the ideals, the aspirations, and the optimism that brought you here,” he said. “I hope when you return to visit us, we will be able to celebrate your successes: relegating AIDS to a History of Public Health course, reducing disparities in the United States and globally, and making the world a healthier and better place.”
It takes more than being just a good scientist or researcher to succeed in public health today.
The 109 members of the graduating Class of 2008 were told Monday (May 26) that if they want to thrive in the field they need to hone a host of other skills. Public health has grown well beyond laboratory and field work. It takes a dynamic individual who can negotiate, motivate and inspire.
“Public health is a lifestyle. It’s a style of improving the environment that we live in,” commencement speaker Dr. Georges C. Benjamin, executive director of the Washington, D.C.-based American Public Health Association, told the graduates and their families gathered in Battell Chapel.
In addition to solid research skills, today’s successful practitioners of public health must exhibit strong leadership and administrative skills, good judgment and common sense. They have to be able to rally public opinion and win over advocates. They also need to be “extraordinary politicians,” able to maneuver through complex and controversial issues where competing interests are a fact of life.
With that in mind, Benjamin praised the graduates for a job well done. “On behalf of myself and the American Public Health Association, I absolutely, positively want to congratulate you on your accomplishments and welcome you to the practice of public health,” he said.
Annette Molinaro, Ph.D. and assistant professor of biostatistics, told the graduating class how she discovered statistics while still in high school. She quickly realized that the topic was a good fit. In college she coupled this interest with an interest in medicine. She saw that the proper application of statistics could be used to promote better science.
Molinaro, who was named Yale School of Public Health Teacher of the Year by the graduates, urged the class to use the tools—statistical and otherwise—that they have developed at Yale and apply them to the pressing problems in public health.
“Help us un-muddy the waters,” she said.
Rebecca J. Boulos, in delivering the student address, said that she was impressed with how quickly the class came together as a group, getting to know one another and helping each other to succeed. It made the experience at Yale all the more memorable.
“Looking at this community, I see a group of scholars who have genuinely and emphatically sought opportunities to support, learn from and engage with one another…I feel so fortunate to have shared this experience with you,” she said.
Paul D. Cleary, Ph.D. and Dean of Public Health at Yale, reminded the Class of 2008 that the school—founded in 1915—is approaching it centennial. Significant progress in public health has been made during this time that has improved the lives of countless people. Life spans, for instance, have grown dramatically and people now have to worry about how to care for themselves when they get old. A mere century ago the average life span was 47 years.
But progress has been uneven. Indeed, there are areas in public health—both nationally and internationally—where staggering problems remain and progress is slow.
“There still are unacceptable disparities by race and income in infant mortality rates in the United States and there are health problems throughout the world that should have been solved by now, given our knowledge and resources. We still face daunting challenges, some of which are steadily growing,” Cleary said.
Of the 30 developing nations that make up the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the United States ranks near the bottom on most standard measures of health status. Among the 192 nations for which recent data are available, the United States ranks 46th in life expectancy and 42nd in infant mortality, he said.
Cleary urged the graduates to maintain the drive and the principles that brought them to YSPH in the first place and to use that passion to change to world for the better.
“Regardless of the path you may choose, maintain the ideals, the aspirations, and the optimism that brought you here,” he said. “I hope when you return to visit us, we will be able to celebrate your successes: relegating AIDS to a History of Public Health course, reducing disparities in the United States and globally, and making the world a healthier and better place.”