Katie Spaude didn’t always know public health would become her calling—but after learning about the disparities in maternal health, she knew she wanted to be part of the solution.

“I initially considered pursuing an MD,” she says, “but I realized that, on its own, that path wouldn’t fully equip me to address the root causes of inequity. Public health allows for both small- and large-scale change, and that was exactly the kind of work I wanted to do.”

Now, after graduating from Dartmouth’s accelerated residential Master of Public Health program, Katie is putting those values—and her education—into action. She currently works in a school district in a Minneapolis suburb, where many students and families face significant barriers to accessible healthcare. Since August, she has been working to open a free and low-cost primary care clinic on school grounds—one that officially opened in April.

“In our first month, we saw 57 patients and got 47 of them up to date on their vaccinations,” Katie shares. “We’ve screened the elementary school for vision issues and helped about 100 kids get glasses at a low cost. We’ve also connected many families with both emergent and non-emergent dental care and insurance services. The need is tremendous, but so is the impact. Helping the next generation access healthcare so they can live up to their full potential is incredibly fulfilling.”

Katie’s path to this work was shaped not only by her passion for equity but also by her time at Dartmouth, where she says she learned to think holistically about health problems and their solutions.

“The education I received at Dartmouth emphasized that public health challenges are multifaceted, so their solutions need to be too,” she explains. “In classes like Health Co-Production and Global Health, I had the chance to create interventions designed to reduce as many barriers as possible. That training helped me anticipate and address problems before they arose during the clinic’s launch and made a big difference.”

One experience that especially shaped her trajectory was working with Dartmouth’s Co-Production Lab. Coming from a clinical background, she had long felt that communication between patients and providers was broken—but didn’t yet have the language or tools to explain why. At Dartmouth, that changed. 

“Co-production was the missing link I’d been looking for,” she says. “Being part of the lab during my internship and seeing the effect those tools had on patient-provider relationships—it was eye-opening. I’d love to make this a career niche someday and help embed co-production into clinics as standard practice.”

The support she received from Dartmouth faculty also extended beyond campus: “My advisors even helped me connect with someone working in co-production back in Minnesota. It’s been amazing to hear about his work and future plans.”

For incoming students, she offers this advice:

“At first, the Ivy League—and all its resources and opportunities—felt like the Emerald City: beautiful, powerful, but out of reach. Then I got into Dartmouth, and suddenly it was all possible. My advice? Don’t leave anything on the table. Take the class you’re unsure about. Join the lab that interests you. Email that professor, even if it’s intimidating. You earned your spot—use every ounce of it.”

And one final tip: “The home of Ben & Jerry’s is less than an hour away. Don’t miss that either!”

Written by: Mia Soucy