Geisel Welcomes New Health Sciences and Medical Students

A new academic year at Dartmouth’s Geisel School of Medicine has begun. This summer, incoming students in the Master of Public Health (MPH), MS in Healthcare Research, and MD programs gathered for orientation, beginning their individual journeys and shared experience as members of the Dartmouth community.

Orientation offered an early glimpse of the work ahead: building relationships across disciplines and considering how each student’s experiences can contribute to a healthier, more equitable world. For the MPH and MS cohorts, a poverty simulation challenged students to think beyond individual circumstances, to the structural and social determinants that influence health. Team-building activities and time with new classmates created opportunities to connect, collaborate, and begin building the community that will carry them through their programs.

“Orientation is always an exciting time of year but I find myself more impressed with each coming year by the commitment and enthusiasm of the students to make a difference in public health and in healthcare research. These are not easy times in our field and professionals who care deeply, and who are well trained, are needed now more than ever. I am inspired by these students. This year in the Poverty Simulation, I was struck more than ever by what a wonderful group of students we have and that public health really does attract people who are committed to improve health for everyone. These students bring all of themselves into this work and help us see a future we can be proud of,” says Roland Lamb, MPH, director of the residential MPH and MS in Healthcare Research programs.

For students in the online and hybrid MPH programs, the beginning of their journey marks the start of an intensive 22-month experience that will culminate in putting their learning into practice.

“Every summer, I'm blown away by the backgrounds, experiences, and sheer determination our incoming MPH cohort brings, each one driven to make the world healthier and more equitable. Over the next 22 months, I get to watch them grow into that mission. It all comes full circle near the end of the program, in our required capstone, the Integrative Learning Experience, where students synthesize everything they've learned and step into the role of expert and teacher, presenting their own research to the community that helped shape it,” says Megan E. Read, director of the Online and Hybrid MPH programs.

This year’s incoming students bring varied backgrounds, perspectives, and aspirations, but they share a commitment to improving health and healthcare. As they settle into their programs and into the Dartmouth community, they join a network who will challenge, support, and inspire one another along the way.

Warm welcome to our incoming cohorts, we are excited to see where your journeys take you and what you will accomplish together.

For more from this year’s orientation, read Geisel’s New Medical and Health Sciences Students Begin Their Journey.