Student Spotlight: Mei Maxwell, MPH'24

While working in a healthcare clinic in rural Upstate New York, Mei Maxwell witnessed disparities in patient outcomes despite standards of care. Seeking answers to this puzzling discrepancy, the aspiring lawyer turned to Dartmouth’s yearlong MPH program where she brought together her interests in medicine, law, and policy to tackle the social determinants of health.  

Her approach to healthcare through law rather than through medicine, is unique, she says because it includes solving important issues such as housing, benefits access, employment, transportation, and education that affect both the mental and physical health of adults and children.  

“I was looking at one-year programs and Dartmouth’s stood out because of its structure. The program initially focuses on understanding public health and gaining core competencies then students have opportunities to explore their individual interests,” Maxwell says.  

She also liked that the program is part of a medical school. “My undergrad degree was through a medical school, and having resources and connections to medical students and other health professionals was valuable to me,” she says. “And I wanted to continue that pathway by fostering similar connections in graduate school.” 

For her capstone project, Maxwell delved into the social determinants of health’s effect on patient outcomes as an intern at Dartmouth Health’s Medical Legal Partnership (MLP). The medical-legal partnership is focused on identifying health disparity in communities and addressing individuals’ unmet legal needs related to social conditions, the physical environment, or inadequate knowledge of or access to available public benefits. 

While there, Maxwell analyzed data on patient population demographics and outcomes in tandem with project managers, lawyers, and staff members. The work gave her a first-hand look at how civil legal services can help patients facing housing and other challenges.  

“The Dartmouth Health Medical Legal Partnership provided an invaluable perspective on the interaction between medicine and law, helping me to better understand how the fields together influence patient experiences and outcomes,” she says. 

Maxwell, who was a member of Dartmouth’s Figure Skating team, says the College has many opportunities to be involved in the community beyond the classroom, whether in sports, the arts, church groups, or other interests.  

“I was also one of two MPH representatives for our cohort to Geisel student government keeping it informed about what we’ve been doing—it was great working alongside the medical students while working on behalf of my peers.  I’ve made lasting connections during my year here—although you can take classes online, it’s nice to create a community of long-lasting friendships in person,” she says. 

Maxwell returned to her home state post-graduation to work in a STEM field for a few years before applying to law school. 

Written by: Susan Green

POSTED 7/8/2024 AT 04:06 PM IN #studentspotlight #mph