Hello, my
name is Wren Tracy and I am a junior here at Hopkins. As far as I know, I am a Biology major with
a Psychology minor hoping to attend Medical School. Knowing me, however, this could change at any
moment. I tend to manipulate my life
plans on a whim. One day I want to be a
physician, the next I want to go white water kayaking around the world. My blog will likely be as jumbled as my life. I enjoy writing what I think as I think it
and I tend to have a lot to say. Having a strong background in science, I feel
my blog will provide a unique perspective on the ideas of public health.
My next
life plan will take me abroad to the countries of Switzerland, India, China,
and South Africa. There I will study
global health policies and how the surrounding community affects the public
health of a certain region. I got
interested in this trip because I wanted multiple perspectives on
healthcare. I think to become the best
doctor I can, I should gain as many ideas from around the world as possible. With the trip coming up next fall, I thought
it would be a good idea to delve a little into the subject matter I will be
studying. Here I am – Introduction to
Public Health. I can only hope it will
be a good introduction for me.
In the
scheme of public health, I find myself fascinated by the development of
healthcare systems and sanitation systems in third world countries. My belief is that everyone deserves a chance
to live their life to the fullest, no matter where they have come from. Every time I see news on NPR about public
health advances in undeveloped countries, I immediately have to read. I get excited when I see that lives are being
saved. The more I read, the more I want
to know about public health in general.
I did not
really know what public health really meant until recently. More specifically, I did not know until the
first day of this class. I had my ideas,
but had never sought out a formal definition.
I always assumed medicine and public health to essentially be one and
the same. Now I have come to realize
that public health actually focuses on the grand scheme of things. It tries to be proactive, instead of
reactive. It attempts to create radical
changes that can affect large groups, rather than just one individual. Think of public health as taking the small pixels
that make up medicine and blurring the lines with other health practices, such
as sanitation, to create a big picture of health for everyone.
My
knowledge of public health certainly is small.
If I can develop the understanding that I have already after just four
classes, however, there are only good things to look forward to for the future
of this class.
Hello Wren,
ReplyDeleteYou're trip sounds amazing! I am sure that studying global health policies in such foreign countries will be very stimulating and entirely beneficial to you for whatever field you decide to enter. I also find myself interested in the development of health care in third world countries. I will enjoy hearing more from you as your trip draws nearer.
Zach Lorenz
Hey Wren! I was amazed by your prospects of traveling the world to solve Public Health issues. Like you, I am also amazed by the many nuances that have erupted in the Public Health world over the past few years and the advancements in many policies. I really enjoyed reading your blog and I look forward to reading more.
ReplyDeleteShawdae Harrison
Hi Wren, thank you for your first blog! You sound like an incredibly motivated and adventurous person, and that you have big plans for your future. I agree that getting to see the world and be exposed to different cultures helps in becoming a good doctor. I also think that the best doctors have good hobbies, like white-water rafting...
ReplyDeleteI liked what you said about public health being proactive, rather than reactive. This is an incredibly important point and generally true, though sometimes we do have to react in public health (SARS, for example) but if we have been proactive and have good systems in place, that reaction should be much better contained.
I hope that you continue to learn a lot from the classes, and look forward to future blogs.
Hi Wren, I'm looking forward to reading about your unique perspectives on whatever it is that we're studying in class each week. I think it's great that you're not limiting yourself to one major and rather keeping your mind open to all different kinds of fields and possibilities. Hopefully life will bring you lots of good surprises since you're so open to them. Your trip to India, China and South Africa sounds fascinating, what program are you traveling there for? There are tons of opportunities in these countries to help people through the field of public health and I'm sure you'll take advantage of them. I respect your views on the right to pursue happiness and the fullest life possible. Finally, I definitely agree that public health is more proactive than reactive and that's something that I very much was excited to learn on the first day of class, now that I, like you, know what the field of public health is actually all about.
ReplyDeleteAafia S.