Positioned for action

“When I was looking at graduate programs, I was angry at the state of the world. It’s such a mess, I thought, but what can I do about it? I knew I wanted to spend my life focusing on bioethics and human rights, but how to go about it was the question. The SPH MPH was a revelation. It’s one of the few programs covering my specific interests. The fact is, SPH is a special place. It provides us with the tools we need to champion the causes we feel strongly about.”

No ordinary role models

“When I arrived at SPH, I immediately started meeting professors who inspired me in a that’s-who-I-want-to-be-when-I-grow-up kind of way. Sondra Crosby, for example, who is running the Immigrant and Refugee Health Program at Boston Medical Center. She made me realize that you could make a real practical, productive difference from academia. SPH professors are influential mentors, activists, and role models who do make a difference and allow us to see what we ourselves can accomplish in this world.”

Forum for risky ideas

“I quickly realized I could say what was on my mind here. No one is afraid of controversial perspectives. They want to hear them—and debate them, if they don’t agree. I was able to invite to campus a CIA agent who had been under house arrest. The SPH faculty encourage you to push the boundaries of ideas. And they bring you together with speakers who are some of the great boundary-pushers of our times to show just how it’s done.”