From May 13 -15^th School of Medicine celebrated its’ first reunion since the onset of COVID-19 over two years ago. Over 500 people attended the weekend festivities, including for the first time the DFMPHS Master of Public Health Program alumni and leaders. Work life balance is an important tenet of public health and we were eager to join in the fun!

The weekend included a welcome reception at the Corner Ballpark on Friday, May 13 and banquet and awards dinner at the Motor City Casino on Saturday, May 14.

The alumni events gave us the chance to connect with our alumnus Daniel Kaisler, MD, MPH, who completed his residency training in Emergency Medicine at St. John Hospital in Detroit early this summer. He is heading to Eau Claire, Wisconsin, to work for the Mayo Clinic Health System. He reflected on his experiences: 

“Residency was both incredibly challenging and rewarding beyond imagination. One of the greatest privileges of training in Detroit is getting to work with the people of this city, with their unique culture, strengths, and challenges, most of which was new to me. Completing the Master of Public Health gave me perspective and understanding of social determinants of health and the ways these affect the health of a community. With this additional knowledge and experience, I have been able to relate to patients more readily and provide better and more personalized care, becoming a much stronger clinician.”

MPH alumnus and MPH Alumni Group Chair Beth Olson has a background in biology, occupational health and safety, as well as public health. She has found the MPH degree invaluable in her position as WSU Water Safety Officer, where she develops and improves the university risk-based water safety plan.  She represents the MPH Program and serves on the Wayne State School of Medicine Medical Alumni Board of Governors where she is a member of the Special Projects Committee. 

She comments:

“My MPH degree has been invaluable in my previous and current role. Targeted communication with key stakeholders, data interpretation leading to corrective action plans and program development are just a few of the MPH degree areas that directly contributed to a positive integration into the Occupational Health & Safety field. As part of my MPH practicum, I was a contributing author on the inaugural Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP) for the Macomb County Health Department as a requirement for PHAB Public Health Department Accreditation.

As the founding chair of the MPH Alumni Group, I am grateful for the support of the Wayne State University School of Medicine Alumni Association and It was wonderful to attend the School of Medicine Alumni weekend!”

We are proud be a graduate program in the School of Medicine and like our clinical colleagues, recognize the important role of public health in training of medical professionals.