This page is no longer being updated and remains online for informational and historical purposes only. The information is accurate as of the last page update.
For questions about page contents, contact the Communications Division.
By Marissa Malcolm ’07
I am currently pursuing a master’s degree in public health at the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University in NYC studying health policy and management. As a full-time student, I’m taking biostatistics, epidemiology, health economics, health policy analysis and issues, and approaches to health policy and management. Next semester I will be taking healthcare finance, public health law, cost-benefit analysis, program evaluation, research methods in public health, and health policy and the political system. The course load is challenging but rewarding because I’m learning about topics that interest me. My program at Mailman is career-oriented and provides students with the knowledge needed to enter the workforce with a strong public health background and a set of important skills.
My transition from Lafayette to Mailman was fairly seamless. I adjusted easily to graduate school life and my new school. I enjoy all my fellow classmates. Each one truly cares about the field of public health, so it is nice to be surrounded by peers who share common goals.
Student groups abound on Columbia’s campus. Recently, the executive board of Future Healthcare Leaders appointed me their communications chair. Future Healthcare Leaders provides a forum for students to exchange ideas with each other and with current leaders in the public health field. Each week, FHL hosts speakers who work in healthcare-related fields such as consulting, hospital management, and healthcare policy. I enjoy being a part of FHL, and I’m looking forward to serving on their board.
Graduate school is challenging because we are expected to consistently produce high-quality and high-level work. However, I feel Lafayette thoroughly prepared me for graduate-level work and instilled a standard of independence and self-confidence in me that has been essential to my studies.
While at Lafayette, I had several internship/externship experiences that contributed to my decision to pursue an MPH. I had a fabulous summer externship with Lafayette alum Dr. Carmela Pane in the neonatal intensive care unit at Valley Hospital. That same summer, I participated in the Robert Wood Johnson Summer Clinical Internship in psychiatry. I shadowed two excellent psychiatrists during my time there. Additionally, I spent two semesters at Lehigh Valley Hospital working under two different physician mentors, Dr. Orion Rust in maternal fetal medicine and Dr. Margaret Terry-Hoffman in the AIDS activities office. My internship at the LVH AIDS activities office really solidified my commitment to health policy research, especially in the infectious disease arena. I also did an independent study with [Metzgar Professor of Psychology] Dr. [Ann] McGillicuddy-DeLisi on a neurological disorder called Williams syndrome. I really enjoyed my independent study work. All of my internship/externship experiences helped me discover what I wanted to pursue after Lafayette.
Lafayette was a fabulous place to learn and grow. As a neuroscience major, I found every day intellectually challenging. Faculty, staff, and my fellow students were extremely supportive. I enjoyed every minute of my time there, which was even more precious to me considering I transferred to Lafayette halfway through my sophomore year. Despite being a transfer student, I was still able to be involved on campus and take advantage of everything it had to offer. Because of my part in the Lafayette College Choir, I took private voice lessons. I participated in College Theater as well as the Marquis Players. Each provided me with wonderful experiences and challenged me culturally and artistically. I was also a writing associate for two years in the College Writing Program, which really helped develop the writing skills necessary for my graduate studies. I owe much of my success to the support and encouragement of my sorority, Tri Delta, as well as the departments of neuroscience, music, and theater. I enjoyed spending the majority of my college experience at Lafayette, and it will forever be an important part of me.