David Casey, MA, RN
New York State Department of Health
Certificate in Public Health Surveillance and Preparedness graduate
Current Online MPH student
My background is in risk management and clinical nursing. I work for a state health department and am involved in health care emergency preparedness. This exciting work combines much of my experience and allows me to assist health care facilities prepare for extreme events such as floods, power outages, mass casualty events, pandemics and other catastrophes.
I first applied to be a student in the Public Health Surveillance and Preparedness certificate program to assess whether pursuing another graduate degree made sense and was something I really wanted to do. The certificate program courses were interesting and valuable, and this experience convinced me that pursuing a Master of Public Health is worthwhile. The online Master of Public Health program provides me with the public health perspective in addition to my clinical background. I also enjoy that I am able to choose the pace of my classes. I take one class per semester allowing me extra time to more deeply research class material and have time to relax as well.
The ‘health in all policies’ concept recognizes that everything we do in life has some impact on our health or the health of others. What this means for public health professionals is that there is something for everyone. Regardless of background, experience or interest, anyone can find some aspect of public health that is interesting and meaningful. There is room for everyone, we need everyone, and a Master of Public Health helps us appreciate this fact.