Improving Public Health: My Journey to Becoming a Healthcare Professional

This essay is an application for the PhD program in Global Health Studies. The author shares their personal experiences with healthcare in Nigeria and their commitment to improving public health. They discuss their family history and life experiences that have led them to pursue a career in healthcare. The author also shares their past experiences with microfinance and volunteering with HIV/AIDS organizations. They believe that the PhD program in Global Health Studies will help them gain the skills to analyze and provide solutions to global health issues.

Public Health

I am applying for the PhD program on Global Health Studies. Global Health Studies will help
me to gain the skills to analyze the unrevealed factors in domestic and international health
challenges. It will teach me how to make difficult social choices by combining research and
service experience. It will assist me to provide solutions to individual or population of world
health issues and implement disease prevention strategies.
Health is fundamental right inherent in the dignity of every single patient and human being
regardless who they are or where they live. Hundreds and thousands of Nigerians are not getting
health care service due to inequality and poverty. This is why improving public issues is very
important to me. My dad had been suffering from PTSD (Posttraumatic stress disorder) after
serving for the Nigerian Military during Civil War (Biafra War) and with The Economic
Community of West African States Monitoring Group (ECOMOG) in Liberia and Sierra Leone.
He had started consuming heavy alcohol and other drugs which use to norm his pain until he
passed away. He did not get any help from the community because the resources were not
available to diagnose or treat such disorder. My aunt was also suffering from HIV/AIDS
infection. She refused to get any medical help in fear of being ostracized. On another occasion,
my elder sister had suffered and died from convulsion and epilepsy disease when she was 4 years
old. My family could not get treatment for her because of societal stigma.
My family history and life experience are relevant to my passion. In order to improve my skills
and advance my understanding on population health and its determination, I often feel that I need
a professional health care education to become a health care manager and serve many
underprivileged people in Nigeria. Though, I have attended multiple seminars, conferences,
taken electives and unofficially auditing health class to learn more about variations of health
topics. It is my longtime commitment to become a health care professional to make health care
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program more advance and to reduce health inequalities to improve health quality for the citizens
of Nigeria. The Bloomberg School will help me to gain the most current thinking of the health
care system. I am certainly impressed with the traditional and culture of inclusion, academic
reputation and most importantly the motivating faculty. Bloomberg School always promotes
excellence by recruiting a various group of faculty and creates a climate of respect which is
supportive for me to achieve my career goals.
I have born in Nigeria and been raised in an economically strong family. I feel disturbed seeing
the poverty which increases the risk of diseases and inadequate nutrition among many low-
income families who are not able to afford even the basic requirement of living. After
completion of my high school, I decided to use my savings to start a microfinance venture and
helped many poor families by providing job opportunities to improve their lives and to pull them
out from extreme poverty. I offered small loan to the women to encourage a small business with
a small investment, like opened a barbing saloon, arcade game house and purchased a
motorcycle for men to provide taxi service as it is impossible for cars to run on rough roads in
the rural area of Northern Nigeria. The people whom I have supported in past they are doing
good now and have become financially strong. They are also helping others in the same way as I
did to them. I also got the opportunity to volunteer with HIV/AIDS organization campaigning for
public awareness regarding HIV/AIDS, primarily on abstinence prevention and treatment.
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