Jessica Meyers, PharmD, MPH

When she began the PharmD program in the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, she became interested in infectious diseases, especially the transmission and containment of disease. Wanting to pursue this interest on an advanced level, she decided to earn an additional degree—an MPH with a concentration in epidemiology from the School of Public Health and Health Professions.

The dual-degree PharmD/MPH program combines clinical pharmaceutical knowledge and skills with epidemiological, statistical, research and survey skills and knowledge.

Meyers said she is enjoying the MPH portion of the program, especially the small class sizes. “This allows students to connect with the professors more and develop a relationship that enhances the learning experience,” she said.

She said she is also excited about the MPH program’s integrative project, an in-depth research project that integrates the five core public health disciplines—biostatistics, environmental health, epidemiology, community health and health behavior, and health services administration

“For my integrative project, I’m designing and performing a meta-analysis which looks at the relationship between Metformin and breast cancer,” said Meyers. “This project is showing how to connect the two skill sets from pharmacy and epidemiology, which is helping me to prepare for a career in both fields. The project is also a great experience because it allows me to apply all of the skills and knowledge that I have learned about in classes, which I haven’t had the opportunity to do previously.”