Student profile: Imran Mahmud, MPH ’14

Imran Mahmud, MPH '14
Imran Mahmud, MPH '14

Q: Why did you choose HSPH?

A: I initially applied to HSPH and the Hopkins MPH programs. Funding was not a problem for me as I am supported by a Fulbright Scholarship. I chose to accept the offer of the MPH at HSPH because I was drawn by the particular strengths of the Health Policy & Management faculty at the School, but also the opportunities to cross-register with world-class government and business schools at Harvard. HSPH is also embedded in the Longwood Medical Area which contains a phenomenal concentration of medical and public health expertise distributed through the various faculties and hospitals affiliated with Harvard. Boston itself is a fantastic city, very European in many regards, which made my adjustment from the UK easier.

Q: What are you working on during your time at HSPH?

A: Aside from classes in healthcare management and policy, I am pursuing a second concentration in public health leadership and trying to acquire business and innovation skills and experience through attending sessions with Professor Rick Siegrist at the school, and at the Harvard Innovation Lab (iLab). I am also involved with a healthcare outcomes think tank, the International Consortium for Healthcare Outcomes Measurement (ICHOM), based in Cambridge. Socially, I have settled in nicely and have made lots of friends both within school and in the local medical community. With these friends, I’ve been able to go hiking around Massachusetts and New Hampshire, visit Montreal, and even get as far as Houston. Finally, I am trying to develop my professional network in anticipation of my return to the UK in order to find ways to implement the skills I will have gained this year.

Q: How do you plan to use your education after graduation?

A: I plan to enter and complete an ophthalmology residency in Oxford, UK. I hope to use the skills in financial management, health care leadership and strategy/quality improvement to effect change within the hospitals that I train in. As I gain subject matter expertise in ophthalmology, I hope to consult in international development within health care, and help to build ophthalmic preventative and curative infrastructure in low-resource environments.

Q: What is your favorite memory of HSPH so far?

A: There are many, but I would say in general the ease with which you can bump into exceptional people at the school. The faculty is star-studded with the world’s leading thinkers who have crossed the boundaries into policy and built multimillion dollar health care start-ups, and effected transformational change in their fields. However, perhaps more importantly, having the opportunity to bump into exceptional students and form bonds of friendship and collaboration on a daily basis is a true privilege. My class contains, without a doubt, the future leaders in health care policy, management, clinical medicine and innovation. It’s an honor to be a part of this class!

David Rogers

Reposted from the HSPH Alumni Community