Student profile: Michael Gilbert SM ’15

Student Michael Gilbert
Michael Gilbert, SM '15

Q: Why did you choose HSPH?

A: I chose HSPH because it provides a unique combination of top-tier faculty, an ambitious, inspired student body, and an unparalleled setting for exploring new ideas. I knew I wanted to work on evaluation and deployment of innovative health technologies, and that there was no better place to pursue that passion. I also received a set of generous scholarships from the Dean’s fund and the Dong family, which have helped me to advance my career and education without concern for my financial future.

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

A: I sit on the executive board of the Public Health Innovation & Technology Forum, and am the founder and president of the Student Harm Reduction Promotion Society. I am currently working on several exciting projects with a local epidemiological analytics firm (Epidemico), preparing a social enterprise plan for an MIT-based hearing screening technology, and developing novel products to combat opiate overdose. In my spare time I enjoy exploring the woods of New England and volunteering at the Cambridge Needle Exchange.

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

A: I plan to continue my work in the design, evaluation and deployment of health technologies through work with funding organizations focused on building early-stage ideas into self-sustaining enterprises. My studies in Social and Behavioral Sciences have prepared me for a meaningful and productive career in the development of effective and equitable tools for well-being, and I look forward to using skills learned at HSPH to bring those tools to the world.

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

A: My favorite memory of HSPH took place during Professor John McDonough’s US health policy course, when I had the pleasure of attending a guest lecture from one of my public health heroes and former Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, John Auerbach. Those two pillars of progressive state and federal health policy shared a sincerity and candor about their work that was profoundly humanizing and inspiring. I hope to live a life worthy of their example, and to build a legacy that in turn inspires another generation of public health leaders.

David Rogers

Reposted from the HSPH Alumni Community