To bring a spotlight on work DrPH students/alumni are undertaking in other public health institutions, we are providing a DrPH Guest Spotlight to learn more of the initiatives taking place nationally and globally from this growing Doctor of Public Health community. The areas of discussion (or “hot topics”) are related to their program/project or current job. We hope to create a robust environment of engagement, dialogue and sharing of ideas amongst the DrPH community.
Our first DrPH Guest Spotlight is on J Michael Griffin, DrPH ’25!
- What is the name of the DrPH Program you are currently enrolled in/are in an alumnus of?
J Michael: Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public Health (Georgia)
- What is/was your major area of focus/interest while enrolled in your DrPH Program?
J Michael: My major is in Public Health with a concentration in Public Health Leadership. My areas of interest in public health are Healthcare Quality1, Comparative Effectiveness & Outcomes Research2, Targeted Health Promotion and Disease Prevention3, 4, Health Policy5-9, Digital Health Innovation for Inclusive Healthcare10-12, Chronic Care13-15, Healthcare Financing and Management16-20, and Intersectoral approaches21, 22, all of which I’ve completed courses, training or activities/projects in preparation for the DrPH or while enrolled in the program.
- Where are you currently working and a brief description of your job?
J Michael: My focus is currently on the program, however, my philanthropy activities are aimed at:
– identifying assistive technology for individuals with disabilities/chronic illness
– connecting disadvantaged and marginalized populations to social safety net system
– designing and promoting systems/strategies that address barriers to education/health literacy
– identifying strategies to support systems in addressing gaps that fail to target or reducing social determinants of health/health disparities.
I aim to improve the well-being and quality of life years for individuals, communities, and populations.
- If you are in a management position, what would you look for when hiring new graduates from a DrPH Program?
J Michael: With the current environment in public health (i.e., attrition – the reduction that has occurred in the strain placed on the public health workforce during the Pandemic and a large number of baby boomers retiring), I would encourage current/future students and colleagues to rigorously assess the DrPH program to ensure that the program is CEPH accreditation. When DrPH programs are CEPH accredited, it ensures that our public health community is second to none in addressing society’s health challenges, needs, and desired outcomes.
As a former manager and leader, I would look for courses, electives, and preceptorships taken in the program that align with the duties and responsibilities of the job; along with letters of recommendation from program staff or administration. Because I’m familiar with DrPH programs with Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) accreditation, I would be very confident hiring any graduate from a DrPH program with this accreditation.
- What is one “hot topic” in public health you are currently working on or one you would like to shine light on for the public?
J Michael: I would like to shine a light on integrating concepts such as Business Process Improvement (KnowledgeBrief, n.d.), Lean Sigma Six with GIS, and public health data visualization to increase access to care, improve the quality of care and patient safety as well as address healthcare inequities created by the social determinant of health. Yes, this process can all be used to scale up healthcare services, cost, efficiency, and quality of care (Brancalion & Lima, 2022). Business Process Improvement (BPI) can be used in public health to streamline processes (i.e., address inefficient workflows and optimize resource allocation), increase cost efficiency (i.e., through the use of a business process improvement methodology – Lean Six Sigma, can be used to
in public health to reduce additional expenditure or excessive consumption), improve resource utilization, enhance patient safety, eliminate waste, and reduce medical errors (Ahmed et al., 2019; Zurynski et al. 2022). BPI can be used to facilitate the stable and homogeneous delivery of health care service, and it can improve timely access to care (i.e., especially for underserved/vulnerable populations and patients with chronic diseases). This makes Business Process Improvement a very hot topic; basically, adopting and using methodologies that originated in the business sector as tools to scale up our public health and healthcare systems. The use of GIS allows for the spatial analysis of health data – thus, allowing the identification of geographic areas and communities with high levels of disease burden or disparities in care accessibility and healthcare inequities (Wang, 2019).
With the inclusion of public health data visualization, disease trends can be tracked or monitored, and healthcare systems can efficiently and effectively implement targeted interventions (Schulze et al., 2023). Combining these tools can help to optimize the allocation of resources better, and better inform healthcare decisions.
- Is there any work/document/article you are currently working on that you’d like to promote?
J Michael: I am currently writing to publish an article on the topic of Integrated Health System Quality Metrics.
If you would like to connect with J Michael, you may contact him at: jg36146@georgiasouthern.edu
