Dartmouth Institute MPH Internships Address Key Issues in Healthcare
As The Dartmouth Institute looks forward to graduating the Class of 2022 in its online/hybrid MPH program this spring, it is proud to recognize the accomplishments of this talented group of healthcare leaders—who have successfully completed their field internships while maintaining their busy professional lives and working through another year of the pandemic.
Below, read about how three students have been applying their practicum experience to address some of the most pressing issues in healthcare and how their MPH training is informing their career goals.
Assessing the Value of Integrated Specialty Care Through Clinical, Financial, and Operational Outcomes
Julianna Maisano MPH’22
Julianna Maisano’s internship project focuses on determining the effectiveness of implementing integrated care into specialty settings, particularly those involving behavioral health services.
Nearly one in five adults live with a mental illness each year in the U.S., and an increase in the demand for behavioral healthcare has led to provider shortages, longer wait times, and forced redesigns to meet patient needs. Yet barriers and stigma still exist.
Previous research has found that integrating primary care and behavioral healthcare increases patient access to services and minimizes negative outcomes. However, integrating specialty care in a similar fashion is an emerging concept that requires further evaluation.
Working under the guidance of her preceptor, Dartmouth Institute alumna Dawn Zieger MPH’19, associate vice president of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health at Geisinger Health System in Danville, PA, Maisano completed a literature review to identify common impact metrics and outcomes.
She then surveyed Geisinger’s integrated specialty care team to determine current measures of integration and outcome tracking needs. She also distributed the survey to providers at Ochsner Health System (Louisiana) and Intermountain Healthcare (Utah).
“We were able to create a platform for providers across organizations to address the barriers and facilitators of integrated specialty care, and we developed a list of measures for assessing value across specialties,” says Maisano, who works as a research assistant at Yale University.
In addition to sharing survey results with the health systems, she is scheduling focus groups to further discuss differences amongst specialties and organizations and will also prepare a white paper on measurement-based care.
“Garnering the technical skills and experience of an MPH from Dartmouth has allowed me to understand and sharpen the skills I already have and apply it to larger and more diverse settings,” says Maisano. “Furthermore, my graduate internship at Geisinger has amplified my knowledge of healthcare system operations and has solidified my desire to pursue healthcare administration.”
Up Next:
Qualitative Analysis of Systemic Drivers of Burnout and Wellbeing Among Oncology Professions at D-HH’s Norris Cotton Cancer Center
Sasha Yanes MPH’22
Teammate Social Impact—Improving Employee Wellbeing in a Large Healthcare System
Nahshon Deering MPH’22