Dr. Mandy Hill, inaugural chair of the Department of Population Health and Health Disparities at the School of Public and Population Health (SPPH), recently delivered a presentation to visiting students from the Joint Admission Medical Program (JAMP). Her talk centered on addressing health disparities as future clinicians while sharing insights from her distinguished career in public health research and HIV prevention.
Understanding Health Beyond the Clinic
Dr. Hill emphasized the critical importance of understanding the factors that impact health beyond clinical care. She introduced students to the concept of "non-medical drivers of health," which are environmental and social factors that significantly influence patient outcomes. Through compelling examples, she illustrated how circumstances like being uninsured, lacking access to nutritious food, or experiencing unemployment can create a cascade of health challenges that lead patients to use emergency departments as their primary source of care.
She stressed the importance of treating patients with compassion and humanity, particularly when encountering these challenging social circumstances during patient intake and assessment.
Throughout her presentation, Dr. Hill shared her multifaceted career journey, describing her roles as researcher, department chair, and community member. She highlighted her groundbreaking work in HIV prevention, particularly her research focused on increasing pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) uptake among Black women in Texas, a population disproportionately vulnerable to HIV infection.
Connecting Professional Goals with Personal Growth
Dr. Hill reflected on the importance of maintaining one's humanity throughout a medical career. She challenged the students to consider not just their professional aspirations, but their personal growth and values.
"Do you know the person that you are? And do you know the person that you aspire to be?" she asked, encouraging students to remember that patients need to see the authentic person behind the professional title.
The JAMP program, established by the Texas Legislature in 2001, provides financial support, mentoring, and guaranteed admission to participating Texas medical schools for economically disadvantaged students. Dr. Hill's message of resilience and commitment to improving health outcomes resonated strongly with these future physicians, many of whom come from the very communities most affected by health disparities.
Students engaged Dr. Hill with thoughtful questions about advocacy, representation in healthcare, and strategies for addressing systemic health challenges. Her responses emphasized the transformative impact of having healthcare providers who can connect authentically with patients from all backgrounds.