Public Health Magazine - Fall 2008 - Woodruff Health Sciences ...

Michael Lindsay (left) “adopted” MD/MPH student Olivier Deigni this year. Now in his
MPH year, Deigni is studying epidemiology like his mentor.
sponsorship. Although Emory’s
medical school provides significant
scholarship funds for the mph year
to students seeking the dual degree,
taking on an extra year of school
while deferring a year of earning is a
daunting financial hurdle. Every bit
of help is precious.
“Medical school is very expensive.
Public health school is very expensive,”
says Deigni. “I haven’t had
an income since I started medical
school, and it’s pretty difficult to
get by. Dr. Lindsay’s support means
I have to take out fewer loans, and
I’m very grateful for that.”
But the students are perhaps equally
grateful for the mentoring component
of the program. Sponsors meet
with their “adoptees” several times
during the year to act as a sounding
board and share their expertise.
Lindsay has quite a bit to share.
He earned his md from yale, but
after practicing at Grady, decided
During his MPH year, Demetrius Woods
developed a practice model for obstetric
hospitalists with Lindsay’s guidance.
to return to school for his mph. “I
felt I lacked the skills I needed to
conduct quality clinical research,
and I thought an mph would give
me those skills,” says Lindsay. “It
turned out to be an important career
move for me. It has enabled me to
conduct clinical research I would not
be able to do otherwise.”
Lindsay’s research focuses on adverse
pregnancy outcomes, primarily
hiv transmission from mother to infant.
He has gained an international
reputation for his expertise, and he
weighs in on public policy advocacy
for reproductive health locally, statewide,
nationally, and internationally.
Woods had already begun working
on a project to develop a new
practice model for ob/gyns called
obstetric hospitalists. These hospitalists
would work only in the hospital,
on shifts much like nurses, to relieve
the often unpredictable work hours
for obstetricians. “Since ob/gyn is
Dr. Lindsay’s field, he was able to
give me a lot of perspective,” says
Woods, now an ob/gyn resident at
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
in New york. “I was already leaning
toward specializing in ob, but having
the support of a faculty member
of Dr. Lindsay’s stature definitely
pushed me in that direction.”
Deigni, who entered his public
health year this fall, is studying
epidemiology—Lindsay’s area of
concentration at the rsph. “I’m hoping
Dr. Lindsay can help me decide
The Adopt-a-Scholar Program is “a
great use of resources—investing in the
education of young physicians who are
pursuing additional training in public
health.”—Michael Lindsay, 91mph, chief,
gynecology and obstetrics service, Grady
Memorial Hospital
what to focus on and what type of
research projects to get involved in,”
says Deigni, who hopes to return
to his home in West Africa to do
research and clinical practice.
For his part, Lindsay is happy to
have a chance to give back. “I got
scholarships to get through college
and medical school,” he says. “I
quickly realized that people who
made the investment in my education
didn’t know me. They were
supporting the concept of investing
in young people. I’ve adopted
that concept. The Adopt-a-Scholar
Program helps fulfill one of my goals
in life, which is to make a positive
contribution in terms of improving
health care. I try to do that in my
personal actions but also in investing
in future health care providers.”
To learn more about the Adopt-a-Scholar
Program, visit www.alumni.emory.edu/
annualfund/adoptascholar.
fall 2008 public health magazine 21