As a respiratory therapist, Master of Public Health (MPH) student Shelly Bundy witnessed health disparities affect communities while working with the most vulnerable during the height of COVID-19. She writes about what led her to pursue an MPH, why she chose the Rural Public Health concentration, and what she learned during the Public Health in Ghana program.
From Montana to Ghana: What Drew Me to Public Health
During the COVID-19 pandemic, I was working with the sickest of the sick and understood the dire need for public health. I’ve been practicing respiratory therapy for 15 years, and I have always felt that preventative measures would make the biggest difference in overall health, especially when working with my patients that had Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). My experiences in this work have guided my path to pursuing a public health degree.
I enrolled in the Master of Public Health program in August 2023, and I decided to choose MSU for a couple of reasons. I appreciated the accessibility for everyone to earn this degree - both in terms of the program being online and the tuition being the same for in-state and out-of-state students. My definitive decision happened when I found that there would be an opportunity to go to Ghana for a class.
In the summer of 2024, I participated in the Public Health in Ghana education abroad program. It was incredible; I can't say enough good things about it, and I love to talk about my experience. This was my first time traveling internationally, and, from arrival to departure, it was an experience of a lifetime. While in Ghana, I was exposed to the extremes of rural life and the lack of public health resources. But beyond that, I learned about the importance of community for survival. The United States is a very individualistic society whereas Ghana fully embraces the notion of "it takes a village...." I learned a great deal of lessons on priorities and taking things for granted. It really engrained in me the importance of rural public health and being the voice for many who are voiceless.
I learned so much not only about the menstrual health project we were working on there but also about cultural competency and humility, which can only benefit future interactions in many ways. We worked very closely with MPH students at a university in Ghana, and that built fast friendships. On one of our days off, we went with these students to Wli Falls, the tallest waterfalls in West Africa. It was a great bonding experience and a lot of fun swimming under the falls. I wish everyone in the MPH program would take this opportunity and go to Ghana!
When the Rural Public Health concentration was introduced to me, I was immediately drawn to it. I grew up in rural Montana, and I have experienced some of the issues that come with rurality, so I had a deeper understanding of the need for a specific focus on rural health.
Rural public health is important for many reasons. The negative health statistics against rural communities are staggering but are often ignored or not acknowledged because of the sparse population. If I can play a role in making people feel seen and improve health outcomes in a community; I consider that a rewarding career.
I am constantly learning new things about rural public health, even though I have lived many of the situations myself. The lack of granular data on rural communities is a massive hindrance to providing improvements on a large scale, making the role of a rural public health provider important and impactful.
I'm proud of maintaining a 4.0 GPA for the entire program so far. Being out of school for so long, being a mother to a teenager, and pursuing a field that I had no experience in whatsoever made me nervous about being able to maintain the minimum GPA required for the program. However, my passion for public health and everything I am learning about makes learning it all easier. With my rural health concentration, I will position myself in a rural area and work with the community toward health equity and social justice for all.
And here's my biggest takeaway so far- your professors want you to succeed! They want you to be powerful and competent public health professionals and will help you in any way they can. If you have any questions or concerns, contact them! They have been some of my biggest cheerleaders, and I don't think I would have been as successful without them.
March 19, 2025
