StayCurrent Forums - Public Health Education
With CCHMC Pediatric Surgery · hosted by Dr. Rod Gerardo & Dr. Brittany Levy
Educational content from recorded physician discussions — not medical advice. Talk to your (or your child's) care team about your situation.
What the experts said
Dr. Brittany Levy is a PGY-2.5 pediatric surgery resident at University of Kentucky, having completed 2 clinical years and her first year of research.
Dr. Levy was a Latin major in college before medical school.
Dr. Levy was not interested in public health as a medical student.
As a PGY-2 resident, Dr. Levy learned during pregnancy that her child would have a cleft.
After joining a parent Facebook group, Dr. Levy learned about surgeons in Boston, Cincinnati, and Seattle who were described as better options than locally available surgeons.
Dr. Levy traveled nationally to interview multiple surgeons for her child's cleft care.
The experience of traveling to interview surgeons made Dr. Levy realize she had a distinct privilege that her patients do not have—the ability to travel around the country to obtain what she perceived as the best care.
Dr. Levy pursued an MPH at the University of Kentucky after recognizing healthcare inequity through her personal experience.
Dr. Levy's MPH work focuses on equitable access to care for patients in the Kentucky system, especially Appalachian patients in cancer care.
Pediatric surgeons at many institutions are busy, which limits time, space, and manpower for large public health policy projects and initiatives.
Dr. Levy envisions being invited as a keynote speaker to discuss how to provide access to basic surgical care to children in communities, rather than being known for technical surgical excellence.
In Dr. Levy's ideal future job, she would have dedicated time to do public health initiatives and be involved in public policy.
Residents experience public health implications every day but may not recognize them as public health issues or gaps.
Most residency programs exist at major medical centers or in communities that have public health problems and public health workers available for collaboration.