Roumie to direct Grasp of Public Well being program | VUMC

by Jake Lowary

Christianne Roumie, MD, MPH, has been named director of the Vanderbilt College College of Drugs Grasp of Public Well being program, a two-year interdisciplinary program accredited by the Council on Training for Public Well being.

Roumie, who accomplished her MPH at Vanderbilt in 2005, credit this system for igniting her ardour for public well being. Since incomes her MPH, she has been closely concerned with this system as a mentor to greater than 15 MPH college students and as director of the Epidemiology monitor since 2015. She can also be an affiliate professor of Drugs and Pediatrics.

Roumie turns into the fourth director of the MPH program, succeeding Marie Griffin, MD, MPH, who’s retiring after an acclaimed analysis and scientific profession.

Griffin served as this system’s director since 2014, guiding this system by regular development and elevated nationwide prominence.

Roumie got here to Vanderbilt College Medical Heart in 1998 for a residency in inner drugs and pediatrics. She accomplished her MPH after she was inspired by William Cooper, MD, MPH, Cornelius Vanderbilt Chair in Pediatrics and professor of Well being Coverage, to pursue extra coaching and training. She earned her medical diploma from New Jersey Medical College.

Her expertise in this system expanded her perspective and focus to transcend one-on-one affected person care and enhance public well being on the inhabitants degree.

Her analysis examines the interactions between cardiovascular threat issue management, remedy use and evidence-based remedy prescribing.

Her most up-to-date analysis consists of investigating how second-line drugs generally prescribed to sufferers with diabetes affect kidney perform.

“I’ve at all times maintained that it’s tremendous vital to have an effect on affected person care one-on-one,” Roumie stated. “That’s actually how we affect sufferers. Nonetheless, if I write one good article or I train public well being practitioners and so they every affect two sufferers, then I’ve made a a lot higher contribution to drugs and to public well being as a complete.”

The MPH program was begun in 1996 after which primarily served VUMC physicians inquisitive about rising their talent units and coaching. Right now, this system consists of three tracks — well being coverage, epidemiology and world well being — and accepts college students from various backgrounds, not simply clinicians.

Roumie was named this system director in August after a nationwide search, stated Melinda Buntin, PhD, Mike Curb Professor of Well being Coverage and chair of the Division of Well being Coverage. The Division of Well being Coverage homes the tutorial program within the College of Drugs beneath the Institute for Drugs and Public Well being.

“We’re grateful to have somebody as gifted and devoted as Dr. Roumie taking over the management of the Vanderbilt MPH Program,” Buntin stated. “Now greater than ever, public well being is within the highlight and our future security and prosperity shall be within the arms of public well being leaders skilled in applications like ours.”

Whereas the COVID-19 pandemic has thrust public well being leaders and practitioners into the worldwide highlight, Roumie stated the pandemic has additionally introduced alternatives to take the primary steps in step with this system’s new strategic plan, finalized earlier than the peak of the pandemic.

One emphasis is to discover methods to make this system extra accessible for working public well being professionals by on-line, hybrid or part-time course choices.

With many courses compelled into digital settings throughout to the pandemic, this system has gained expertise with extra agile choices and infrastructure.

This system is dedicated to its small, student-focused setting however can even discover methods to create deeper relationships with massive organizations of public well being practitioners and leaders, Roumie stated.