Career Advisor's Background and Career Information

Background

Name: George W. Rutherford, M.D.
Career Advisor for: Preventive Medicine and Public Health
Title(s): Salvatore Pablo Lucia Professor and Head, Division of Preventive Medicine and Public Health; Interim Director, Institute for Global Health
Best way to contact (e-mail, phone?): e-mail grutherford@psg.ucsf.edu
Undergraduate & Graduate Degrees/Institutions: Stanford University, A.B. (Classics), 1974 Stanford University, B.S. (Chemistry), 1975 Stanford University, A.M. (History), 1975 Duke University, M.D., 1978 Residency in pediatrics (UCSD, 1978-1980; Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, 1980-81; UCSD chief resident, 1981-82) Epidemic Intelligence Service Officer, CDC, 1982-84
Clinical Interests/Duties: Head, Division of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics Director, UCSF-UCB Joint Residency Program in General Preventive Medicine and Public Health Attending Physician, Pediatric Infectious Diseases
Research Interests/Duties: International health with emhapsis on prevention and control of infectious diseases of public health signficance (HIV, TB, STIs); control of chlamydia in California; prevention and control of coccidioidomycosis
Personal Notes or Comments: Former California state epidemiologist, 1990-95; former California State Health Officer, 1993-95

Career Information

1. What can students do in the 1st and 2nd years to explore and/or prepare for this career? There is a required public health/international health module in the second year embedded in the Infection, Inflammation and Immunity block. Students should consider the optional joint M.P.H. degree at Berkeley between third and fourth years. There is a planned fourth-year area of concentration in International and Public Health and a currently offered fourth-year rotation in preventive medicine and public health.

2. What common variations exist in the length/content of residency programs for this career? Residency programs are two years in length. In general the first year is spent getting an MPH degree (academic year), and the second is spent in rotations in health departments and other settings where preventive medicine is practiced (practicum year). Most residencies require completion of an internship (PGY-1) in a clinical specialty before starting the program although some (e.g., Loma Linda) include a PGY-1 year in their programs. The UCSF-UCB residency is designed much more along the lines of a fellowship. Residents are required to have completed a residency in a clinical specialty before beginning the program. Most programs (including UCSF-UCB) will admit residents with prior MPH degrees for the practicum year only.

3. What common variations exist in this career after training? There are three basic types of jobs in preventive medicine and public health: 1. Governmental public health practice (local health departments, state health departments, CDC, etc.) 2. Academics, both in schools of public health and medicine 3. Managed care administration.

4. What is a typical work day for you (or someone else representative)? In governmental public health practice, bulk of day would be spent in office dealing with current diseasse control problems (e.g., outbreaks), designing or evaluating ongoing prevention programs, dealing with legislation, press, etc.

5. What is the "culture" of this career? Heavily driven by epidemiology.

6. How compatible is this career with raising a family? How is this different for men and women? Very. Unless you specialize in international health, which requires substantial commitments to travel overseas, there is only occasional night call and limited weekend activity.

7. How important, individually, are each the following for admission to a competitive program:

a.Extra-curricular/volunteer work? No
b. Research/publications? Somewhat
c. Honors in third year? Helpful
d. AOA? Always helpful
e. A sub-internship? Not offered
f. An externship? Helpful, especially at CDC
g. (Other important elements to the application?)

8. What are the most important qualities or character traits for a person in this field? Interest in broad population-based health, good mathematical aptitude.

9. How competitive are the residency programs in this field? Varies, some are very competitive (like UCSF-UCB), some are much less so.

10. How competitive is the job market after residency? Salvatore Pablo Lucia Professor and Head, Division of Preventive Medicine and Public Health; Interim Director, Institute for Global Health.

11. What programs would you consider to be in the 1st tier, 2nd tier, and 3rd tier? UCSF-UCB, Dartmouth, Yale, Hopkins, Emory in first tier.

12. What resources (web, books, etc, besides the AMA and AAMC sites) would you recommend for students interested in learning more about this field? American College of Preventive Medicine website.