MD & MPH Arrupe Global Scholars Program
Five-Year MD and MPH Arrupe Global Scholars Program
The Arrupe Global Scholars program is a five-year MD and MPH program that seeks to educate and mentor medical students interested in pursuing careers in global health and health equity. The program’s mission is to eradicate health injustices by promoting equitable access to quality healthcare for all, especially communities who are marginalized and living in poverty.
The program, named for Pedro Arrupe, SJ, who was deeply committed to social justice and caring for people living in poverty, seeks to educate servant-leaders in delivering healthcare with a focus on global health equity and a preferential option for the poor.
Changing Traditional Global Health Training
AGSPP is revolutionizing global health training for medical students through an innovative curriculum rooted in decolonizing global health and health equity principles. This program, inspired by Ignatian values, empowers Arrupe Scholars to become agents of change and advocates for marginalized communities by uncovering and addressing racism and structural violence within healthcare systems, both domestically and internationally. In addition to their MD and MPH coursework, Arrupe scholars engage in a 5-year program featuring annual themes, retreats, lectures, elective courses and immersive experiences with marginalized communities. AGSPP emphasizes pragmatic solidarity, fostering lasting relationships with partner sites through multiple visits, promoting cultural humility and trust-building.
Fully Funded Master of Public Health
As part of this five-year training program, students will have the opportunity to obtain a Master of Public Health, which is fully funded by the Arrupe scholarship. Students will complete their M1 and M2 years then break to complete their MPH coursework, asynchronously. After the MPH year, students will continue their MD coursework in their M3 and M4 years.
Students will travel abroad every year of medical school at one of Creighton’s international partner sites to work on scholarly projects addressing one of the sustainable development goals while improving social determinants of health. Scholars will work collaboratively, humbly and respectfully with international partners, using core concepts to decolonize global health, as they both contribute to their partner site and receive knowledge in return.
International Partners
AGSPP (Arrupe Global Scholars Partnership Program) prioritized creating international partnerships grounded in equity while applying a decolonizing framework. AGSPP will work with these international partners to explore mutual priorities and opportunities between our institutions to promote research and to strengthen educational opportunities at each site.
Each Arrupe scholar will be assigned one international faculty mentor and one Creighton faculty mentor to assist them on their MPH capstone and practicum projects.
Partners
- University of Global Health Equity (UHGE), Rwanda
- Pontificia Universidad Catolica del Ecuador (PUCE), Quito, Ecuador
- Pontificia Universidad Catolica Madre y Maestra (PUCCM), Santiago, Dominican Republic
Program Details
Those chosen to become Arrupe Global Scholars will:
- Earn a Master of Public Health (MPH) and Doctor of Medicine (MD) in five years.
- Receive scholarship funding.
- Take part in fully funded international service-learning and research experiences.
- Be mentored by experienced faculty and leaders in global health at Creighton University and at partner institutions across the world.
- Have access to specialized professional development opportunities.
- Develop the skills necessary to conduct global health research grounded in equitable international partnerships.
- Participate in an innovative curriculum addressing key global health competencies including decolonizing global health, racism in medicine, health equity and social justice, sustainable development goals, social determinants of health, ethics, cultural humility, liberation medicine, global burden of disease, monitoring and evaluation, and capacity strengthening.
Ultimately, scholars within the program will work as part of international teams seeking to improve the health and well-being of communities experiencing poverty and inequitable access to healthcare.
Five-year MD and MPH Program
Students in the program will work toward both degrees simultaneously. This specific combination of degrees will provide the foundational knowledge needed to effect change at a wider level.
Partial Medical School Tuition Scholarship
Through the generous support of a private donor, Arrupe Global Scholars will receive partial scholarship support for all four years of medical school.
100% Tuition Scholarship for the MPH Degree
In addition to covering part of medical school tuition, the program’s scholarship also funds the full cost of tuition for the Master of Public Health degree.
Five Fully Funded International Placements
AGSPP established partnerships with organizations in Rwanda, Ecuador and the Dominican Republic. Partnerships in additional countries are also currently being explored. Students will work alongside our international partners and Creighton faculty on multiyear public health projects addressing significant public health and social determinants of health challenges.
Faculty Mentoring and Professional Development
AGSPP embraces the Jesuit values of being women and men for and with others and being agents of change; however, this is a big undertaking, and you won’t go at it alone. Arrupe scholars will benefit from the mentorship of faculty at both Creighton and our international partner sites, upper-level students and ongoing professional development opportunities specific to the Arrupe program.
Those interested in becoming an Arrupe Global Scholar must first apply to Creighton’s School of Medicine MD program using the AMCAS application. All applicants who submit a verified AMCAS application to Creighton will be invited (by email) to apply to the Arrupe Global Scholars program though our Secondary Application Process. Students will be asked to:
- Prepare three essays addressing their interest in and goals for the Arrupe Global Scholars MD/MPH program
- Provide a letter of recommendation through the AMCAS Letter Service that addresses their experiences working with marginalized populations, locally or internationally, and their interest in global health and potential to practice with and impact the lives of the global poor
- Interview with a selection committee, if chosen to advance
The eligibility and academic prerequisites for the Arrupre Global Scholars are the same as those for the regular MD program, with the addition of a strong interest in global health as demonstrated by previous experiences and an emphasis on service with marginalized populations. Please note, the GRE normally required for the MPH will be waived for applicants.
Arrupe Scholars will start the program approximately three weeks before they start their first year of medical school. Students will take part in a one-week orientation and then a two-week immersion at the Institute for Latin American Concern in the Dominican Republic.
Program Timeline
Year 1: M1 Curriculum
The summer prior to M1, Arrupe Global Scholars will attend a Global Health and Arrupe Global Scholars and Partnerships Program orientation on Creighton’s Institute for Latin American Concern (ILAC) in the Dominican Republic.
Year 2: M2 Curriculum
The summer prior to M2 year, students will take part in a 3-week cultural and research immersion at one of the international partner research sites.
Year 3: MPH Program Studies
Students complete the majority of their MPH classes this year and spend a total of 8 weeks abroad working on their MPH practicum and capstone project.
Year 4: M3 Clinical Year
Arrupe scholars will be based in Omaha or Phoenix for the year completing their M3 clinical rotations while completing their MPH capstone project and working towards a scholarly publication.
Year 5: M4 Year
Arrupe scholars travel to their international partner site to present findings of capstone project to local partners, local communities, and Ministry of Health. They will also participate in a 4-week clinical elective rotation at their partner site.
“To be just, it is not enough to refrain from injustice. One must go further and refuse to play its game, substituting love for self-interest as the driving force of society.”
Pedro Arrupe, SJ – the namesake of the Arrupe Global Scholars Program – was the 28th Superior General of the Society of Jesus. He studied medicine early in his life, but chose to enter the Society of Jesus in 1927. He was ordained in 1936 and sent to Japan to work two years later. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Fr. Arrupe was arrested by Japanese security forces on suspicion of espionage and kept in solitary confinement for more than a month. He was eventually released and stayed in Japan, moving to Nagatsuka, just outside of Hiroshima. On Aug. 6, 1945, Fr. Arrupe witnessed the horrors of the dropping of the atomic bomb in Hiroshima firsthand. He and his colleagues survived the blast and rendered aid to many victims using rudimentary resources and medical knowledge.
An integral leader among the Jesuits post-Vatican II, Fr. Arrupe has been called the “the second founder” of the Society of Jesus, having led the Jesuits through a period of cultural renewal. He is remembered for his legacy of commitment to the common good and human dignity. He founded Jesuit Relief Services, and is credited with inspiring the phrase “men and women for others”. Fr. Arrupe was deeply committed to justice and caring for people living in poverty. The Arrupe Global Scholars Program shares that mission.
Together, Creighton and ILAC offer programming for medical students interested in learning in the Dominical Republic and building relationships across cultural, linguistic and socio-economic barriers. Students do not need to be part of the Arrupe Global Scholars Program to participate. Opportunities for medical students include:
The ILAC Summer Health Program
- An inter-disciplinary medical program that gives students and healthcare professionals the opportunity to live with and become a part of a family and community in the rural campo communities of the Dominican Republic. The program is offered over three weeks in July and is open to M1s and M3s.
Women’s Health Elective
- Experience the different sides of Women's Healthcare in the DR. During this four-week program, M4 students spend time in a public hospital, private hospital and rural area.
View more information on these and other ILAC program offerings.
Arrupe Global Scholars Spotlights
Executive Director: Jason Beste
Jason Beste, MD, MPH
Executive Director
JasonBeste@creighton.edu
Jason was named the inaugural Executive Director of the Arrupe Global Scholars and Partnership Program, effective July 1, 2022.
Program Manager: Danielle Okezie
Danielle Okezie, ME.d
Program Manager
DanielleOkezie@creighton.edu
Contact with questions about program information, admission questions and Arrupe interview process.
Contact Information
402.280.2799
800.325.4405
Fax: 402.280.1241
Office of Medical Admissions
CL and Rachel Werner Center for Health Sciences Education
2616 Burt Street
Omaha, NE 68178
