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 which seeks to educate and mentor medical students interested in pursuing careers in global health and health equity. 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
Creighton University’s Arrupe Global Scholars and Partnerships program seeks to change the traditional global health training opportunities for medical students by creating an innovative curriculum and philosophy grounded in the concepts of decolonizing global health and health equity. Implementing the Ignatian values of teaching its students to be agents of change and men and women for and with others, this program will uncover, explore and prepare the Arrupe Scholars to understand how racism and structural violence are embedded within healthcare systems and what role they play in working to improve these unjust systems.
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 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.
Program Goal
The goal of the program is to prepare a new generation of physicians who are dedicated and passionate about health equity. These future physicians will embrace a vision that “healthcare is a human right,” which requires much more than charity. It requires a disruption of structural violence to promote social justice so that populations who live in poverty and are marginalized can live healthy lives with the dignity they deserve.
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.
25% Medical School Tuition Scholarship
Through the generous support of a private donor, Arrupe Global Scholars will receive scholarship support for all four years of medical school. Tuition rates fluctuate, but a 25% scholarship represents upwards of $90,000.
100% Tuition Scholarship for the MPH Degree
In addition to covering 25% of medical school tuition, the program’s scholarship also funds the full cost of tuition for the Master of Public Health degree. This covers more than $40,000.
Five Fully Funded International Placements
The Arrupe Global Scholars Program has established partnerships with organizations in the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Uganda and India. Partnerships in other countries are being finalized. Students will work alongside our international partners and Creighton and partner institution faculty on multiyear projects addressing significant health challenges in locations around the world. Through these partnerships, such as the ILAC (Institute for Latin American Concern) in the Dominican Republic, you’ll gain first-hand experience addressing the health concerns of those most in need.
Faculty Mentoring and Professional Development
Changing the world for the better is a big undertaking, and you won’t go it alone. Benefit from the mentorship of Creighton faculty and upper-level students, plus take advantage of ongoing professional development opportunities specific to the 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 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 program orientation on Creighton’s Institute for Latin American Concern (ILAC) in the Dominican Republic.
Year 2: M2 Curriculum
The summer prior to M2, students will take part in an international immersion at a partner research site.
Year 3: MPH Program Studies
Students will take the majority of their MPH classes this year and spend part of the year abroad working on a research project.
Year 4: M3 Clinical Year
After finishing clinical rotations, students will spend four weeks living with host families while working with Dominican and Creighton physicians and pharmacists in clinics located in rural mountainous regions in the Dominican Republic.
Year 5: M4 Year
During year 5, students will complete a capstone for the MPH based on international immersions. Arrupe Global Scholars will also enroll in up to eight hours of dual-credit MD/MPH coursework.
“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.
Inaugural Class of Arrupe Global Scholars
Executive Director: Jason Beste
Jason Beste MD, MPH was named the inaugural Executive Director of the Arrupe Global Scholars and Partnerships Program, effective July 1, 2022.
Contact Information
402.280.2799
800.325.4405
Fax: 402.280.1241
Office of Medical Admissions
School of Medicine
Dr. C.C. and Mabel L. Criss Health Sciences Complex II, Room 102
2500 California Plaza
Omaha, NE 68178-0408
