MD/MPH Arrupe Global Scholars and Partnerships Program

MD/MPH Program: Immerse Yourself in Global Health

The Arrupe Global Scholars & Partnerships program is a five-year MD/MPH dual-degree program for students interested in global health and health equity.  

Through transformative international fieldwork with communities who live on the margins, Arrupe Scholars broaden their understanding of health disparities, public health systems and the social forces that shape patient outcomes.  

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.

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

Arrupe Global Scholars and Partnerships Program established partnerships with organizations in Rwanda, Ecuador, Nepal and the Dominican Republic. 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

Arrupe Global Scholars and Partnerships Program 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.

Application Process

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 & Partnerships program though our Secondary Application Process. Students will be asked to:

  • Prepare five essays addressing their interest in and goals for the Arrupe Global Scholars & Partnerships 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 Arrupe 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.

Curriculum Outline & Timeline

Arrupe Scholars will start the program approximately three weeks before they start their first year of medical school. Students will take part in a program orientation and cultural 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 & 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.

Fully Funded Master of Public Health

As part of this five-year formation program, Arrupe Scholars will earn a fully funded Master of Public Health (MPH) through the Arrupe Scholarship.

Across five years, students complete both their MD/MPH degrees while engaging in five cultural and research immersions with international partners in Rwanda, Ecuador, the Dominican Republic and Nepal.

Arrupe Scholars follow the standard medical school curriculum during their first two years. In the third year, students focus on MPH coursework and their capstone project asynchronously before returning to medical school for clinical rotations and a final international partner experience.

Each scholar is paired with an international faculty mentor and a Creighton faculty mentor who provide guidance and support throughout their MPH practicum and capstone projects. 

Changing Traditional Global Health Training

The Arrupe Global Scholars & Partnerships program transforms global health education for medical students through a curriculum preparing scholars to become compassionate leaders and advocates for communities who live on the margins. In addition to their MD and MPH coursework, scholars participate in an Ignatian Formation program and innovative curriculum addressing racism in medicine, health equity and social justice, sustainable development goals, social determinants of health, cultural humility, liberation medicine, global burden of disease and capacity strengthening.

Named for Pedro Arrupe, SJ, whose life reflected a deep commitment to justice and care for people living in poverty, the program calls students to lead with humility, solidarity and accompaniment. 

Immersion Trips with International Partners

Alongside their MD/MPH studies, scholars participate in five immersion trips to one of Creighton’s international partner locations. During the experience, they collaborate on scholarly projects identified by the partner to support local development priorities and improve social determinants of health.

Through each experience, scholars will engage with partners collaboratively, humbly and with deep respect. Grounded in principles that seek to decolonize global health, they will contribute to their partner organization while also receiving insight, perspective and knowledge in return.

  • University of Global Health Equity – Rwanda
  • Pontificia Universidad Catolica Madre y Maestra – Dominican Republic
  • Pontificia Universidad Catolica del Ecuador – Ecuador
  • Kathmandu University/Dhulikhel Hospital – Nepal
Melina Monlux headshot
I witnessed how deeply transformative health work requires contending with the full complexity of human life, with love and humility serving as prerequisites for true understanding of every patient we seek to heal.
— Melina Monlux, Class of 2028, Seattle, Washington
Dillon Cardinale headshot
I am surrounded by friends and mentors who inspire me on a regular basis to identify injustices in healthcare.
— Dillon Cardinale, Class of 2028, Happy Valley, Oregon
Yezan Hassan headshot
Being an Arrupe Global Scholar means having the privilege of a medical training that allows me to lead with justice across cultural barriers.
— Yezan “iPod” Hassan, Class of 2027, Baghdad, Iraq

Related Programs

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 & Partnerships 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.

Who Was Pedro Arrupe?

“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 & Partnerships 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 & Partnerships Program shares that mission.

Jason Beste, Executive Director

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 & Partnership Program, effective July 1, 2022.

Site Directors

Jason Beste, MD, MPH

  • KU, Nepal

Sara R. Beste, MD, MPH

  • UGHE, Rwanda

Caron J . Gray, MD

  • PUCMM, Santiago, Dominican Republic

Anne Mardis O'Keefe, MD, MPH

  • PUCE, Quito, Ecuador

Program Manager

Daria Baker
Program Manager
602.812.4707
dariabaker@creighton.edu

For questions or to learn more about the program, please email the Arrupe Global Scholars and Partnerships Program at AGSPP@Creighton.edu

Office of Medical Admissions - Omaha
CL and Rachel Werner Center for Health Sciences Education
2616 Burt Street
Omaha, NE 68178

Creighton University Health Sciences Campus - Phoenix 
3100 N. Central Avenue
Phoenix, AZ 85012

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