MeSH Alumni
Since 1985, the MeSH program has trained physician-scholars to analyze and develop creative solutions for problems facing the medical profession and society. Most graduates of the MeSH program pursue careers in academic medicine. Many of these physician-scholars go on to have joint appointments in both medicine and their respective social science departments.
Below is a sampling of what past graduates are doing with their MD/PhD:
William Dale, MD, PhD
Dr. Dale received his PhD in public policy from the Harris School of Public Policy Studies in 1998. He is currently the Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of Chicago and Assistant Director of the MeSH MD-PhD program. His research on medical decision-making in the care of the elderly lies in the area of behavioral economics, a field of study which brings psychological insights to bear on questions traditionally addressed by economics. His current study looks at how emotions and anxiety effect patients' medical decisions during the treatment and diagnosis of prostate cancer, mild cognitive impairment, and adominal aneurysms.
Richard Gunderman, MD, PhD
Dr. Gunderman received his PhD from the Department of Social Thought in 1989. He is the Vice Chairman of Radiology and Director of Pediatric Radiology at Indiana University where he is also Associate Professor of Radiology, Pediatrics, Medical Education, Philosophy, Liberal Arts and Philanthropy. His research interests focus on the intersection of medical ethics, philanthropy, professionalism, suffering, and the care of the disabled.
Babak Khosnood, MD, PhD
Dr. Khosnood received his PhD from the Harris School of Public Policy Studies. He is currently a senior consultant at Cemka Eval a french consulting firm specializing in health economics, epidemiology and outcomes research.
Ken Langa, MD, PhD
Dr. Langa received his PhD from the Harris School of Public Policy Studies in 1992 and is now the Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Michigan. He also serves as Co-Director of the University of Michigan SGIM-Hartford Collaborative Center for Research and Education in the Care of Older Adults and the University of Michigan Patient Safety Enhancement Program. His current research estimates the societal costs of chronic disease among older adults, with a focus on Alzheimer's Disease and dementia.
Christopher Masi, MD, PhD
Dr. Masi received his PhD from the School of Social Service Administration. As an Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of Chicago, he has studied the impact of neighborhood characteristics on health outcomes and the effect of Internet access on health empowerment. He is particularly interested in looking at health disparities by ethnicity and socioeconomic status.
David Meltzer, MD, PhD
Dr. Meltzer received his PhD in Economics in 1992 and is currently an Associate Professor in the Departments of Medicine, Economics and the Harris School of Public Policy Studies. In addition, Dr. Meltzer is Director of the Center for Health and Social Sciences and Co-Director of the MeSH MD-PhD program. He research lies at the intersection of medicine and economics with a focus on the cost and quality of hospital care. Considered one of the nation's leading experts on hospitalists, a new type of physician that focuses on inpatient care, he is currently the principal investigator for a federally funded multicenter study on the topic. His other main research focus is on the theoretical foundations of medical cost-effectiveness analysis, which he is applying in the context of diabetes and prostate cancer.
