“My name is Desmond Green and I am currently a rising second year MD/MPH dual degree candidate at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. My experience at the NYS Children’s Environmental Health Center and Region 2 PEHSU was more than I could have ever hoped for. For the first time since starting medical school I feel like I started to see how as a future pediatrician, I could use my voice to enact real change in the community I serve. Moreover, having worked with many mentors who have both their MD and MPH, I saw how one can synthesize both their public health and medical training to better service their population. The tangible tools I have gained at the Center and the PEHSU will stay with me for the rest of my time as a practicing physician and for that I am eternally grateful.

The internship offered me a plethora of unique and varied opportunities to see not only how public health can inform our society, but also the process it takes to reach said point. Most importantly, the team members of the Center/PEHSU reminded me why I went into medicine in the first place and the importance of surrounding yourself with people who care. I have never been apart of such a loving and accepting team, to each other and to me; I felt both valued and heard. Seeing how tirelessly everyone else worked to make a difference, made me want to do the same and made me excited to wake up and go into the office everyday. Interning at Mount Sinai was an invaluable experience and I highly recommend it to those that have even a slight interest in pediatric environmental health. In moving forward, I hope to bring the tools and knowledge I’ve gained to start similar initiatives in Miami.”