BS/MPH Student Michiko Ishihara Awarded Case Scholarship.
BS/MPH Student Michiko Ishihara Awarded Case Scholarship
Ishihara, a 4+1 student entering her senior year, was one of 14 Boston University undergraduates selected for the highly competitive scholarship.
Michiko Ishihara, a student in the BS/MPH program, is one of a handful of top achievers at Boston University awarded a Harold C. Case Scholarship, one of the highest distinctions for undergraduate students at BU.
The Case Scholarship recognizes academic excellence, scholarly potential, extracurricular activities, and contributions to the University. Ishihara is one of only 14 recipients for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Ishihara is a student in Boston University’s BS/MPH program, offered jointly by the School of Public Health and the Sargent College of Health & Rehabilitation Sciences. Upon completion of the 4+1 program, students earn a Bachelor of Science (BS) degree at Sargent College and the Master of Public Health (MPH) degree from the School of Public Health.
She also serves as a teaching assistant for PH510: Essentials of Public Health, a required class for students obtaining an undergraduate minor in public health.
Sophie Godley, clinical associate professor of community health sciences and director of undergraduate education at SPH, teaches PH510 and hailed Ishihara as “one of the warmest students I have ever had the pleasure of teaching and working with—she always makes ME feel good.” Godley says Ishihara is funny and irreverent, but takes her work in public health seriously. “Her academic work is outstanding, and she is particularly talented at writing,” Godley says. “The fact that she came to the US just a few years ago to attend BU makes her even more remarkable, in my mind. I can’t wait to see what she does next.”
Ishihara says her journey with public health started in high school in Japan, where she was taking a class that spurred her interest in development economics, which she says included learning about the poverty trap and social determinants of health. “I had this preconceived notion that I had to choose between economics or medicine—another interest of mine. I ended up applying to BU and enrolling as an economics major,” Ishihara says.
Once at BU, she began networking with pre-health students, doctors, and professors, and discovered that the intersection between economics and medicine that she sought was actually found in public health. “I also realized that I could continue to pursue my passion in medicine and that an MPH degree is pretty compatible with an MD/DO. This was genuinely mind-blowing for me since it felt like the puzzle pieces about my future were finally coming together.”
She plans to study epidemiology and biostatistics with a context certificate in maternal and child health on the path to becoming a physician, and use her MPH degree to further enhance research in women’s health. Ishihara says, “I believe that studying public health and understanding the health of a community as a whole will make me a better physician, and this motivates me to continue my academic career at BU.”
Case Scholarship recipients receive between $3,000 and full tuition depending on financial need, with scholarship funds applied to undergraduate study in a student’s senior year. The scholarship was established by contributions from students, alumni, staff, faculty, trustees, and friends of BU in recognition of the achievements of President Harold Case during his tenure as the fifth president of BU from 1951 to 1967.
As a Case Scholarship winner, Ishihara is also eligible to serve as a student member of the Provost’s Faculty Teaching Awards Committee, which recommends to the President the winners of the Metcalf Cup and Prize and Metcalf Awards, the winner of the Boston University’s Provost’s Scholar-Teacher of the Year Award, and the winner of the Gerald and Deanne Gitner Family Award for Innovation in Teaching with Technology.
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