The Executive Online MPH program at the Yale School of Public Health (YSPH) interviews Scott Pearson as the program celebrates its inaugural academic year by highlighting the experiences of some of the first students to enroll in the program.
Why did you choose to attend the Yale School of Public Health’s Executive Online MPH program?
SP: Yale’s program is unique in giving a broad perspective of the entire field of public health and how to lead in the 21st century. Coupling the unique curriculum with the small student-to-teacher ratio and collaborative student environment, you cannot find another program like Yale’s out there. To me, Yale was less interested in what I had done in my prior career than what I was capable of doing in the future with their help and education.
What is your current occupation?
SP: My current role is Senior Vice President, Chief Product Officer at THREAD Research. THREAD is the industry leader in remote virtual clinical trials modernizing clinical research with solutions such as digital recruitment, patient engagement, eConsent, eCOA, telehealth virtual visits, site data capture, sensors, and analytics. THREAD is dedicated to making clinical trials more efficient, flexible, and inclusive through a comprehensive platform that enables decentralized studies.
What are your favorite aspects of the Executive Online MPH program?
SP: When I think of my favorite aspects of the Executive Online MPH program, two things come to mind. The first is how immediately applicable the learnings are to my career…My job is unique in creating startups in the life sciences industry. I have been able to apply learnings from my courses to companies in computational pathology and decentralized clinical trial spaces. The second aspect is how welcoming and collaborative the students are in the program.
How do you balance working full time with the demands of the program?
SP: You have 1,440 minutes in a day; the trick is looking in detail at where each of those minutes is invested. From there, you can ensure you have invested your time wisely across what is important to you personally and professionally.
How do you hope to apply the training and education you receive through the Executive Online MPH program to your future endeavors?
SP: I always work to apply the adage “Learn it on a Monday, apply it on a Tuesday” when it comes to my coursework. I always strive to understand the key curriculum and apply key learnings from it or lessons learned from my classmates to my immediate job. I have already been able to do this in my current job, standing start-ups in computational pathology and decentralized clinical trials. In addition to the curriculum, I have learned much from my classmates in the program. Students in the cohort are more than willing to help and share lessons learned in their various industries and their ways of thinking about problems posed in class. The different mental frameworks to look at a problem have been invaluable when taking this perspective to my career.
Would you recommend the Executive Online MPH degree program to others, and why?
SP: I would highly recommend Yales Executive Online MPH program to others. In attending Yale’s Executive Online MPH program, you are not just gaining a skillset in the public health industry, you are also gaining leadership skills to make the changes needed to lead in the future. Even more than the learnings, you are also gaining a network of professors and fellow classmates that are always interested in helping you progress in your career.