Health Care Policy

20 Questions: John Hunt, MD, Peds Pulmonology/Allergy/Immunology

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John Hunt, MD is a pediatric pulmonologist/allergist/immunologist from Charlottesville, VA. He received his bachelor’s degree from Amherst College before going on to George Washington University School of Medicine, where he earned his MD. He served in the Medical Corps with the US Naval Reserve from 1992-2003. During that time he completed his residency in pediatrics at the San Diego Naval Medical Center, and two fellowships at the University of Virginia, one in Allergy and Immunology and one in Pediatric Pulmonology. Since then he served in a number of roles, from professor at the University of Virginia to entrepreneur to researcher to author.
1. When did you first decide to become a physician? Why?
Throughout my childhood I had bad asthma and my pediatrician was wonderful so I decided by fourth grade to be a pediatrician. By 9th grade, I was cured of that desire because there was no way in hell I was going to put up with all the years of school needed to become a doctor. I didn’t even consider medicine again until my college senior year, during which I decided to be a surgeon. But somehow, in the end of it all I grew up into a pediatric asthma specialist. My wonderful childhood pediatrician quit medicine to open a chocolate factory.
2. What surprised you most about your medical studies?
That the premedical work was pretty much unnecessary, and that I was very glad that I studied in college all sorts of broad liberal arts as opposed to wasting excessive time with undergraduate chemistry and biology. You learn what you need to in medical school and then in residency, and then in fellowship and then every day through a medical career. So, take as few pre-med courses as you can and don’t waste your valuable college education being a pre-med major. There is so much to learn in college that will help you be a better doctor that has nothing to do with chemistry and biology.

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A U.S. Medical Student’s Experience in Germany

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As a medical student from the U.S., it is always fascinating to experience how medical care is delivered in other countries. As our health care expenditures balloon to unprecedented levels, the topics of medical care and medicine in general have never been more pervasive. From this dialogue, comparisons between the U.S. and international health care systems are naturally made, but few people outside of those who do medical tourism, international rotations, or medical humanitarian work actually experience the differences firsthand. Experiencing medicine in countries with drastically different systems than the U.S. is highly valuable for U.S. medical students, both in clinical practice and in understanding the business and legal aspects of medicine.

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20 Questions: Beth Seltzer, MD, MPH

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Dr. Beth Seltzer

Beth Seltzer’s path to MD and MPH was not a straight line. She started out as a documentary filmmaker in San Francisco, where she created award-winning documentaries with a national reach, shared in creative decisions from idea to final edit, hired and supervised staff, conducted community outreach campaigns, wrote grant proposals, and managed finances. While there, she co-produced programs that garnered long list of honors such as Northern California Area Emmy Award; Gold Apple, National Educational Media Festival; Gold Hugo, Chicago International Film Festival; Best Documentary Short, Nashville Independent Film Festival; and Finalist, IDA Documentary Awards.
Beth received her MD from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, in 2003, and her MPH from Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health (NY) in 2008. Her residencies included general preventive medicine and public health at Stony Brook University School of Medicine, and a transitional year at Lehigh Valley Hospital in Allentown. Beth is board certified in Public Health and General Preventive Medicine, and is a medical consultant and writer, creating original, nonfiction works for wide audiences, including 101 Careers in Public Health, a comprehensive career guide from Springer Publishing Company, which has been endorsed as “first-rate advice” by the American Public Health Association.

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