Teddie Brandon was the first student admitted into the joint MD/MPH program at the Georgia Regents University/University of Georgia Medical Partnership, which is giving her the opportunity to combine her passions for medicine and public health.
Hometown:
St. Marys, Ga.
High School:
Camden County High School
Degree objective:
Doctor of medicine, master’s of public health in epidemiology
Other degrees:
Certificate in global health
Expected graduation:
Spring 2015
University highlights, achievements, awards and scholarships:
• Part of the first class of the GRU/UGA Medical Partnership.
• First MD/MPH candidate at the GRU/UGA Medical Partnership.
• GRU/UGA Medical Partnership student ambassador.
• Participated in the UGA Center for Global Health pilot summer program at the University of Haifa, Israel.
• Interned at the State of Israel Ministry of Health in Nazareth, Israel.
Family Ties to UGA:
My father, his two brothers and my paternal grandparents are all proud graduates of the University of Georgia. My little brother, Ethan Brandon, also will graduate from UGA in May 2013 with a B.S. degree in psychology.
I chose to attend UGA because…
… I knew I would have the opportunity to be the first student in the MD/MPH combined degree program if I chose the Athens campus of the Medical College of Georgia (now known as Georgia Regents University). I have always been passionate about public health as well as medicine, and this was a very important factor for me when choosing a medical school.
My favorite things to do on campus are…
… to walk around with my dog on weekend afternoons.
When I have free time, I like…
… to read a good book, play with my pug Yoda and go salsa dancing with friends in Atlanta.
The craziest thing I’ve done is…
… move three hours away from home to go to college a month after my 16th birthday.
My favorite place to study is…
… my couch, with my textbooks surrounding me so that I can reach them all easily.
My favorite professor is…
… Dr. Richard Schuster. Although I only had Dr. Schuster as a professor for a single class (Comparative Global Health Systems), he has become both my mentor and champion. He first offered me the incredible opportunity to go to Israel with the Center for Global Health and more recently facilitated the attainment of my dream internship for next summer. I am forever grateful to him for his advice, encouragement and verbalized confidence in me.
If I could share an afternoon with anyone, I would love to share it with…
… Eleanor Roosevelt. I have always admired her strength, outspokenness and dedication in advocating for human rights issues, especially during an era when women were supposed to be seen and not heard.
If I knew I could not fail, I would…
… research a cure for HIV/AIDS. (Go big or go home, right?)
If money was not a consideration, I would love to…
… travel the world! Experiencing other cultures through literature, music, food and most of all through people has always been a huge passion of mine. To date, I have visited Costa Rica, Mexico, Guatemala, Colombia and Israel. I hope one day that list will be a whole lot longer.
After graduation, I plan to…
… complete a combined residency program in internal medicine and pediatrics. After that, I would either like to pursue a fellowship in infectious disease or join the CDC Epidemic Intelligence Service.
The one UGA experience I will always remember will be…
… my time in Israel. Some of the memories I will cherish for the rest of my life are floating in the Dead Sea, visiting the Baha’i gardens in Haifa, celebrating my 23rd birthday with falafel and new friends, experiencing the infamous nightlife in Tel Aviv, walking the Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem and touching the Western Wall while feeling the prayers of the thousands of people before me.