Managing in Turbulent Times: Emerging Leaders in Public Health

Alumni

Roderick K. King, MD, MPH, FAAP

U.S. Public Health Service, Massachusetts

 

 

Area of work in public health

Some have said that I have “grown up” in community health/public health. I grew up caring for people in our community in Brooklyn, NY as my father was a general practitioner in the Bedford-Stuyvesant Neighborhood in Brooklyn even before there were any community health centers in the US. This inspired me to pursue a career in medicine and specifically training in the field of pediatrics. I graduated from Cornell University Medical College and completed my training in pediatrics at Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, DC. Shortly after graduating and working in Washington, DC, my wife and I moved to Ghana, West Africa where I taught basic science courses and public health in the health science department of the University of Cape Coast. It was in West Africa, that I saw true PUBLIC HEALTH, and this re-sparked my interests in public health and health disparities. After living in West Africa for two years, I returned because I was selected as a Commonwealth Fund Harvard University Fellow in Minority Health Policy at the Harvard Medical School/Harvard School of Public Health and JFK School of Government.

I am currently Director for the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Boston Region One Office, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and on the faculty of the Department of Social Medicine at the Harvard Medical School. I continue a part-time clinical practice at Martha Elliot Health Center and Boston Children's Hospital. My research interests center on public health policy issues with particular focus on: (1) health workforce planning, diversity and cultural competence, (2) improving the health of underprivileged children via education of patients/parents and health professionals, and (3) injury and violence prevention.

Personal information:

I have been happily married to my soul mate, Scherazade Daruvalla King for 10 years. She is the Founder and President of a rapidly growing nonprofit, Project: Think Different, an organization that uses pop culture media (music, film and video) to get young people civically engaged to get them more involved with creating change in their communities. She is also President of Empowerment Records, which is an independent record label dedicated to producing and promoting positive and socially responsible music for our youth. I enjoy music (both listening and playing), carpentry and general home improvement work. My wife and I have completely rehabilitated our 100 year Victorian home in Boston over the past 6 years.

What I would like to get out of this program:

I would like to get a much stronger foundation in managing financial crises, and I hope to hone my skills in communication and managing challenging individuals. I also truly look forward meeting my fellow peers , growing my network, and learning from the their experiences and wisdom.