Abstract:
This
paper
explores
the
conceptualisation
and
implementation
of
public
health
in
a
medical
curriculum
in
South
Africa.
Society’s
health
needs
to
extend
beyond
treating
the
individual
and
the
ill.
However,
healthy
populations
are
of
little
interest
for
medical
students
and
so
population
health
–
public
health
–
is
over
the
conceptual
horizon
of
medical
students.
In
this
paper
I
aim
to
explain
my
journey
in
exploring
my
educational
practice
of
facilitating
learning
about
public
health
in
our
medical
curriculum
and
share
my
insights
of
the
context
of
my
practice.
My
inquiry
is
an
exploration
of
my
values
of
care
and
agency
and
I
create
meaning
of
my
practice
through
a
Living
Theory
approach
to
action
research. This
paper
introduces
the
multiple
concurrent
understanding
of
public
health,
educational
tensions,
constraints
and
points
of
connection
between
medicine
and
public
health
in
the
curriculum.
I
share
my
innovative
practice
in
using
the
elective
experience
to
challenge
the
notion
that
public
health
is
over
the
conceptual
horizon
of
medical
students.
On
the
contrary,
public
health
is
an
eye-‐opener
and
it
is
other
conceptual
horizons
that
obscure
meaningful
engagement
with
medical
students
around
public
health.
