Dr. Heather Miranda, Treasure Coast Community Health (TCCH) Executive Vice President, recently leveled up her healthcare expertise with a Doctorate of Public Health, DrPH.
In March of 2024, Dr. Miranda received her DrPH from the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC). The program, which differs from a usually research-focused PhD, gave Dr. Miranda a chance to learn how to address complex public health issues with a hands-on approach. According to UIC, DrPH candidates do learn research methods but are also provided a broader perspective and leadership skills to, “evaluate public health issues and programs, communicate with policy makers and the general public, and foster innovation in the public health system.”
Dr. Miranda’s dissertation was also inspired by her work at TCCH. In May of 2022, while looking to shift her dissertation topic, Dr. Miranda started as the Executive Vice President and discovered TCCH’s program with the Indian River County jail.
“I began thinking how healthcare is managed while individuals reside in the jail, how it’s managed when they get out, and how does their access to healthcare impact the potential return to jail,” Dr. Miranda explains.
“Individuals have high blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes, renal failure – how do you manage that? And having a Federally Qualified Health Center provide that care is a very unique proposition,” Dr. Miranda illustrates. “My dissertation focused on how ready an FQHC could be to offer health services because we provide care in the community, but we’ve never provided care in a jail.” For two years, the partnership between TCCH and the Indian River County Sherriff’s office has successfully provided care to individuals in the county jail, leading to an easier transition to their everyday lives.
