Nathan Hamil, from Pass Christian, Mississippi, is currently pursuing his Master of Public Health (M.P.H) with a concentration in Health Policy and Management from New York Medical College (NYMC) School of Health Sciences and Practice. He is a commissioned officer in the United States Public Health Services (USPHS) and currently serves as Drug Information Specialist with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
"August 29, 2005 was not going to be a normal day. My sophomore year in an undergraduate pharmacy program had just begun. Morning classes were scheduled as usual under an increasingly darkening sky. Meanwhile, 320 miles south in Mississippi, my family was facing the raw, unrelenting power of nature manifested in Hurricane Katrina. In the aftermath of the storm, a small portion of the herculean effort involved in the reconstruction of the Mississippi Gulf Coast consisted of 453 officers of the USPHS. It was during this time that I knew I would pursue a career in public health as an officer in the Commissioned Corps of the USPHS. The experiences I gained in public health in my seven years with the Commissioned Corps have been invaluable. NYMC has been a great experience for me. The online program is very flexible, which has worked well with my schedule. The course materials and library resources have been valuable, and the staff has been very helpful and prompt in responding to questions and keeping open lines of communication.