Mary DiOrio, MD, MPH, is the medical director of quality and population health at the OhioHealth Physician Group. She graduated in 1994 with Doctor of Medicine from Ohio State’s College of Medicine and in 2000 with a Master of Public Health from Ohio State’s School of Public Health.
Mary DiOrio, MD, MPH
You never know how your career may change over time. If you are open to new opportunities, you may be surprised at the path you take.
When I completed my Master of Public Health (MPH) at The Ohio State University School of Public Health in 2000, I likely would have told you that I expected to work at a state or local health department for the length of my career. I wouldn’t have foreseen at the time that I would work for a large health care system. Now that I have been with OhioHealth for almost two years, I can tell you that my public health background prepared me well for this phase of my career – and that I am in the perfect place to continue working on improving the health of our communities.
I obtained my medical degree from Ohio State in 1994 and did a Family Medicine Residency at Riverside Methodist Hospital in Columbus. This journey led me to realize that I wanted to work in public health, so I followed that training with a Preventive Medicine Residency and MPH education. I began my public health career at the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) in 2001 and progressed through various roles there, including medical director from 2014-2016.
In 2017, I became medical director of population health for the OhioHealth Physician Group (OPG). (I have since added on the role of medical director of quality for OPG.) Population health management gives a nod to public health in its approach to assessing the health of a population. It looks at health outcomes of groups of individuals as well as the underlying factors for these outcomes, such as social determinants of health. Understanding how translational the work of public health is to the broader conversation about the health of individuals has helped me in my transition to a health care system.
My career move from traditional public health has allowed me to take my foundational focus on populations and add a different lens to my approach. I remain curious and look for learning opportunities, and I know that in order to grow as a health care professional, I must be open to changing my perspective and looking at health solutions from different angles.
