Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

The PhD in Global Disease Epidemiology and Control prepares students to take leadership positions in important global public health settings with strong research components. Students learn to use epidemiologic, immunologic, laboratory, and statistical methods to design, implement, and evaluate disease control interventions for diseases of public health importance to underserved populations. Students may earn a Certificate in Vaccine Science and Policy, to understand everything from vaccine clinical research to implementation and evaluation of vaccine programs, in both the U.S. and internationally.

Core content research areas in GDEC include infectious diseases, epidemiology, and biostatistics.

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The Health Systems program equips students with the technical skills for carrying out cutting edge health policy and systems research and preparing them to take leadership positions in global health settings. The program works to design systems and implement equitable and cost-effective strategies for delivering health care and health promotion interventions to disadvantaged and underserved communities in the U.S. and abroad. This mandate is carried out through research, service, and training with and for the populations being served.

Health Systems doctoral research focuses on health policy, health planning, financing, management and evaluation, institution and capacity building, community development, and health systems strengthening.

The overall goal of the PhD program is to produce the next generation of leaders in health systems research and practice, particularly in low- and middle-income country settings.

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Human Nutrition provides students with the theoretical knowledge and state-of-the-art scientific, programmatic, policy, and leader- ship skills for addressing pressing global and domestic challenges in public health nutrition.

Doctoral students acquire and apply knowledge and skills in nutritional issues across the life span, the role of nutrients in cells and biologic systems, nutritional epidemiology, socio-cultural aspects of nutrition, and food and nutrition policy. Students are challenged to identify and consider solutions to important nutritional problems facing societies in terms of their causes, extent, severity, and health effects throughout the life cycle.

The PhD degree prepares candidates for careers in the design, conduct, and publication of innovative research and in public health leadership across diverse areas of applied nutrition.

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Social and Behavioral Interventions (SBI) offers multidisciplinary training for researchers and public health practitioners who wish to use the social sciences in the design, implementation, and evaluation of global public health programs. The program’s goal is to work in partnership with communities to understand local, social, cultural, and policy contexts and develop effective programs. SBI’s primary focus is on the application of theory and data collection into research and public health action. The combined use of qualitative and quantitative methods is a focus of the program. Students also gain a strong foundation in social and behavioral theory and formative research.

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