EMORY UNIVERSITY PUBLIC HEALTH DOCTORAL PROGRAMS

PHD PROGRAMS AT A GLANCE

CORE COMPENTENCIES

Upon completion of the PhD degree, graduates will be equipped with the following skills to help them enhance their careers and accomplish their goals:

PhD in Behavioral, Social, and Health Education Sciences

• Design theoretically-informed interventions that operate at multiple
  levels to prevent disease, reduce health risks, or improve quality of life.
• Develop original research questions and describe research designs and
  advanced statistical analysis plans to address those research questions.
• Conduct theoretically-informed research directly related to the social sciences, behavioral sciences, and/ or health education in the context of public health.
• Develop the skills needed to teach about public health content.
• Apply principles of ethical conduct to public health research.

PhD in Biostatistics

• Conduct independent research in the application of biostatistics.
• Develop and assess statistical theory as needed.
• Develop and assess statistical methods to address a broad range of complex biomedical or public health problems. 
• Conduct complex statistical analyses for a broad range of applications.
• Teach statistical theory or methodology at multiple levels.

PhD in Environmental Health Sciences

• Apply advanced methods for assessing human exposures to environmental agents.
• Explain the actions of environmental exposures on human health via cellular and molecular processes.
• Apply epidemiologic and risk assessment methods to describe the risks associated with exposure to environmental agents.
• Conduct a novel research project that addresses key challenges in environmental health sciences.

PhD in Epidemiology

• Evaluate epidemiologic research.
• Formulate an epidemiologic research question that addresses a gap in the literature.
• Develop an epidemiologic research study addressing a gap in the literature.
• Conduct independent research using epidemiologic methods.
• Communicate the results of epidemiologic research to a scientific audience.

PhD in Global Health and Development

• Identify, describe and explain major ethical aspects of global health.
• Assess the major forces that influence the health of populations around the world.
• Critique major global priorities and the reasons for their prioritization.
• Critique the evidence for improving health delivery systems and health status of populations around the world.
• Evaluate programs and their operational components.
• Examine assumptions about, and approaches to, addressing challenges related to health equity and social justice.

PhD in Health Services Research and Health Policy

• Describe major problems in health services and policy currently the subject of empirical investigations.
• Apply economic or political science concepts, theories, and methods to the framing and analysis of research questions.
• Apply advanced economics or political science methods to relevant research questions.
• Communicate concepts and methods of health services and health policy research.
• Conduct a health services or health policy research investigation suitable for peer-reviewed publication.
• Function as a team collaborator in designing and conducting health services or health policy research investigation.

PhD in Nutrition and Health Sciences

• Apply the fundamentals of nutrition science including methods of nutrition assessment.
• Evaluate scholarly work, programs, and interventions by peers in nutrition health sciences.
• Conduct independent research using appropriate methods in the field of nutrition.
• Communicate current knowledge about key concepts in human nutrition science to students and peers.
• Develop the skills needed to teach students about nutritional science and health.