Doctoral Program (PhD) in International Health and Development
The Department of International Health and Development is dedicated to improving the health status of populations throughout the world through the education and training of doctoral students in a program which stresses research, leadership, managerial and technical skills acquisition using rigorous analytical skills combined with substantive knowledge of international development problems. The doctoral program (PhD) in International Health and Development prepares students for original academic research, technical advising, and research management in international settings (academic, international, and government agencies). Students specialize their substantive coursework and research experience in relevant areas such as nutrition, food security, infectious diseases, HIV/AIDS, complex emergencies, reproductive health or other fields. All students must develop a broad range of quantitative, analytical, communication, and computational competencies necessary for their area of research. (See more details of competencies below). All IHD doctoral students also must demonstrate competence in a language other than English (as evaluated by designated faculty and/or staff.) Progress through the doctoral program of study is supervised by the student’s primary faculty advisor, the department doctoral committee, the department chair and the school's doctoral committee following accepted guidelines. Doctoral applicants must take required coursework (1-2 years), pass comprehensive examinations (usually in year 2), and then successfully defend an original research prospectus leading to a written dissertation. The final dissertation reflects the application of interdisciplinary research approaches, advanced analytical reasoning, and methodological skills to a significant problem in international health. See the SPHTM as well as IHD guidelines for details on official procedures, formal deadlines, required coursework, committee composition, comprehensive exams, the prospectus and dissertation. In IHD, we teach, advise, and mentor doctoral students through structured, but individually tailored and supervised program of study. This encompasses years of coursework, exams, independent study, hands-on experience doing, funding, observing, and writing about research. You learn to critique, integrate, and apply a range of interdisciplinary theoretical perspectives to significant population, health, and nutrition problems in developing countries (among resource-poor populations). You learn to apply advanced social theories and research approaches from biostatistics, demography, and epidemiology, as well as anthropology, economics, geography, planning, sociology and other disciplines. Through coursework, you will master advanced quantitative methodologies and be exposed to relevant qualitative approaches. Through formal and informal seminars, real-life research projects, and independent study you will identify, organize, and critique relevant published literature, synthesize empirical findings, and interpret implications for policy and program interventions. You will gain experience in professional, scientific, and academic communication and dissemination of research, i.e., through conferences and peer-reviewed publications. At the completion of the doctoral program, IHD doctoral students will have achieved the following competencies:
- General Knowledge in International Health & Development: You will be able to identify significant health problems in the international domain that require interdisciplinary research, and teach at the graduate level in schools of public health in his/her area of specialization, whether substantive, regional/geographic, and/or methodological.
- Research Questions You will be able to articulate and justify relevant research questions to address pertinent health problems;
- Research Design. You will be able to conceive and design appropriate methodological, sampling, and applied field research techniques and approaches to provide data adequate to address research questions;
- Research Conduct: You will become proficient in appropriate applied field research, including working with local partners in foreign countries, addressing ethical issues in research and IRB managing, analyzing primary and secondary data, assessing data reliability and validity, and writing publishable research manuscripts and academic papers.
- Communication of Research. You will be able to analyze, interpret, synthesize, and communicate scientific findings through national and international meetings and peer-reviewed publications and other appropriate venues. You will be able to communicate research approaches, findings and applications to practitioners (in real-life) and students (in academic settings) in the methods and substance of applied public health (emphasizing but not exclusive to population-based research and quantitative methods.)
For a matrix which details the competencies, provides examples and highlights where the competencies are acquired, click here. For a suggested course sequencing for doctoral students click here.
The Department reviews doctoral applications once annually in early January for admission in August of the same year. To meet that deadline, applications should be completed in SOPHAS by December 1 (for those applicants with US university credentials) or by November 15 (for those applicants with overseas university credentials).
All applicants who are admitted to the IHD doctoral program will be considered for merit-based scholarships. There are no special application processes. Funding is for full tuition remission only. In some cases, other sources of funding may be available for qualified and admitted students.
The official SPHTM regulations for doctoral students and answers to frequently asked questions are available if you click here: SPHTM Doctoral Policies. These are the general, school-level guidelines in effect from Fall 2008 for all doctoral programs in Tulane’s SPHTM.In addition, the latest specific departmental guidelines for doctoral students in International Health and Development can be found here: Doctoral Policies in IHD. Laura Murphy, PhD, Associate Professor of Clinical International Health and Development
Department of International Health and Development
(e) lmurphy2@tulane.edu |
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