MCW Offers New PhD Program in Public and Community Health

The Medical College of Wisconsin has launched a new doctoral program in Public and Community Health. It is the only PhD program of its kind in Wisconsin and one of very few nationwide that reflects the increasing trend of public health research to move toward community-based interventions.

The purpose of the program, offered through the Department of Population Health, is to educate a new generation of researchers to integrate traditional public health sciences with direct community engagement. The program will give students the opportunity to participate in an innovative new curriculum that:

• emphasizes integrated, interdisciplinary approaches to address public and community health issues
• capitalizes on the diverse strengths of population health, medicine, health policy and the social and behavioral sciences
• produces graduates who will conduct original research, impact policy development and become future faculty scholars

Academic Program
Students chosen to participate in the program will be given opportunities to enhance their knowledge of public health issues, obtain hands-on experience, and develop competencies necessary to conduct independent, original research. The 96-credit, full-time, 4-year doctoral program consists of:

• rigorous coursework encompassing the core public health disciplines of epidemiology, biostatistics, bioethics, health policy, and social and behavioral health sciences;
• community health improvement principles;
• electives;
• participation in community-based participatory research;
• doctoral seminars to explore research opportunities;
• readings and research
• final dissertation

The program is expected to draw students from majors in psychology, sociology, human biology, health sciences, public service, social work, nursing, behavioral sciences and public health. Students with an undergraduate degree in public health will automatically meet the course requirements for admission.

The faculty involved in the new program includes nationally recognized leaders in public and community health offering individualized attention to students; interdisciplinary approaches to complex public health issues; and expertise from several departments including Population Health, Pediatrics, Family and Community Medicine, Internal Medicine, Emergency Medicine, Surgery, and Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine.

A unique aspect of the program is that the theme of community health improvement will be integrated throughout the curriculum, covering such topics as principles and practices of community partnerships, principles and methods of community-based participatory research, and translating community health improvement into policy.

The first two years of the program will encompasses the core public health disciplines of epidemiology, biostatistics, bioethics, health policy and social and behavioral health sciences. The final portion of the curriculum will be devoted to community engagement and project research towards a dissertation.

Career Possibilities
Students who earn their advanced degree through the new program will find numerous opportunities to make a difference in the expanding field of public and community health. Graduates will find an array of possibilities for research and teaching positions in academic institutions; state and local government health agencies; federal and international agencies such as the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization; health care organizations; research institutes; and foundations.

Applications are now being accepted through the Medical College of Wisconsin Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences for the first class, which begins this fall. This competitive program, which will admit three to four students annually, is aimed at undergraduate and graduate students and those interested in leadership roles of community-based participatory research in their professional, research, teaching and civic lives.

The Medical College of Wisconsin will provide students in good academic standing with a complete tuition scholarship, a generous stipend for living expenses and health insurance.

More information about the new PhD program is available on the Public and Community Health web site. Information can also be obtained from Ellen Servais, MPS, Program Manager, at eservais@mcw.edu or by phone at 414-456-5754.

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