Program Overview
The Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) degree is a professional doctoral degree for early to mid-career public health professionals with an MPH or health-related master's degree seeking to secure leadership roles in domestic or international public health agencies and organizations. DrPH graduates are able to synthesize and translate research findings to practice, communicate with and convene diverse partners to effect change across a range of public health settings, and advance programs, policies and services through evidence-based public health practice and research. DrPH alumni hold mid to senior-level positions in city and state public health organizations, non-profits, government agencies, healthcare delivery services, consulting companies, and international Ministries of Health as well as positions within academia.
The DrPH program is built around foundational competencies that focus on leadership and communication, data and analytical skills, management and ethics, policy and program design, as well as education and workforce development. In addition, students develop specialized expertise through a customized program of study or by focusing on one of the following concentrations (and tracks):
- Environmental Health (Environmental Health or Health Security Track)
- Health Equity and Social Justice
- Global Health: Policy & Evaluation
- Health Policy and Management (4 Tracks: Healthcare Management & Leadership, Health Policy, Quality & Patient Safety, or Public Health Informatics Track)
- Implementation Science
- Women's and Reproductive Health
The DrPH program is a flexible, part-time program delivered online and through intensive onsite courses in institutes (for about a week in June and January). Part-time students are required to register for a minimum of 1 credit per term in each of the four regular terms or go on leave of absence, regardless if they register during the institutes or summer term. In addition to coursework, the program requires a practicum, typically performed in the student's place of employment, and a dissertation. Students are anticipated to remain in relevant public health employment throughout their studies. While most students complete the DrPH in 5-7 years, part-time students have up to 9 years to complete the program and full-time students have up to 7 years.
Learning Outcomes
DrPH Program Objectives
The DrPH Program Objectives provide students with a multi-faceted framework enabling students to become ethical public health leaders equipped to confront the world's most pressing public health challenges.
The DrPH Program Objectives are:
- Identify, synthesize and apply evidence based public health research and theory from a broad range of disciplines and health related data sources for problem solving and to advance programs, policies, and systems promoting population health. (Data analysis)
- Identify and analyze ethical issues including balancing the claims of personal liberty with the responsibility to protect and improve the health of the population; and act on the ethical concepts of social justice and human rights in public health research and practice. (Ethics)
- Influence decision making regarding policies and practices that advance public health using scientific knowledge, analysis, communication and consensus building. (Policy)
- Assess and use communication strategies across diverse audiences to inform and influence individual, organization, community and policy actions to promote the health of the public. (Communication)
- Enable organizations and communities to create, communicate and apply shared visions, missions and values; inspire trust and motivate others; build capacity; improve performance, and enhance the quality of the working environment; and use evidence-based strategies to enhance public health. (Leadership)
- Provide fiscally responsible, strategic, and operational guidance within both public and private health organizations, for achieving individual and community health and wellness. (Management)
- Design and evaluate system-level and programmatic initiatives in multidisciplinary teams so as promote public health outcomes and health equity (Program design and evaluation)
- Assess adult learning needs, and design and deliver training or educational experiences that respond to these needs using the best pedagogical practices available. (Education)
CEPH DrPH Foundational Competencies
In addition to the 12 CEPH Foundational Learning Objectives, all DrPH students are expected to achieve the following 20 CEPH DrPH Foundational Competencies as they work toward attaining the program's objectives.
The 20 CEPH DrPH Foundational Competencies are:
Data & Analysis
- Explain qualitative, quantitative, mixed methods and policy analysis research and evaluation methods to address health issues at multiple (individual, group, organization, community and population) levels
- Design a qualitative, quantitative, mixed methods, policy analysis or evaluation project to address a public health issue
- Explain the use and limitations of surveillance systems and national surveys in assessing, monitoring and evaluating policies and programs and to address a population's health
Leadership, Management & Governance
4. Propose strategies for health improvement and elimination of health inequities by organizing stakeholders, including researchers, practitioners, community leaders and other partners
5. Communicate public health science to diverse stakeholders, including individuals at all levels of health literacy, for purposes of influencing behavior and policies
6. Integrate knowledge, approaches, methods, values and potential contributions from multiple professions and systems in addressing public health problems
7. Create a strategic plan
8. Facilitate shared decision making through negotiation and consensus-building methods
9. Create organizational change strategies
10. Propose strategies to promote inclusion and equity within public health programs, policies and systems
11. Assess one's own strengths and weaknesses in leadership capacities including cultural proficiency
12. Propose human, fiscal and other resources to achieve a strategic goal
13. Cultivate new resources and revenue streams to achieve a strategic goal
Policy & Programs
14. Design a system-level intervention to address a public health issue
15. Integrate knowledge of cultural values and practices in the design of public health policies and programs
16. Integrate scientific information, legal and regulatory approaches, ethical frameworks and varied stakeholder interests in policy development and analysis
17. Propose interprofessional team approaches to improving public health
Education & Workforce Development
18. Assess an audience's knowledge and learning needs
19. Deliver training or educational experiences that promote learning in academic, organizational or community settings
20. Use best practice modalities in pedagogical practices
