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, 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
- Health Policy and Management (Healthcare Management & Leadership, Quality & Patient Safety, or Public Health Informatics Track)
- Implementation Science
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.
Program Requirements
Course location and modality is found on the JHSPH website.
Admissions
In addition to the standard School application materials, DrPH applicants should also possess:
1. An MPH or public health-related Master's degree;
2. A minimum of 3 years of professional, full-time public health experience in the applicant's area of interest; and
3. Official GRE or GMAT test scores from exams taken within the last 5 years.
DrPH Program Core Course Requirements
The following core courses from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health’s MPH program are requirements for the DrPH program in order to ensure a strong academic foundation in biostatistics and epidemiology for students. If students have not taken these courses or equivalent ones during their MPH (or other relevant graduate program) at BSPH within the last 5 years for a B or better, they may be required to take these courses or to pass the corresponding non-credit waiver exams. Please note: this coursework is in addition to the minimum 64 credits required for the DrPH degree.The credits indicated below are term credits.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| PH.140.611 | Statistical Reasoning in Public Health I | 3 |
| PH.140.612 | Statistical Reasoning in Public Health II | 3 |
| PH.340.618 | Epidemiology: the Basics | 3 |
When students matriculate into the DrPH program, their prior coursework will be reviewed and considered for fulfillment of the core course requirements. Students may be asked to submit course descriptions and syllabi for prior coursework in order to evaluate comparability of topics and learning objectives. Matriculating students will be informed which core course requirements they need to address through coursework or waiver exams. The coursework and/or waiver exams may be completed during the DrPH Program; they do not need to be completed prior to matriculation.
Program Registration Requirements & Standards of Academic Performance
Students will be required to successfully complete a minimum of 64 term credits, including 57 didactic credits, a practicum experience, and a doctoral dissertation. There are 29 term credits of required schoolwide foundational and data analysis courses which are designed to develop knowledge, skills and competencies in the CEPH DrPH foundational competencies. These courses are required for all DrPH students. An additional 28 term credits are associated with the student’s concentration and track where relevant (Environmental Health, Health Equity and Social Justice, Health Policy and Management, or Implementation Science) or the Customized Concentration.
Students will take a minimum of 7 proposal and dissertation credits usually comprising 2 credits of Special Studies while drafting their proposal in preparation for the preliminary oral exams and a minimum of 5 credits of Thesis Research with their dissertation adviser while drafting their thesis in preparation for their final oral defense.
Students must remain continuously registered, unless they take a Leave of Absence. Students enrolled part-time in the DrPH Program must register for a minimum of one credit per term in each of the traditional four academic terms (1-4), regardless of whether they register for courses during summer term, or winter or summer institutes. This requirement varies for on-site international students.
Students are required to take any core courses and required/elective courses counting toward the required 57 didactic credits of the program for a grade unless the course is only offered Pass/Fail. Elective courses taken beyond the required 57 didactic credits may be taken Pass/Fail or audited.
Students must receive satisfactory grades of C or better in each course required for the DrPH program and maintain a cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) of at least 3.0 to remain a DrPH candidate in good standing.
DrPH Program Course Requirements
The DrPH program is built around a set of common set of program objectives and CEPH DrPH Foundational Competencies that all students matriculating into the program are required to attain. The DrPH foundational course requirements furnish students with a breadth of skills, knowledge and competencies relevant to public health leadership including data analysis, health policy, management, equity and ethics, with emphasis on leadership and communication. A sequence of problem-solving courses rooted in case studies provides students with opportunities to integrate skills and apply them to real-world problems, while working in diverse, multidisciplinary teams. Additional credits associated with the student’s concentration, track, or customized course of study allow more in-depth exploration of specific topical areas and skills.
DrPH Foundational and Data Analysis Course Requirements
Students will pursue the above objectives and competencies through the required foundational courses and by completing a data analysis track of their choosing. All foundational and data analysis courses must be taken for letter grade and students must receive a grade of C or better to successfully complete the requirement. Students are strongly encouraged to take the problem-solving sequence in their first year of the program with their cohort and may choose to take some of their concentration-specific requirements during their first year if they wish.
Foundational Courses Required for the DrPH Program
With the problem-solving seminars below, students must take one of the two offered courses each term; no substitutions are allowed.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Preparatory | ||
| Introduction to Online Learning | 0 | |
| Academic & Research Ethics at JHSPH | 0 | |
| Title IX and Harassment Prevention Training | 0 | |
| Opioid Epidemic Awareness & Education Program | 0 | |
| Summer Institute On-site | ||
| PH.312.700 | Leading Organizations | 3 |
| First Term Online | ||
| PH.308.615 | The Opioid Crisis: Problem Solving Seminar | 3 |
| or PH.224.630 | The Obesity Epidemic Problem Solving Seminar: What We Can Learn from Native American Communities | |
| 1st Year School-wide DrPH Monthly Seminar (no registration required) | 0 | |
| Second Term Online | ||
| PH.180.621 | Protecting the Environment and Safeguarding Worker Health: A Problem-Based Approach | 3 |
| or PH.380.633 | Promoting Equity for Adolescents and Emerging Adults: Problem-Solving Seminar | |
| 1st Year School-wide DrPH Monthly seminar (no registration required) | 0 | |
| Fall, Summer & Winter Institutes On-site (Barcelona/Baltimore) | ||
| PH.308.701 | Effective Presentations and News Media Interviews: Practical Skills for Public Health Practitioners | 3 |
| Third Term Online | ||
| PH.221.630 | Tackling the Intersectoral Challenge of Antimicrobial Resistance: Problem Solving Seminar | 3 |
| or PH.330.675 | Suicide Prevention: Problem Solving Seminar | |
| PH.300.750 | Teaching, Learning and Leading – in the Classroom, in the Workplace and in the Community | 3 |
| 1st Year School-wide DrPH Monthly Seminar (no registration required) | 0 | |
| Fourth Term Online | ||
| PH.223.630 | The Practice of Public Health Through Vaccine Case Studies: Problem Solving Seminar | 3 |
| or PH.340.610 | The One Health Approach to Epidemiology and Global Public Health: Problem Solving Seminar | |
| School-wide DrPH Monthly Seminar | 0 | |
| Variable | ||
| Data Analysis Courses:Select a minimum of six credits, See track options and course selection below | 6 | |
| 2nd Year, Terms 1-4 non-credit; register SU term, start of 3rd year | ||
| PH.220.701 | School-wide 2nd Year DRPH Seminar | 2 |
| Total Credits | 29 | |
Data Analysis Track Options
DrPH students are required to take a minimum of 6 credits of data analysis courses and may choose from among the three following tracks:
A. Quantitative Track
(Minimum 6 credits)
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| PH.140.613 | Data Analysis Workshop I (summer and winter institute) | 2 |
| PH.140.614 | Data Analysis Workshop II (summer and winter institute) | 2 |
| PH.140.620 | Advanced Data Analysis Workshop (summer and possibly winter instutute) | 2 |
| Total Credits | 6 | |
B. Qualitative Track
(Minimum 6 credits)
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| PH.224.690 | Qualitative Research Theory and Methods (Online, 1st term) | 3 |
| PH.224.691 | Qualitative Data Analysis (Online, 2nd term) | 3 |
| Total Credits | 6 | |
C. Mixed Methods Track
(Minimum 6-11 credits)
Students wishing to employ both quantitative and qualitative approaches in their dissertations will need to develop expertise in both quantitative and qualitative methods as well as facility with selecting when to use which method. As a result, students employing this method will need to cover the below course material through a combination of prior coursework, work experience, and/or current coursework.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| Select from the following options: | 6-11 | |
| Mixed Methods Course | ||
| Mixed Methods for Research in Public Health (summer institute) | ||
| Quantitative Courses | ||
| Data Analysis Workshop I (summer and winter institute) | ||
| Data Analysis Workshop II (summer and winter institute) | ||
| Qualitative Courses | ||
| Introduction to Qualitative Research Methods (summer institute) | ||
| Introduction to Qualitative Data Analysis for Public Health (summer institute) | ||
| Total Credits | 6-11 | |
DrPH Concentration/Track Competencies & Course Requirements
Students apply to and matriculate into one of four different concentrations (some with tracks) or the Customized Concentration. Within the Health Policy and Management Concentration, students choose one of three tracks (Healthcare Management & Leadership, Quality & Patient Safety, or Public Health Informatics); in the Environmental Health Concentration, students choose one of two tracks (Environmental Health or Health Security) . Once admitted into a specific concentration (and track where applicable), students will remain in the chosen concentration (and track) throughout the DrPH program. Students who matriculate into the Customized Concentration must identify a clearly defined field of study.
Students are required to complete 28 didactic term credits associated with their concentration/track or customized program of study. The competencies and required classes for the four concentrations and their associated tracks as well as the approach adopted for customized students are described below.
CUSTOM CONCENTRATION
Students pursuing a customized program of study will take the following three courses (10 credits) that emphasize cross-cutting competencies in the areas of 1) program development; 2) program evaluation; and 3) systems thinking:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| PH.410.620 | Program Planning for Health Behavior Change | 3 |
| PH.221.645 | Large-scale Effectiveness Evaluations of Health Programs | 4 |
| or PH.380.611 | Fundamentals of Program Evaluation | |
| PH.221.654 | Systems Thinking in Public Health: Applications of Key Methods and Approaches | 3 |
Building on these competencies, custom students will work with their advisers and concentration co-directors to select a minimum of 18 didactic credits of customized coursework related to their custom area of interest and to identify two customized competencies corresponding to the learning objectives of two of these courses. This additional coursework can be taken from any of the courses offered at Johns Hopkins University with receipt of the appropriate approval.
Environmental Health Concentration-Environmental Health Track
Competencies for the Environmental Health Track are as follows:
- Analyze the state of the science and current research and policy issues related to environmental and occupational health.
- Explain how environmental and occupational health sciences can be used to improve public health practice at local, state, national and international levels.
- Evaluate environmental and occupational health programs and policies by applying toxicology, biostatistics, epidemiology, risk assessment, risk communication, and risk management principles to program planning, implementation and goals.
- Design, advocate and provide leadership for effective environmental and occupational health interventions using law, regulation and policy at local, state, national and international levels.
- Assess and communicate environmental and occupational health risks based on scientific, ethical, environmental justice and community-based principles.
To achieve these competencies students are required to take the following courses:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| PH.180.628 | Introduction To Environmental and Occupational Health Law | 4 |
| PH.183.631 | Fundamentals of Human Physiology | 4 |
| Fundamentals of Occupational Health | ||
or PH.182.623 | Occupational Health Management | |
| PH.317.600 | Introduction to the Risk Sciences and Public Policy | 4 |
| PH.317.610 | Risk Policy, Management and Communication 1 | 3 |
| PH.187.610 | Public Health Toxicology | 4 |
| PH.550.630 | Public Health Biology | 3 |
| From the following: 340.680, or 340.636 and 340.701 or 340.628 | 4 | |
| Environmental and Occupational Epidemiology (Prerequisite: An introductory level course (or higher) in epidemiology) | ||
or PH.340.636 | Epidemiology in Evidence-Based Policy | |
| Epidemiologic Applications of Gis | ||
or PH.340.628 | Social Epidemiology | |
| Total Credits | 26 | |
| 1 | Prerequisite: PH.317.600 Introduction to the Risk Sciences and Public Policy |
Environmental Health Concentration-Health Security Track
High profile public health emergencies, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the global spread of Zika virus and the Ebola Epidemic in West Africa have brought wide-spread attention to the field of health security. Each of these events has had severe consequences—from public health outcomes that have extended beyond the illness and deaths directly caused by these viruses, to generational impacts on societies and economies. With risk factors for the emergence of domestic and international health security threats (e.g., globalization, environmental change, urbanization, mass displacement, terrorism, and biotechnology) increasing, there is good reason to expect that the occurrence of health security threats (e.g., emerging infectious diseases, laboratory accidents, deliberate epidemics) will continue to occur and may increase with time. In this track, students will gain skills and training to prevent, detect, and respond to these health security threats.
Competencies for the Health Security Track are as follows:
- Identify major health security threats; characterize the human, social, economic and political risks they pose to societies; and demonstrate the importance of public health to national security
- Apply risk assessment principles to program planning, implementation and goals, particularly in the context of emergency response and health security problems
- Examine the origin and evolution of major US and international organizations and initiatives to prevent, detect, and respond to health security threats; and assess those areas of health security where preparedness is strongest and where additional progress is needed
- Evaluate the effectiveness of strategies to enhance health security and prevent or mitigate health security threats
- Synthesize and communicate important health security information in a way that enables political leaders and policy-makers to take appropriate action
To achieve these competencies students are required to take the following courses and at least 6 credits of elective courses listed below (for a total of at least 28 credits):
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses 19 credits | ||
| PH.317.600 | Introduction to the Risk Sciences and Public Policy | 4 |
| PH.317.610 | Risk Policy, Management and Communication | 3 |
| PH.180.623 | Infectious Disease Threats to Global Health Security | 3 |
| PH.180.634 | Public Health Emergencies: Risk Communication and Decision Science | 3 |
| PH.180.624 | Biotechnology and Health Security | 3 |
| PH.185.600 | One Health Tools to Promote and Evaluate Healthy and Sustainable Communities | 3 |
| Elective Courses | ||
| Select at least nine credits of the following: | 9 | |
| Public Health Toxicology | ||
| Introduction to Humanitarian Emergencies | ||
| Methods in Quantitative Risk Assessment | ||
| Health Care in Humanitarian Emergencies | ||
| Topics in Risk Assessment | ||
| Molecular Biology of Pandemic Influenza | ||
| Crisis and Response in Public Health Policy and Practice | ||
| Introduction to Public Health Emergency Preparedness | ||
| Lessons Learned in 1918 Pandemic Flu | ||
| Chemical and Biological Weapons Threats: Science, Public Health, Policy | ||
| Major Global Infectious Diseases: Prospects for Control | ||
| The Role of Community-Based Organizations (Cbos) and Non-Governmental Organizations (Ngos) in Improving Global Public Health | ||
| Health Emergencies in Large Populations (H.E.L.P.) | ||
| Topics in Infectious Disease Epidemiology | ||
| Professional Epidemiologic Methods: Epidemiologic intelligence and Population Health Assessments | ||
| Critical Reading of Epidemiologic Literature | ||
| Epidemiology in Evidence-Based Policy | ||
| Vector-Borne Diseases in the Tropics | ||
| Foundations of Social Epidemiology | ||
| Total Credits | 28 | |
Health Equity & Social Justice Concentration
Competencies for the Health Equity and Social Justice (HESJ) Concentration are as follows:
- Employ bioethics and human rights concepts relating to equity and social justice in analysis of public health programs and policies.
- Advocate with and on behalf of disadvantaged and vulnerable individuals and communities to improve their health and wellbeing and build their capacity.
- Conduct assessments of health equity in communities and systems to identify the behavioral, cultural, social, environmental and organizational determinants that promote or compromise health in disadvantaged groups.
- Identify evidence-informed strategies, and measurable goals and objectives, to promote health equity and social justice.
- Implement effective, efficient and culturally sensitive strategies to improve health equity and social justice.
Students are expected to complete a minimum of 28 credits of concentration-specific courses. These courses broadly address pedagogy under the following categories:
- Concepts, philosophical bases, and methodological issues in HESJ;
- Design and implementation of interventions (programs, policies and practice) for addressing HESJ issues; and
- Research and evaluation methods applicable for HESJ.
Students are expected to complete two required courses that address the conceptual and philosophical basis of Health Equity and Social Justice namely
- PH.221.656 Conceptual and Evidential Foundations of Health Equity and Social Justice (4 credits); and
- PH.410.605 Fundamental Tools for Promoting Health Equity (3 credits) for a total of 7 credits.
Students also must complete at least 7 credits from those courses categorized as “Design and Implementation of Interventions” and at least 7 credits from those courses categorized as “Research and Evaluation Methods”; see Table 2. This makes a total of 21 credits.
In addition to the 21 credits described above, students must take a minimum of 7 credits of electives to make up a total of 28 credits of concentration-specific courses. The elective courses may be selected from any of the course options listed below or from other courses at the School. Elective courses not listed in the options below, will require the approval of the student’s adviser prior to registration.
Note: Courses taken to fulfill Foundational requirements may not be applied to fulfill Concentration requirements.
Course Requirements and Electives for Health Equity and Social Justice Concentration
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| PH.221.656 | Conceptual and Evidential Foundations of Health Equity and Social Justice (Alonge, Rubenstein & Barnhill) | 4 |
| PH.410.605 | Fundamental Tools for Promoting Health Equity (Thorpe & Gaskin) | 3 |
| Design and Implementation of Interventions for Addressing Health Equity and Social Justice | ||
| Select a minimum of seven credits from the following: | 7 | |
| Childhood Victimization: An Overview of Public Health Efforts | ||
| Knowledge for Managing County and Local Mental Health, Substance Use, and Developmental Disability Authorities | ||
| Early Childhood Intervention in Tribal Communities | ||
| Evaluation of District-Level Primary Health Care Implementation in Low-and Middle-income Settings | ||
| Introduction to Improving Quality in Public Health Practice | ||
| Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in International Humanitarian Settings | ||
| Mental Health and Psychosocial Needs of Refugees After Resettlement in High income Countries | ||
| Health of Vulnerable Worker Populations | ||
| Strategic Leadership Principles and Tools for Health System Transformation in Developing Countries | ||
| Selected Topics in Women's Health and Women's Health Policy | ||
| Program Planning for Health Behavior Change | ||
| Public Health Implications of Health As A Human Right | ||
| Policy Interventions for Health Behavior Change | ||
| Gender-Based Violence Research, Practice and Policy: Issues and Current Controversies | ||
| Introduction to Campaigning & Organizing for Public Health | ||
| Adolescent Health and Development | ||
| Migration and Health: Concepts, Rates, and Relationships | ||
| Social and Behavioral Foundations of Primary Health Care | ||
| Advances in Community-Oriented Primary Health Care | ||
| Preventing Infant Mortality and Promoting the Health of Women, Infants and Children | ||
| Sexually Transmitted Infections in Public Health Practice | ||
| Urban Health in Developing Countries | ||
| The Social Context of Adolescent Health and Development | ||
| Promoting Mental Health and Preventing Mental Disorders in Low- and Middle-income Countries | ||
| PREVENTION of MENTAL DISORDERS: PUBLIC HEALTH InterVENTIONS | ||
| Research and Evaluation Methods for Health Equity and Social Justice | ||
| Select a minimum of seven credits from the following: | 7 | |
| Assessing Health Status and Patient Outcomes | ||
| Methods and Applications of Cohort Studies | ||
| Applications of innovative Methods in Health Equity Research | ||
| Population Health Informatics | ||
| Introduction to Economic Evaluation | ||
| Large-scale Effectiveness Evaluations of Health Programs | ||
| Demographic Methods for Public Health | ||
| Fundamentals of Program Evaluation | ||
| Life Course Perspectives on Health | ||
| Issues in Survey Research Design | ||
| Methods and Measures in Population Studies | ||
| Foundations of Social Epidemiology | ||
| Evaluation of Mental Health Service Systems | ||
| Applying Summary Measures of Population Health to Improve Health Systems | ||
| Quality Assurance Management Methods for Developing Countries | ||
| Mixed Methods for Research in Public Health | ||
| Statistics for Psychosocial Research: Measurement | ||
| Causal Inference in Medicine and Public Health I | ||
| Design and Conduct of Clinical Trials | ||
| Methods for Planning and Implementing Evaluations of Large-Scale Health Programs in Low and Middle income Countries | ||
| Introduction to Qualitative Research Methods | ||
| Introduction to Qualitative Data Analysis for Public Health | ||
| Research Design in the Social and Behavioral Sciences | ||
| Introduction to Methods for Health Services Research and Evaluation I | ||
| Conceptual and Philosophical Bases for Health Equity and Social Justice | ||
| Select electives from the following or from other courses listed above to reach the required 28 credits: | 7 | |
| Local and Global Best Practices in Health Equity Research Methods | ||
| Current Issues in Public Health: COVID-19 Pandemic Response | ||
| Bioethics, Human Rights, and Global Health | ||
| Life Course Perspectives on Health | ||
| Social Policy for Vulnerable Populations in the U.S. | ||
| The Political Economy of Social inequalities and Its Consequences for Health and Quality of Life | ||
| Poverty, Economic Development, and Health | ||
| Critical Issues in Health Disparities | ||
| Total Credits | 28 | |
Health Policy & Management Concentration
Students in the Health Policy & Management Concentration may choose one of three tracks:
- Healthcare Management & Leadership
- Public Health Informatics
- Quality & Patient Safety
Students must complete at least 26 credits of courses within one track per the requirements listed below for each track. While ongoing participation in the seminar is expected throughout the duration of the program, students also register for a total of two credits of PH.311.861 Graduate Seminar in Health Care Management and Leadership in term(s) of their choosing to fulfill the 28 concentration credits. Students may in some cases substitute alternative courses for track electives with approval from their academic adviser and track director.
Healthcare Management & Leadership Track
The focus of the Healthcare Management and Leadership Track is on measuring, monitoring and improving the clinical and financial performance of health services organizations, as well as training leaders for organizational change. The track curriculum is based on the Malcolm Baldrige Healthcare Criteria for Performance Excellence framework and targets those who have master’s level training related to healthcare management and/or public health.
The competencies for the track in Healthcare Management and Leadership are met through required and elective coursework, a practicum, and the process of writing a dissertation. Upon successful completion, students will have mastered the following track competencies; specifically, students by the end of the program will have the ability to:
- Enable senior leaders to develop an effective organizational leadership and governance system to deploy shared visions, missions and core values to address societal and community health needs.
- Utilize strategic assessment and planning skills to identify internal and external issues that may impact health services delivery; apply facilitation skills to ensure the participation of key internal and external organizational stakeholders for both strategy development and deployment.
- Apply evidence-based tools and frameworks to enhance organizational performance in the human, clinical, financial, information and supply chain domains so as to drive value and improved outcomes.
- Develop and sustain a culture of excellence that builds upon providing visionary leadership, valuing people, ethics and transparency, societal responsibility and community health, organizational learning and agility, patient/client focused excellence, delivering value and results, management by fact, managing for innovation with a focus on success.
- Manage data, information and knowledge systematically to improve quality of decision making to enhance quality of care and service delivery.
- Apply organizational and systems thinking theories to create high performing teams that promote care integration, create value, promote efficiencies and organizational and personal learning.
Required Courses for the Healthcare Management & Leadership Track
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| PH.312.603 | Fundamentals of Budgeting and Financial Management | 3 |
| PH.312.620 | Performance Measurement in Health Care | 2 |
| PH.312.621 | Strategic Planning | 3 |
| PH.313.641 | Introduction to Health Economics | 3 |
| PH.313.790 | Introduction to Economic Evaluation | 3 |
| Health Informatics | ||
| PH.309.631 | Population Health Informatics | 3 |
| or PH.312.633 | Health Management Information Systems | |
| Quality and Patient Safety | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Assessing Health Status and Patient Outcomes | ||
| Patient Safety and Medical Errors | ||
| Quality of Medical Care | ||
| Elective(s) | ||
| Select from the following to complete 26 track credits: | 6 | |
| Introduction to Comparative Effectiveness and Outcomes Research | ||
| Multilevel Models | ||
| Introduction to Methods for Health Services Research and Evaluation I and Introduction to Methods for Health Services Research and Evaluation II | ||
| Quantitative Tools for Managers | ||
| Fundamentals of Financial Accounting | ||
| Healthcare Financial Management | ||
| Extended Exercises in Cost Effectiveness | ||
| Introduction to Health Survey Research Methods | ||
| Fundamentals of Program Evaluation | ||
| Applications of innovative Methods in Health Equity Research | ||
| Introduction to Qualitative Research Methods | ||
| Introduction to Qualitative Data Analysis for Public Health | ||
| Total Credits | 26 | |
Note, for students able to take in-person courses on site in Baltimore during the traditional academic year, additional elective options may be available.
Public Health Informatics Track
The Public Health Informatics track offers training in methods and concepts of informatics for application to public health and population health management. The track curriculum is designed for public health professionals or population health managers who wish to develop an area of expertise or specialization in the emerging field of public health informatics.
The competencies for the track in Public Health Informatics are met through required and elective coursework, a practicum, and the process of writing a dissertation. Upon successful completion, students will have mastered the following track competencies; specifically, students by the end of the program will have the ability to:
- Analyze the state of the science and current research and policy issues related to the foundation of public health informatics; and, explain how informatics can be leveraged to improve the practice of public health and enhance the overall role of public health organizations.
- Characterize and critically evaluate the integration of different domains of public health informatics such as bio-surveillance, decision support, predictive modeling, and population risk stratification using clinical informatics systems such as laboratory information systems or electronic health records (EHRs).
- Evaluate a given public or population health information system based on different criteria such as standardized protocols, common classification systems, governance structures, and embedded decision support systems.
- Critically analyze and evaluate various informatics solutions for public or population health management interventions based on different criteria such as system architecture, interoperability, standards, human factors, security, privacy, and ethical issues.
- Articulate the proper informatics management tools for an organization to implement solutions that assure confidentiality, security, integrity and legal compliance while maximizing the availability of information for public and population health use.
Required Courses for the Public Health Informatics Track
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| PH.315.707 | Introduction to Biomedical and Public Health Informatics | 3 |
| PH.309.631 | Population Health Informatics | 3 |
| PH.315.703 | Leading Change Through Health Informatics | 3 |
| PH.315.700 | Health Information Systems: Design to Deployment | 3 |
| PH.315.708 | Hit Standards and Systems Interoperability | 3 |
| PH.315.709 | Health Sciences Informatics, Knowledge Engineering and Decision Support | 3 |
| PH.309.635 | Population Health: Analytic Methods and Visualization Techniques | 3 |
| Elective(s) | ||
| Select from the following to complete 26 track credits: | 5 | |
| Introduction to Digital Health in Low- and Middle-income Countries | ||
| Health Management Information Systems | ||
| Demographic Methods for Public Health | ||
| Spatial Analytics | ||
| Total Credits | 26 | |
Note, for students able to take in-person courses on site in Baltimore during the traditional academic year, additional elective options may be available. Students in the Public Health informatics Track may take 27 credits of track coursework and 1 credit of 311.Graduate Seminar in Health Care Management & Leadership to fulfill the 28 concentration credits, with the approval of the concentration and track co-directors.
Quality and Patient Safety Track
The Quality and Patient Safety track addresses issues related to quality of healthcare, patient safety, patient centered outcomes, and performance measurement and improvement. The curriculum is designed for public health, clinical and management professionals who wish to develop the expertise to identify challenges in these areas, implement evidence-based interventions and improve care delivery. The curriculum includes a variety of specialized courses in quality, patent safety, patient centered outcomes, performance measurement, human factors and the evaluation of programs and interventions for improving the safety and quality of health care services. The track targets those who have master’s level training related to public health, healthcare management and/or clinical sciences.
The competencies for the track in Quality and Patient Safety are met through required and elective coursework, a practicum, and the process of writing a dissertation. Upon successful completion, students will have mastered the following track competencies; specifically, students by the end of the program will have the ability to:
- Apply quality improvement and evaluation frameworks.
- Recognize implementation barriers and facilitators to quality and patient safety in the real world.
- Assess utility of specific quality improvement and patient safety methods.
- Leverage opportunities for adapting quality and patient safety methods to different types of organizations.
- Address pitfalls of quality improvement and patient safety activity and research.
Required Courses for the Quality and Patient Safety Track
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| PH.309.600 | Evaluating Quality Improvement and Patient Safety Programs | 3 |
| PH.309.712 | Assessing Health Status and Patient Outcomes | 3 |
| PH.309.730 | Patient Safety and Medical Errors | 3 |
| PH.311.615 | Quality of Medical Care | 3 |
| PH.312.620 | Performance Measurement in Health Care | 2 |
| PH.312.621 | Strategic Planning | 3 |
| PH.312.693 | Introduction to Comparative Effectiveness and Outcomes Research | 3 |
| Health Informatics | ||
| PH.309.631 | Population Health Informatics | 3 |
| or PH.312.633 | Health Management Information Systems | |
| Elective(s) | ||
| Select from the following to complete 26 track credits: | 3 | |
| Multilevel Models | ||
| Quality Assurance Management Methods for Developing Countries | ||
| Introduction to Methods for Health Services Research and Evaluation I and Introduction to Methods for Health Services Research and Evaluation II | ||
| Patient Safety in Developing Countries | ||
| Quantitative Tools for Managers | ||
| Fundamentals of Budgeting and Financial Management | ||
| Health Survey Research Methods | ||
| Introduction to Health Survey Research Methods | ||
| Fundamentals of Program Evaluation | ||
| Applications of innovative Methods in Health Equity Research | ||
| Introduction to Qualitative Research Methods | ||
| Introduction to Qualitative Data Analysis for Public Health | ||
| High Performing Organizations in Lmic Settings | ||
| Total Credits | 26 | |
Note, for students able to take in-person courses on site in Baltimore during the traditional academic year, additional elective options may be available.
Implementation Science Concentration
The competencies associated with the Implementation Science concentration include:
- Participate in and lead collaborative multidisciplinary teams that promote a blending of disciplines to inform and evaluate implementation strategies
- Integrate diverse perspectives including those from communities and experts into a cogent intervention design and/or implementation strategy for health programs and policies
- Characterize optimal implementation processes to support iterative cycles of implementation and adaptation based on learning.
- Integrate didactic and practice-based experience to support methodologically sound evaluation of implementation processes and outcomes to inform implementation
- Analyze frameworks to improve synthesis and integration of diverse data from multiples sources to inform policy and practice.
- Present and interpret demographic, statistical, programmatic, and scientific information to inform decision making by policy makers and other professional and lay audiences.
Students are required to take a minimum of 28 credits focused on the Implementation Science concentration. This requirement will be achieved through a set of required and elective course.
Courses taken to fulfill DrPH Foundational Requirements may not be applied to fulfill concentration requirements.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| PH.550.601 | Implementation Research and Practice (2nd term) | 3 |
| PH.330.650 | Methods in Implementation Science (3rd term) | 3 |
| Epidemiology or Health, Behavior and Society Special Studies: Implementation Science Concentration Seminar Series (register for only 1 term; Monthly) | 1 | |
| Methodology and Analysis Courses | ||
| Select nine or more credits from the following: | 9 | |
| Quality Assurance Management Methods for Developing Countries (1st term) | ||
| Introduction to Comparative Effectiveness and Outcomes Research (1st term) | ||
| Systems Thinking in Public Health: Applications of Key Methods and Approaches (3rd term) | ||
| Introduction to Methods for Health Services Research and Evaluation I (3rd term) | ||
| Introduction to Methods for Health Services Research and Evaluation II (4th term) | ||
| Using Qualitative Methods for Program Planning and Evaluation (SI) | ||
| INTRODUCTION TO HEALTH SYSTEMS MODELING (SI) | ||
| Mixed Methods for Research in Public Health (SI) | ||
| Design and Conduct of Clinical Trials (SI) | ||
| Causal Inference: Emulating A Target Trial to Assess Comparative Effectiveness (SI) | ||
| Introduction to Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (SI) | ||
| Methods for Clinical and Translational Research (SI) | ||
| Professional Epidemiologic Methods: Topics and Methods for Health Situation Analysis (SI) | ||
| Knowledge Management for Effective Global Health Programs (SI) | ||
| Total Credits | 16 | |
The above courses total a minimum of 19 credits. In addition, students are required to take 9 or more credits from the following electives or content-specific courses to complete the required 28 concentration credits:
| First Term | Credits | |
|---|---|---|
| Introduction to Quality Improvement & Knowledge Translation Research | ||
| Credits | 0 | |
| Second Term | ||
| Health Systems in Low and Middle income Countries | ||
| Ethics in Clinical Practice: Fundamentals, Problems and Approaches | ||
| Health Communication Programs | ||
| Credits | 0 | |
| Third Term | ||
| Clinical Trials: Procedures, Design, and Interpretation of Results | ||
| Professional Epidemiologic Methods: Epidemiologic intelligence and Population Health Assessments | ||
| Credits | 0 | |
| Fourth Term | ||
| Causal Inference in Medicine and Public Health I | ||
| Large-scale Effectiveness Evaluations of Health Programs | ||
| Health Communication Programs | ||
| Credits | 0 | |
| Fifth Term | ||
| Summer Institute | ||
| Evaluation of District-Level Primary Health Care Implementation in Low-and Middle-income Settings | ||
| Monitoring and Evaluation of Health Systems Strengthening in Low and Middle income Countries | ||
| Managing District Health Systems in Low and Middle Income Countries | ||
| Performance Measurement in Health Care | ||
| Epidemiology in Evidence-Based Policy | ||
| Credits | 0 | |
| Sixth Term | ||
| Winter Institute | ||
| The Role of Community-Based Organizations (Cbos) and Non-Governmental Organizations (Ngos) in Improving Global Public Health (Washington, DC) | ||
| Epidemiology Workshop: Interpreting and Using Epidemiologic Evidence | ||
| Program Planning for Health Behavior Change | ||
| Evaluating Quality Improvement and Patient Safety Programs | ||
| Credits | 0 | |
| Total Credits | 0 | |
Comprehensive Written Exam
All students will complete a Comprehensive Written Examination, which is intended to assess students’ ability to apply the DrPH foundational competencies, analytic skills, and concentration/track competencies they have acquired through foundational and concentration/track coursework to case studies and/or real-world problems. The comprehensive exam also tests students’ abilities to integrate and synthesize across foundational and concentration competency domains.
Students are eligible to take the exam after completing required course work, including both required foundational courses and concentration/track courses with a C or better; students must have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better. Students may complete certain concentration/track electives after the exam.
Special Studies Registration Requirements
After completing coursework, part-time students register for a minimum of one credit per term of special studies with their dissertation adviser (in the primary department of their adviser) while preparing their proposals for the Preliminary Oral Examinations.
Full-time and on-site international students should consult with the DrPH Program Office and/or the Office of International Scholars regarding special studies registration requirements.
Practicum
The purpose of the DrPH practicum is to further develop students’ leadership and applied skills in relation to students’ areas of specialization through a practice-based project developed by the student. The practicum should form an integral part of student learning, complementing the student’s course work, special studies and dissertation interests. Typically, the practicum is performed in the student’s place of work, but the practicum project must be distinct from the student’s daily work activities.
All DrPH students are required to complete a practicum to comply with the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) accreditation requirements, regardless of their years of work experience; the program does not grant waivers from the practicum requirement. Students are not required to register for credits to complete the practicum.
Practicum Requirements
It is required that the DrPH student practicum:
- Applies and further develops public health skills and competencies: the objectives of the student’s practicum should be clearly identified as part of an integrated, individualized proposal that is approved in advance. Students will identify a minimum of 5 CEPH Foundational and concentration/track competencies in which they wish to achieve high-level skills. The practicum must address a minimum of 1 competency from the CEPH Leadership, Management & Governance domain. The practicum will present an opportunity for the application of these skills and students should ensure that they have taken appropriate coursework to be adequately prepared to conduct the practicum.
- Is framed and carried out in a public health context: the practicum will include population-level activities carried out at, or in collaboration with, an organization or agency to the benefit of the of the organization. Appropriate organizations may include governmental, nongovernmental, non-profit, industrial and for-profit settings. The practicum should not be an academic exercise in which students merely crunch numbers or administer surveys but rather students should be engaged in the larger public health context of their activities, in a “real-world” setting.
- Is supervised and supported: the practicum preceptor will be qualified to evaluate the student’s professional competence and will supervise the student throughout the project within the organization. The preceptor will typically be from an outside organization (i.e. community-based organization, health department, private corporation, etc.), but can be a JHSPH faculty member if appropriate. The preceptor will provide background information, guidance, and feedback with regards to student progress on well-defined learning objectives. The student’s adviser will be kept informed of the student’s practicum activities and progress, and may provide additional assistance.
- Is significant: the practicum should be more than an opportunity for additional work experience given each student’s prior work background. Practicum projects should make a significant contribution to the organization with which the student is collaborating, as well as constitute a significant investment of student time and effort. It is estimated that the typical DrPH student may spend a minimum of 100 hours on practicum projects. Experiences may take the form of one significant large project or several smaller projects. Students may work independently but may also be part of a student team or a team composed of other members of the organization with which they are collaborating. If students are members of a broader team, then their role on the team should be clearly defined.
- Is evaluated: students will be evaluated on their achievement of defined competencies and deliverables by both the preceptor and faculty adviser. As part of the practicum experience, students also will reflect on and evaluate their overall practicum experiences, including their personal and professional reactions to the practicum experience. Clearly identified outputs from the practicum experience (not necessarily written products, but oral presentations or a new management or information system) should be identified in advance.
PRACTICUM Preceptor
Each student should have a preceptor and all preceptors must be approved by the student’s Concentration Co-directors prior to the start of the practicum. Current BSPH faculty may act as preceptors where this is appropriate (e.g., if the faculty member is engaged in collaborative work with an outside agency). Other individuals working in relevant practice positions may already have an adjunct position at the school, and thus are “preapproved” as preceptors. When the preceptor does not have a faculty position at the School, his or her résumé or CV should be submitted to the Concentration Co-Directors, along with the practicum proposal, for approval and submitted to the DrPH Program Office.
The role of the preceptor is to support the student within the organization, and in particular to assist with access to data and other resources needed to complete the practicum; to ensure the practicum aligns with the organization’s goals and strategies, and will benefit the organization; to evaluate the student’s competencies before and after the practicum; to guide the student throughout the practicum process; to troubleshoot challenges that arise if necessary; and to debrief with the student at the end of the practicum.
PRACTICUM Faculty Adviser
In addition to the practicum preceptor, each student also should consult with a faculty adviser on their practicum project. The student’s academic adviser often serves as the faculty adviser to the practicum. This is particularly recommended when the student’s practicum addresses a facet of the student’s anticipated dissertation research. If a student would like to undertake a practicum outside their adviser’s area of expertise, then the student can elect to engage a faculty adviser whose expertise aligns with the practicum area of interest. The role of the faculty adviser is to support the student (not the practicum organization), and in particular to help ensure that the scope of the practicum is appropriate; to evaluate the student’s competencies before and after the practicum; to guide the student to resources relevant to the practicum; to troubleshoot challenges that arise if necessary; and to debrief with the student at the end of the practicum.
DrPH Dissertation Proposal
Prior to the Comprehensive Written Examination, students should develop a clear understanding of the three dissertation options described briefly below. The decision on which format to follow should be made by the time the student begins to draft the proposal. There are strengths particular to each format that should be carefully discussed with the student’s adviser.
- The traditional doctoral dissertation consists of a statement of the problem and specific aims; a literature review; data and research methods; analyses and results; and a discussion of findings and their implications. The form these take will reflect the specific academic discipline or orientation guiding the student's research.
- The manuscript-oriented dissertation is an alternative to the traditional dissertation. The manuscript dissertation consists of a total of three (or more) papers, linked to the student’s research topic.
- The workplace challenge requires the selection of one organization or a combination of several organizations to complete a series of three out of four practice-based analytical projects (organizational assessment, plan for a new program or service, program evaluation or economic evaluation). (Note: this option is not available for students pursuing a DrPH in the Environmental Health Concentration).
Once a dissertation format has been selected, the student should draft their dissertation proposal in preparation for the Preliminary Oral Exams.
DrPH Preliminary Oral Examinations
Required for all DrPH students, the Schoolwide Preliminary Oral Examination is a Bloomberg School of Public Health requirement overseen by the Committee on Academic Standards. The Schoolwide Preliminary Oral Examination is preceded by the Concentration Oral Examination.
Concentration Oral Examination
The purpose of the Concentration Oral Examination is to prepare students and determine their readiness to take the Schoolwide Preliminary Oral Examination. To take the Concentration Oral Exam, students must have successfully passed the Comprehensive Written Exam and drafted a proposal for their dissertation project.
Schoolwide Preliminary Oral Examination
The purpose of this examination is to determine whether the student has the ability and knowledge to undertake significant public health problem-solving and analytic research in his/her general area of interest. Specifically, the examination shall evaluate the student’s:
- Capacity for logical thinking;
- Breadth and depth of knowledge in public health and evaluative methodologies; and
- Ability to undertake a research project aimed at addressing a significant public health problem leading to a completed dissertation.
Discussion of a specific proposal serves as a vehicle for determining the student’s general knowledge and analytical capabilities; however, this examination is not intended to be a defense of a specific proposal. The student will be expected to defend the public health significance of the problem that s/he wishes to examine as well as the methodologies to be used in evaluating solutions to the problem. The examination is conducted by a Committee of four faculty and one practitioner, including the student's adviser.
Eligibility
Students must have completed all core course requirements and didactic credit requirements for the DrPH program with a C or better and a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher, and submitted both the practicum proposal and practicum completion forms to be eligible to take the Schoolwide Preliminary Oral Examination.
Timeline and Registration
The examination should be given at the earliest feasible time after completion of the Comprehensive Written Examination and Concentration Oral Examination, and before significant engagement in the student’s dissertation work. For part-time students, the School-wide Oral Examination must be completed before the end of their fifth year in the program, while for full-time students this exam must be completed before the end of their third year in the program.
Part-time students will register for one credit per term of special studies credit with their dissertation adviser while preparing for their Schoolwide Preliminary Oral Examinations. After the examination, they will register for one credit per term of thesis research with their dissertation advisers until they complete their Final Oral Exam.
DrPH Dissertation
Overview
The focus of the DrPH degree is to facilitate the creation and application of knowledge in the practice of public health. As a culminating and integrative learning experience, all students must complete an original investigation presented in the form of a dissertation. The student's dissertation should build upon both the foundational competencies and the student's concentration-specific competencies. The dissertation must be based on original research, worthy of publication, and acceptable to a committee of faculty readers.
The content of the dissertation should reflect the focus of the degree program and the student's concentration. The dissertation content is to be developed by the student in consultation with his/her adviser and the Dissertation Advisory Committee. The DrPH dissertation shall also meet the following criteria:
- Address a practical problem confronting a leader in public health practice;
- Represent original thought and work;
- Use a rigorous and scientifically defensible analytic component; and
- Be based on a conceptual model (or models) that relates the work to existing knowledge and to practice.
During the student’s application process, various research ideas may have been discussed with faculty members. However, each student’s dissertation proposal must be developed, reviewed and found acceptable to program faculty while the student is enrolled as a doctoral student at JHSPH.
Registration
Following the satisfactory completion of the Schoolwide Preliminary Oral Examination, students must register for thesis research credits with their dissertation adviser. Part-time students are required to register for a minimum of 1 thesis research credit per term. All DrPH students must be registered in the term in which they present their Final Oral Defense and Seminar.
Dissertation Format and Content
The decision on which format to follow should be made by the time the student takes the Concentration Oral Examination. There are advantages and disadvantages to each option that should be carefully discussed with the student’s adviser. If a decision is made during the writing stage to change the format of the dissertation, all members of the thesis advisory committee and/or the thesis readers committee should be informed.
Each of these options is described in greater detail in the following sections.
Option 1: The Traditional Doctoral Dissertation
The traditional doctoral dissertation generally consists of an abstract, five or more chapters, references, and any appendices. The outline of chapters below is merely a guide. The page numbers are rough estimates, and the form of the chapters will vary, reflecting the academic discipline or orientation of the student’s research.
All components of the traditional dissertation will be judged by the Committee to be either: Acceptable, Acceptable with Revisions, or Unacceptable. Each student, with guidance from his or her adviser, will rework the thesis draft until all components are judged acceptable.
Option 2: Manuscript-Oriented Dissertation
The manuscript-oriented dissertation consists of a total of three (or more) papers, linked to the student’s dissertation topic. These papers should be prepared as if for submission to a journal and therefore while the papers may cross-reference each other, each paper should be self-contained and publishable in its own right. Papers prepared in this fashion are typically slightly longer than regular journal articles as they contain slightly more methodological detail and background material than usual.
A manuscript-oriented dissertation must meet the following criteria:
- The doctoral student must be the first author on the three manuscripts used to satisfy this requirement;
- No manuscript will be accepted as part of the thesis if it was submitted for publication before the student passed the school-wide preliminary oral exam; and
- At least two members of the thesis committee must not be co-authors of any of the manuscripts to avoid conflict of interest if published prior to the final defense.
As is true for the traditional doctoral dissertation, all components of the manuscript-oriented dissertation will be judged to be either: Acceptable, Acceptable with Revisions, or Unacceptable. Each student, with guidance from her/his adviser, will rework the thesis draft until all components are judged acceptable.
Option 3: The ‘Workplace Challenge’
In the context of their working environment, students may elect to pursue three out of four following analyses as the basis for their dissertation research: 1) organizational assessment; 2) plan for a new program or service; 3) program evaluation; 4) economic evaluation. These analytical pieces may relate to one organization or program that they are closely associated with or could relate to multiple different organizations and programs. In either case, the dissertation will need to provide sufficient background information regarding the organization and/or program for the committee of readers to be able to understand the context for the work.
In addition to comprising three of the four analyses described above, a final section of the dissertation should discuss implications of the analysis. This section summarizes the lessons learned through the ‘workplace challenge’ experience, identifies opportunities for improvement from the perspectives of relevant stakeholders, and draws implications for other similar programs or organizations. Students should address the role that leadership played or could have played regarding the projects and/or outcomes observed. For example, what was done and could have been done to enhance, assure, foster or mitigate the outcomes observed?
Public Seminar & Final Oral Examination
The Final Oral Examination of the dissertation shall be conducted by the Final Oral Examination Committee after the Dissertation Advisory Committee agrees that the candidate is ready for the final defense. The Final Oral Examination Committee is typically composed of the Dissertation Advisory Committee plus 1-3 additional members and is often composed of the same members as the student’s Preliminary Oral Exam Committee. During the student’s defense, the Final Oral Examination Committee shall evaluate the following:
- Value of the work in terms of its potential practical application;
- Methodological rigor and original thought demonstrated in the work;
- Candidate’s understanding of the details of the methodological and analytical work; and
- Final quality of the written dissertation document.
As a culminating experience, the doctoral student will present a formal, public seminar either in person or online. This requirement provides experience for the student in preparing a formal seminar; provides the faculty and other students with an opportunity to share in the student’s accomplishments; and gives a sense of finality to the doctoral experience for the student. The public seminar and dissertation defense are typically held on the same day with the seminar being conducted first, followed immediately by the Final Oral Examination and defense. Dissertation readers should have at least one month to read and suggest revisions of the dissertation prior to the Final Oral Examination. For part-time DrPH students, the Final Oral Examination must be completed within nine years of matriculation, while full-time DrPH students must complete it within seven years of matriculation.
Online Submission of Electronic Theses & Dissertations to The Sheridan Libraries
Submission of electronic dissertation: Submit a PDF copy of the final dissertation to the Johns Hopkins ETD Submission Tool http://etd.library.jhu.edu. Instructions for formatting and submitting the dissertation may be found at http://guides.library.jhu.edu/etd. The dissertation needs approval from The Sheridan Libraries before submission to the program.
Dissertation Format Guidelines: Follow the guidelines found on the University’s ETD LibGuide when incorporating the examining committee’s recommendations and finalizing the dissertation. To ensure that the dissertation meets all the guidelines, an electronic version can be sent to The Sheridan Libraries for review, dissertations@jhu.edu.
Publication Embargo: Students may choose an embargo period of 0, 1, 2, 3, or 4 years during the ETD submissions. This means that The Sheridan Libraries will withhold publication of the dissertation for the period of time that you choose. For example, the library published the May 2015 dissertations in July 2015. If a student chooses a 1-year embargo, the dissertation will not be published until July 2016. If they choose 2 years, it will not be published until July 2017 and so on. At a certain point, The Sheridan Libraries does make some dissertation details public (student name, degree, dissertation title, abstract etc.) during the embargo period, but the actual dissertation is hidden from view.
ProQuest/UMI Publication: Optional for all degree programs – On the “Document Information” page, there will be a check-box at the bottom in which the student may request that their thesis/dissertation be published through ProQuest/UMI. Publication through ProQuest/UMI is now optional. There is no additional form to fill out and no fees associated with publication.
DrPH Program Requirements: The program does not require submission of either an electronic or paper copy of the final dissertation document.
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