Postdoctoral Fellows

The Department welcomes individuals who have completed doctoral degrees to postdoctoral fellow (PDF) affiliations. Post-doctoral fellows identify a mentor and enjoy advising from faculty and use of the School’s facilities for a period of one to two years.

Prospective PDFs should follow the PDF application instructions on the website. 

After being admitted to the Program, each fellow should design, in collaboration with their faculty mentor, an Individualized Development Plan for their research time with the Department. PDFs are evaluated annually and must maintain an appropriate level of professionalism and scientific research ethics for the duration of their program. Upon satisfactory completion of their program, PDFs are issued a Certificate of Completion. PDFs must submit a request form and provide an updated curriculum vitae, a forwarding address, and the start and end dates approved by their mentor.

Directors

The Co-Directors for the PDF program meet regularly with the PDFs for engagement and professional growth. Epidemiology Department PDFs are encouraged to participate in the Epidemiology Postdoctoral Association (EpiPDA) and in the Johns Hopkins Postdoctoral Association (JHPDA). To join the EpiPDA listserv, please email Jonathan Eichberger at je@jhu.edu. The staff of the Professional Development and Career Office provides seminars, workshops, and career development assistance to all PDFs at the JHMI campus. 

Staff

Senior Academic Coordinator Ebony Moore, eamoore@jhu.edu, handles questions, concerns, application procedures, and certification of completion for PDFs.

Required Courses and Training

PDFs are considered non-degree-seeking students but must register for 16 credits of post-doctoral research during each course term. The Postdoctoral Research Credits course number is PH.340.830 Postdoctoral Research Epidemiology. PDFs are permitted to use some of the 16 credits each term for classes but must limit their total enrollment in classes to 16 credits over the duration of the fellowship program. PDFs must adhere to the student code of conduct for all students of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

PDFs conducting research must complete the following two courses: School-wide Academic and Research Ethics and Responsible Conduct of Research courses during their first term of enrollment as discussed below.

PH.550.860 Academic & Research Ethics at JHSPH 
The Avoiding Plagiarism at JHU training, developed by JHU's Sheridan Libraries, is contained within the PH.550.860 Academic & Research Ethics at JHSPH course. This online course is administered through CoursePlus. All students are required to complete this online course by the end of their first term enrolled. In the course, students are asked to upload two certificates to a CoursePlus DropBox showing completion of both parts of this course

  • Certificate from JHU for the Avoiding Plagiarism module
  • Certificate from SPH for completion of the Responsible Conduct of Research module

Responsible Conduct of Research Course Requirement

Additionally, those who are supported by a National Institutes of Health (NIH) training grant, career development award (individual or institutional), research education grant or dissertation research grant (including D43, D71, F05, F30, F31, F32, F33, F34, F37, F38, K01, K02, K05, K07, K08, K12, K18, K22, K23, K24, K25, K26, K30, K99/R00, KL1,  KL2, R36, T15, T32, T34, T35, T36, T37, T90/R90, TL1, TU2, and U2R) must repeat this in-person requirement every four years. This requirement can be met by completing either of the following two courses:

PH.550.600 Living Science Ethics - Responsible Conduct of Research (1st term) 1 credit
or
PH.306.665 Research Ethics and integrity (3rd term) 3 credits

Information for International PDFs

The Office of International Services is most helpful for answering questions related to the program and procedures for international students and fellows.

Certificate Programs

Certificate Programs offer focused academic training in specific areas of public health. They provide a focused way of integrating elective courses into a research area of interest. The School offers over 30 certificate programs.

The Certificates offered by the Department of Epidemiology are listed below. Please follow the guidelines for the pursuit of certificates as outlined on the website.

Generally, students interested in a particular certificate will need to forward a brief statement and a CV to the contact person listed. The statement should indicate research/professional interest and background preparation for the certificate and explain how the additional certificate will be beneficial to the student’s career. Students interested in pursuing a certificate must apply prior to commencing studies and complete the Anticipated Course Schedule document including term/year as a part of the application package. 

View how to apply for a certificate as an enrolled degree candidate in Epidemiology at BSPH on the individual certificate page. Many of the Certificates require formal acceptance prior to beginning the coursework. Students can apply only 6 credits of the coursework taken toward a certificate before acceptance into the Certificate Program. When enrolled certificate students begin the last course of a certificate, they should complete and submit the Notification of Completion form (via the intranet site) during add/drop of that final term. Once the Certificate requirements have been satisfied, please comply with all completion instructions; certificates cannot be processed retroactively. Please see the individual certificate page for more information. 

Graduate Summer Institute of Epidemiology and Biostatistics

The Graduate Summer Institute offers short, intensive courses in epidemiology and biostatistics intended to develop an understanding of the principles, methodologic strategies, and practical aspects of epidemiological research. The Department has offered the Summer Institute Program since 1983 and has trained thousands of students from the U.S. and around the world. Institute participants include students, clinicians, public health practitioners, physicians in training, and those considering a career in public health. Tuition for the GSIEB is assessed separately from the regular academic year, and current degree-seeking students in epidemiology are responsible for 100% of institute tuition.