Open AccessThe Changing Pattern of Doctoral Education in Public Health From 1985 to 2006 and the Challenge of Doctoral Training for Practice and Leadership
Author(s) -
Eugene Declercq,
Karen Caldwell,
Suzanne Havala Hobbs,
Bernard Guyer
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
american journal of public health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.284
H-Index - 264
eISSN - 1541-0048
pISSN - 0090-0036
DOI - 10.2105/ajph.2007.117481
Subject(s) - public health , curriculum , medical education , health promotion , promotion (chess) , medicine , political science , psychology , nursing , pedagogy , politics , law
We examined trends in doctoral education in public health and the challenges facing practice-oriented doctor of public health (DrPH) programs. We found a rapid rise in the numbers of doctoral programs and students. Most of the increase was in PhD students who in 2006 composed 73% of the total 5247 current public health doctoral students, compared with 53% in 1985. There has also been a substantial increase (40%) in students in DrPH programs since 2002. Challenges raised by the increased demand for DrPH practice-oriented education relate to admissions, curriculum, assessment processes, and faculty hiring and promotion. We describe approaches to practice-based doctoral education taken by three schools of public health.