Sociomedical Sciences DrPH
The Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) is designed for individuals with an MPH who seek training in social and behavioral science theory and research methods. Our graduates go on to careers in research, teaching, advocacy, or public health programs, drawing on their training in social and behavioral sciences approaches to public health.
Students organize a course of study that brings the theory and methods of multiple social science disciplines to bear on a public health topic. While faculty mentors are primarily drawn from Sociomedical Sciences (SMS), other Mailman School faculty with social science training may mentor DrPH students.
Graduates of the program are able to conduct independent research that advances knowledge in public health and to apply behavioral or social science theory and methods to public health practice and policy. The successful DrPH graduate will have expertise in a specific area of public health and will be prepared to train the next generation of public health masters and doctoral students in the current state of social science knowledge.
Student & Alumni Profiles
DrPH candidate Sara Shoener's areas of interest are gender-based violence, the sociology of organizations and institutions, social movements, and qualitative program evaluation. Her dissertation focuses on the ways in which government funding shapes the services and social change work of local domestic violence service organizations (sponsor: Dr. Jennifer Hirsch). Before coming to Columbia, Sara worked for a national organization in Washington, DC, providing training and technical assistance to domestic violence attorneys and advocates.
See more profiles of the department's doctoral students.
Careers
Our DrPH graduates find faculty positions in leading research and teaching institutions, both in the United States and around the globe; assume senior positions in research and policy, and program development at public health agencies; and apply their research and critical thinking skills working with community-based organizations or in the private sector.
