UCSD/SDSU Joint Ph.D. in Public Health

A Ph.D. in Public Health with a concentration in Epidemiology, Health Behavior, or Global Health is offered by the joint faculties of the Graduate School of Public Health at SDSU and the Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science with assistance from other Departments in the UC San Diego School of Medicine.

UCSD

The School

The School began with strong divisions in epidemiology (focused on cardiovascular and diabetes research), quality of life measurement and a clinical division of family medicine. Health Behavior and International Health became a departmental focus around 1990. Although global health issues arise in epidemiology and health behavior, as well as other areas of medicine and public health, global health has emerged as a discipline in its own right and is a rapid growth area.

Our Faculty

UC San Diego faculty members have been awarded three Nobel prizes and numerous departments are ranked in the top ten in the nation in their field. The HWSPH has had a rapid rise both in international reputation and in the amount of externally sponsored research. In 2007, SOM faculty members were awarded $389 million in externally funded grant research, an amount that has consistently increased each year: over the previous 5 years, there was a 35% increase in research funding.

SDSU

The School of Public Health

The SPH has been recently re-accredited by the Council on Education in Public Health and is one of the most productive research units at San Diego State University, a Carnegie-designated high-research university. It provides both undergraduate and graduates education in population-based health disciplines to prepare students for professional health and public health careers. Opportunities for education extend beyond the formal classroom through interactions with faculty on research projects and opportunities internationally and in the local San Diego and Border communities. It is home to three joint Ph.D. programs (Epidemiology, Health Behavior, and Global Health) with UC San Diego.

Our Faculty

Faculty in the SPH are widely known for their research in HIV/AIDS through the US PEPFAR program, and also for extensive externally-funded research locally, regionally, and globally on obesity, diabetes, physical activity, tobacco control, environmental toxicity, and health diplomacy. Partnerships and funding sources include the San Diego County Health Department, the California Department of Health, the US Navy, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Paul Newman Foundation, and the National Institutes of Health. The SPH provides educational across core public health areas, including epidemiology, biostatistics, health behavior, environmental health, and global health.