PhD in sociology and transitioning into public health

[ConfusedPhD]

Hello everyone,

I am nearing the end of finishing a PhD in sociology and after I finish I would like to transition into the public health field. I once intended to pursue a career as an academic sociologist but that is no more. I am particularly interested in conducting research and working with populations experiencing psychological and behavioral addictions. In terms of public health, epidemiology seems especially interesting. However, I have not taken a public health course since I was an undergraduate and thus lack the training that someone with an MPH, higher degree, or practical experience may possess.

I am thus contemplating all the possible ways that I could best use my sociological training to potentially make a transition from sociology into public health research proper. I have been doing a lot of independent reading and find the field much more interesting, accessible, and practical than my own field. Three options that I have been considering are (a) to try to obtain an interdisciplinary postdoc that might provide some sort of training that could facilitate a smooth transition, (b) going back to school to obtain a graduate degree in a public health field, and (c) trying to obtain some practical experience and using that to springboard my career.

I just wanted to see what people on the forums thought about this. Any input would be particularly insightful and would be much appreciate.


Thank you very much.

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[jancydrew]

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[lord999]

There are plenty of sociologists that work in the Public Health field. It's easier if you some quant knowledge (Dillman Surveys, Demography, etc.), but basically, the National Center for Health Statistics and HUD hire classical sociologists and put them to work on some nonclassical applications all the time.