MD / Public Health PhD

[myoung83]

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Hi. I am applying to medical school for 2007, and I am interested in a combined MD / PhD in Public Health. I thought it would be easier than it has been to find this option. Does anyone know:

1. What schools definitely offer this combination other than UNC Chapel Hill, Harvard, and Johns Hopkins?

2. Is this a totally ridiculous idea? I originally became interested in medicine through my interest in public health and I always assumed I would go for the duel degree. I am interested in getting really in depth training in public health and I love school -- that's not the issue. I am just worried that the surprising lack of options means it is unnecessary and I will be able to do anything I want with an MPH.

Any thoughts or advice would be much appreciated!

 

[fantasty]

Have you considered a specific field within public health (i.e., epidemiology, community health, health behavior, health management, health policy, etc)? I know of several schools that offer a MD/PhD in epidemiology (U Iowa, UAB, Yale, U Rochester, UCSD).

 

[PublicHealth]

Have you considered a specific field within public health (i.e., epidemiology, community health, health behavior, health management, health policy, etc)? I know of several schools that offer a MD/PhD in epidemiology (U Iowa, UAB, Yale, U Rochester, UCSD).

Also a DO program with PhD in Health Policy. I think it's a six-year combined program: http://www.pcom.edu/Academic_Programs/aca_do/Degree_Programs_DO_PhD/degree_programs_do_phd.html

 

[cyperalz]

Hi. I am applying to medical school for 2007, and I am interested in a combined MD / PhD in Public Health. I thought it would be easier than it has been to find this option. Does anyone know:

1. What schools definitely offer this combination other than UNC Chapel Hill, Harvard, and Johns Hopkins?

2. Is this a totally ridiculous idea? I originally became interested in medicine through my interest in public health and I always assumed I would go for the duel degree. I am interested in getting really in depth training in public health and I love school -- that's not the issue. I am just worried that the surprising lack of options means it is unnecessary and I will be able to do anything I want with an MPH.

Any thoughts or advice would be much appreciated!

HI,

My advisor/boss (a MD, and expert in cancer epi since the last 40 years) advised that this kind of program is not great and quiet silly since you'll be running around from lab to med practice constantly. She advised it's better to focus on one at a time in order to make the best of both fields... or both fields may not even be required.

I would advise to get your MD, and then coat it w/ and MPH. Postpone the PhD until you know what exactly it is you would like to do for a PhD. I'm sure w/ an MD and MPH experience you would get significantly more funding and opportunities for a PhD.

 

[fantasty]

I disagree somewhat with cyperalz. I think that an MD/PhD in public health can be quite helpful, and there are reasons to do them both together (cost of attendence if you do an MSTP, support and protected research time during graduate school that you wouldn't get with just an MPH, etc). But, I do agree that if you do them separately, getting the MD before the PhD is probably better. A PhD in public health may not help you get through medical school any easier. But, having background in health sciences and medicine can really make you get the most out of your graduate training.

 

[Heal&Teach]

There are a number of MD/PhDs at Pitt who are doing their doctoral work in Epidemiology at the public health school here.

 

[myoung83]

Thank you all for the advice and information. I have decided to take the plunge (sort of). I am applying to some MD/PhD and some straight MD. I'll just wait to see what happens. If I end up doing an MD only, I will go for the MPH, narrow my interests, and (if the motivation is still there) apply for the PhD afterwards.

For those who come after and are curious, I found the following schools offer a public health PhD concurently with an MD (in some cases the degree is a DrPH)

1. Johns Hopkins
2. Columbia (Epi only, I think, though they seem to be somewhat flexible)
3. UCLA
4. UNC Chapel Hill
5. U of I - Chicago
6. Emory
7. Yale
8. Harvard

There are definitely other ones, too.

 

[Bobblehead]

One thing to keep in mind is that in the event you complete your MD first and get the DPh as a part of your research training you may be able to get someone else to foot the bill for classes. That should be an important consideration for how you time this as well.

 

[akademiks1989]

I think Michigan offers the degree too!