PhD in Epidemiology

Main Ideas / Concepts

Why Miami for a PhD in Epidemiology

• Miami is presented as a uniquely diverse U.S. city and a hub for Latin America and the Caribbean.
• This diversity is positioned as an ideal environment for studying:
  • Racial/ethnic disparities
  • Racial/ethnic studies
  • Clinical details across diverse populations

Program Setting and Advantages

• The PhD program in Epidemiology is part of the Department of Public Health Sciences.
• The program is housed on a medical campus (noted as under the Miller School of Medicine), enabling:
  • Collaboration with clinical collaborators across medical departments
  • Proximity to major healthcare and research centers, including:
    • Center for AIDS Research
    • Diabetes Research Institute
    • Sylvester Cancer Center
    • VA (Veterans Administration) hospital
    • Nicklaus Children’s Hospital
• These resources support both:
  • Clinical epidemiology (for students seeking a clinical focus)
  • Population-based public health work

How Epidemiology Connects Medicine and Public Health

• Epidemiology is described as an intersection where you can:
  • Work with health care providers (clinical medicine)
  • Work with public health researchers (population-level outcomes)

Research Strengths / Thematic Areas

The program highlights strong research areas in:

• Chronic diseases, especially:
  • Cancer
  • Diabetes
  • Obesity
• Behavioral epidemiology, including:
  • HIV/AIDS
  • Substance abuse
• Health disparities broadly

Example Research Focus: Cancer Screening Disparities

• Research includes studying inequalities by race/ethnicity (example groups mentioned: White, Black, Hispanic), particularly regarding cancer patterns.
• The example thesis/detection thesis focuses on:
  • Facilitators and barriers to cancer screening among Black firefighters
• Methods described:
  • Interviews with firefighters
  • Focus groups with firefighters
• Mentorship is described as helpful in shaping the connection between the topic and the research.

Career Outcomes

The PhD is portrayed as a launching pad for multiple career paths, including:

• Academia
• Government
• Industry (including pharmaceutical companies)
• NGOs and non-profits (examples mentioned: Humana, Kaiser Permanente)
• International organizations (example mentioned: WHO)

An “ideal” career direction is also noted:

• Working at a cancer center
• Combining patient contact with an academic health system environment

Overall Recommendation

• The program is positioned as especially suitable for people who are in a period of “soul searching” in graduate school and who care about improving population health.

Methodology / Instructions (Detailed)

Thesis Research Approach (Example Provided)

• Identify barriers and facilitators to a health behavior/service, such as:
  • Cancer screening in a specific population (Black firefighters)
• Collect qualitative data using:
  • Interviews
  • Focus groups
• Use findings to understand inequalities and support efforts to improve screening participation.

Speakers / Sources Featured

• Unspecified speaker(s): Subtitles indicate a personal viewpoint (e.g., “as an epidemiologist…”, “my mentor…”, “my detection thesis…”, “my ideal career…”), but no names are provided.
• Institutions/organizations mentioned as sources or collaborators:
  • Department of Public Health Sciences
  • Miller School of Medicine
  • Center for AIDS Research
  • Diabetes Research Institute
  • Sylvester Cancer Center
  • VA (Veterans Administration) hospital
  • Nicklaus Children’s Hospital
  • Humana
  • Kaiser Permanente
  • WHO (World Health Organization)