A great emphasis of the Brown MPH Program is to empower students to engage in the design and implementation of their educational experience. Students in the Interdisciplinary Concentration work with advisors to develop their individual path within public health. Students in the Interdisciplinary Concentration will develop an individualized educational plan to gain the competencies required for their path in public health. This will include identifying the focus of the Interdisciplinary studies for that student, be that a content area (for example Maternal and Children Health, Aging, Mental Health, HIV, etc.) or methodologic focus (advanced methods in public health research/evaluation, etc.).
Interdisciplinary Concentration
COVID-19: Lessons Learned
Faculty experts from across and beyond the School of Public Health — from epidemiology and political science, to medicine and behavioral science — take stock of what went wrong, and what needs to happen to address our major public health challenges, and to make us better prepared for the next pandemic.
Program Snapshot
Competencies
MPH candidates in this concentration will develop core competencies prior to graduation. Required skills and topics include:
Students work closely with advisors on writing at least 5 specific competencies for the courses selected for their Interdisciplinary Concentration, beyond the core MPH competencies. Students identify how they will meet the competencies through activities such as formal coursework, independent studies, internships, and thesis work.
Courses
Students in the Interdisciplinary concentration must identify five courses that are appropriate for their individualized plan.
Thesis
All in-person students are required to complete a thesis. Students work with faculty advisors to design a thesis project appropriate to their individualized interdisciplinary plan.
Approval of Concentration Plan
The initial plan should be submitted to the Concentration Lead and then to the MPH Program Director in the fall of the first year for approval. Students can continue to refine the plan in the second year, with substantive changes approved by the Concentration Lead and MPH Program Director.
Faculty
Interdisciplinary Concentration Lead
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Deborah Pearlman, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of the Practice of Epidemiology