Emerging PhD, Graduate School, & Interdisciplinary Career Options

Planetary health is sometimes referred to as eco-social health. This approach has taken many forms over the last half century but has garnered more attention as of late given rapid population growth, urbanization, and inequitable approaches to health and natural resources management. Increasingly, attention has been focused on sustainable development that can maintain the balance of biogeochemical cycles essential for life. The Interdisciplinary Science Major is aligned with this approach and specifically examines the intersection of  global environmental change and human health. For example, our courses investigate the influence of environmental factors (built, social, and natural) on gene expression and how the structure of the water molecule makes it essential to life, renders it easily contaminated,  and thus, a critical factor of healthy ecosystems.The scalar nature of planetary health highlights the interrelatedness of local, national, and global activities, and physical, chemical, and biological processes that shape communities, nations, organisms, and the planet.

George Washington University Global Environmental Health MPH program is aligned with the Planetary Health approach and there are no specific pre-requisites for entering the program, other than a bachelor’s degree or higher degree. This program is a good fit for anyone with an interest in the connection between the natural world, human activities, and human health. In particular, students who are especially interested in focusing on these issues in resource-poor settings, often outside the U.S. The differences between the MPH in Global Environmental Health and the MPH in Environmental Health Science and Policy are described here.

University of Michigan Global Environmental Health has a strong connection to researchers with a focus on minorities and health disparities.

There are a number of new journals, special issues and emerging graduate programs focused on Planetary Health. The Lancet has taken the lead with a new journal in this area and a Countdown: Tracking Climate Change and Health Connections (video)  as well as info and resources.

The New School MS programs in Environmental Policy and Sustainable Management  and the MS in Design and Urban Ecologies  present opportunities for students to to do a combined BA/MA five year program.

Graduate programs in environmental studies, policy, planning and management. These graduate programs are interdisciplinary with entrance requirements varying depending on the focus of the programs.  The IS degree requirements provides sufficient natural science and quantitative background for these programs.  In addition, depending on interest, students should consider taking courses during their undergraduate studies in areas such as ecology, economics, environmental policy and planning, and urban studies.  Please note that some graduate programs may expect an undergraduate level Calculus course. Climate and Society at Columbia and the dual program at Tufts University in Water: Systems, Science and Society are examples.

A comprehensive list of programs in Environmental Studies 

Alumni of Lang who completed the Alaska Tishman Environmental Scholars Summer Experience (Paid) or any of the internships listed here are likely to be more competitive for programs in policy, and resource management. See alumni Allan Robles, Erik Johansson, and Eva Brill, all of whom completed the Alaska program or Steven Houang who completed the  SEA Semester. Reviewing their alumni profiles will showcase the graduate programs they have pursued ranging from conservation, sustainable energy, and more. 

Alumna, Michaela Manzieri, compiled a great set of graduate masters programs. She recommends “UCL, if pursuing the wider environmental and social science route, as UCL as an institution offers programs in the humanities, unlike Imperial that is strictly a school of medicine, engineering, business and natural sciences. If going down the marine sciences route, I would definitely choose Bangor, as they, along with NUI Galway in Ireland, have the most highly reputed marine science programs in the UK & Europe. Bangor even has their own research vessel! Galway in Ireland is a crucial point for maritime law and transit, as it is one of the westernmost points of the EU and holds a pivotal role in Brexit negotiations for fisheries and transit, and they have The Bartlett School of Built Environment’s MSc in Environment and Sustainable Development.” Ultimately, Michaela chose the Imperial College of London’s  MSc in Environmental Technology,  with an optional focus on Integrated Water Management connected to environmental law and environmental economics, to population dynamics and policy-making approaches. 

Bioethics programs tend to cater to those with a professional or graduate degrees. However, many professional schools are now offering combined degrees or certificates.

Penn State offers a Masters Program in Bioethics (MBE) and has a law school.

The Petrie Flom Center for Health Law Policy, Biotechnology, and Bioethics at Harvard offers a postdoctoral fellowship for those with law degrees.

John Hopkins PHD in Health Policy and Management focuses on Bioethics and Health Policy

Global Bioethics Initiative Summer Program/Certificate is open to students and professionals interested in exploring this field.

What is One Health?  One Health is a collaborative, multisectoral, and trans-disciplinary approach – working at local, regional, national, and global levels – to achieve optimal health and well-being outcomes recognizing the interconnections between people, animals, plants and their shared environment. Projects in this area are related to antimicrobial resistance, vector control of infectious diseases, climate change and the impact on vector reservoirs, and more. One Health graduate programs often have strong links to state health and agriculture agencies and other partners, CDC, emerging disease programs, disease mapping organizations, climate change organizations, homeless health care organizations, conservation medicine sites, and wildlife health organizations, both in the US and internationally. Often these programs are titled One Health, or can be located in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Programs.

A List of fully funded Masters programs put together by alumna Carlie Leary can be accessed here. Carlie attended UCLA Ecology and Evolutionary Biology & Medicine program

Though public health is not an emerging research and practice, it has been revisited and gaining more importance with global environmental change. What is Public Health? provides an overview of public health training and career options and the distinction between public health and medicine. The menu at the top offers more advice on resources, FAQs, and information for prospective students.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention describes epidemiology as the basic science of public health, but it is so much more — involving not only an understanding of the occurrence and distribution of health-related events and processes in different populations, but also a focus on the critical determinants of health that influence them. Epidemiology plays a vital role in applying this knowledge to the control of health problems.

Please note that almost all MPH programs accept students with at least one, if not more, year (s) of experience in the field. There are many resources (PHCareers, Salaries ) that explain what a career in public health will provide and the various concentrations. with some very new such as the PhD program in Health Policy with an emphasis in Bioethics at John Hopkins U, and the combined MA and MPH in Public Health and Bioethics at Emory. Many graduate programs do not typically accept recent graduates of BA/BS programs and they also do not have much in the way of financial aid as they are considered professional programs. That said, you may want to consider location for in state tuition or state schools to lower costs. To get the work experience and get paid, you may want to consider the CDC train/work programs as a stepping stone, or look at the alumni biographies of Alexa Riggs, Steven Houang, Alisha Racho Jansen,  Nayaab Khawar,  Kimberly Libman, and Alana Proctor. There is also a new initiative underway for those with more traditional STEM courses, and The APHI blog to showcase the multiple careers with a strong focus on environmental health. Undergrads that complete the NYCDOH HRTP (summer and academic year internship program) or any of the internships listed here  are more competitive candidates and that experience can help you determine if the MPH, social work, health advocacy, genetic counseling, or environmental policy grad programs might be more suitable for you. Each year in honor of National Public Health Week the  American Journal of Public Health publishes articles on health equity and policy and a webcast event specifically for students occurs first week of April – join APHA and students from American University’s public health capstone class for a special event for public health students. This event will feature early- and mid-career public health professionals discussing how they made the jump from public health students to public health workers. From finding internships to building a resume and working your way up in an organization, public health students will get real, useful information on what to do once they have their diploma. Past webcast here .

UFl Arts in Public Health Certificate and Masters in Arts in Medicine programs integrate courses in public health and arts therapy and the certificate is 12 credits online.

FundPH NYC project internships and jobs

Public Health at Hunter in NYC: The best part of doing an MPH trough the CUNY system is that it is inexpensive, is well connected to the NYCDOH, has several different  well developed tracks , for instance nutrition which is most science based while communication is less so, and  they offer courses at night, which means if you become a research assistant at CUNY or Hunter, you can complete the MPH going part time, tuition free, as part of your employee benefits. Alumna Alexa Riggs worked full time as a clinical program coordinator while completing her MPH in epidemiology through this program- she is a wonderful mentor and  available for advising (see her bio under About Our Program in the menu).  They also offer a certificate program that can be applied to the MPH later. Kimberly Libman completed her MPH at Hunter while completing her PhD in Environmental Psychology, worked for city officials as a researcher,  and then secured a position at the NY Academy of Medicine leading out programs that connect health and urban planning and now is working as a senior researcher at the Change Lab Solutions on the West Coast. 

SUNY Downstate, is also another good option and has a much more social, urban,  and environment focused program with strong connections to mental health

Columbia University has a number of different options including public health, MS in Statistical Genetics and MS in Epidemiology. Nayaab Khawar completed the executive MS in Epidemiology there and is now working on HealthCare solutions at Magnolia Innovation. See her video on her Lang Experience.  Larkin Mohn completed the program in Statistical Genetics and went on to publish work on differential care of ethnic minorities in the Bronx.  

NYU Global Health are much more expensive and competitive, but well-respected programs as well. She is now working at The Change Lab on the west coast.

Tulane University is the oldest public health schools and is one of the few that will accept students straight out of college. 

Emory MPH programs in Environmental Health, Law, Business, and Bioethics – the range is impressive.

National Society for Genetic Counselors has a great overview website and podcast series on best practices in genetic counseling. There is also a specific area for students.

American Society for Human Genetics Database of Human Genetics Programs has a searchable database of graduate programs by location and speciality; video and short overview of careers.

Genetic Counseling/ Human Genetics Masters Program At Sarah Lawrence College requires students to have a partial pre-med program completed (specifically chemistry) and some psychology and statistics. The same can be said for medical and nursing schools that have stringent requirements including one year of each of the following with lab (gen biology, gen chemistry, organic chemistry, physics, math). Students interested in these programs must complement their IS courses with summer courses, post-bac programs that offer traditional courses, Cooper courses, or Sarah Lawrence Exchange. The Sarah Lawrence Genetic Counseling  Program requires perquisites in developmental psychology, developmental biology, but they are very interested in our IS graduates. We can organize a lunch outing and they have a recorded Five Part Webinar ” Why Genetic Counseling” as well as info sessions in November and a Career Info Day each June. For more on contacts, workshops, short courses, camps,  and IS alumni who have explored this path see this document

UNC Greensboro Genetic Counseling this has some great student video perspectives and how to apply

University of Cincinnati Genetic Counseling Open House Video 

Health Advocacy Masters Program at Sarah Lawrence College is designed for those that promote health in multiple ways. The first such graduate program of its kind in the nation integrating ethics, law, and policy.

Narrative Medicine is not an emerging field, but an established one and goes back centuries. Many physicians have used the art of story telling to convey the challenges of living with disease, health inequity, and environmental health challenges. In the last 50 years, as the field of genomics has expanded this art and craft has evolved to include comic books, zines, and film, and has been subdivided into Narrative Genetics, and other specialities. Moreover, the field is comprised of those living with disability and disease, as well as genetic counselors, physicians, health care providers, family members, health advocates, social workers, and artists. Most people enter these  graduate programs after having already secured employment or advanced degrees in a health-related, or arts-oriented field. These programs are located around the world with different range and focus. Robin Arnette writes about careers in Science communication and the degree granting programs in a 2005 article in Science. where the MIT, UC Santa Cruz, and Boston Programs are reviewed.

Narrative Medicine Masters Program at Columbia Alumna Holly Kuzcynski completed this program in 2012. It merges creating writing,  disability studies, social work, public health, health advocacy to improve health access and advocacy for patients and healthcare providers. Additionally see the open Rounds events,  Workshops, ongoing Narrative Health and Social Justice seminar  group, and NY Times article about this field of study.

Temple University also has a program and their medical students publish a literary journal, The Pulse. 

Two leaders in Narrative Medicine have shared their views on the evolution of the field in a three-part journal article series in the Canadian Family Physician published in 2018 in March, April and May .  

The field is also finally beginning to be critical of itself, and this caters to the training of the students in the Interdisciplinary Science Program. Josephine Ensign, an educator and practioner of Narrative Medicine, has a series of blog posts about the vital role that critical analysis of narrative plays in the fields of public health and medicine. Sayantani DasGupta is another socially just Narrative Medicine scholar and her Ted Talk about Humility and Social Justice and her Website get at this. Holly Kuzcinski, alumna of the Interdisciplinary Science Program completed the Columbia U program and is now teaching as an Associate Faculty Member in the program.

Health Behavior programs typically use qualitative and quantitative research methodologies from the social sciences and combine these with perspectives from the biomedical sciences to address contemporary and emerging health issues in populations.  Rigorous training in research methods and program design and evaluation are key elements of the curriculum.

UNC Health Behavior PhD program in the School of Global Health is focused on the  skills needed to be community change agents for issues that undermine public health both locally and globally, including: violence, obesity, cancer, HIV, health policy and health disparities. Interdisciplinary Science alum Steven Houang is completing this program.

University of Colorado at Denver Health & Behavioral Sciences PhD The program focuses its research in the following areas: AIDS epidemic, the social contexts of medical care, the diffusion of health behaviors through social networks, the ethics of health care, biases that shape decision making, the mechanisms that link social conditions to biological health, and the determinants of health disparities. Graduates are leaders in analyzing the conditions that give rise to the inequitable distribution of health within and across populations. A former faculty member of our program who has relocated to University of Colorado Denver Health and Behavioral Sciences,  Ivan Ramirez, is a fantastic mentor and available for a zoom meeting to explore this opportunity; his email is ivan.ramirez@ucdenver.edu. Admitted students typically receive scholarships for tuition as well as stipends. 

Science and Justice Graduate Certificate Program USCS is supported by NSF and provides training and support to graduate students seeking a PhD in science  by asking them to consider issues of justice not after the work is produced but while the work is produced in an effort to develop scientists that are responsive to community needs and social justice efforts

Feminist/ LGBTQI  Biology and Women/Gender Studies
This article reviews a new post doctoral opportunity that emphasizes the integration of biology and feminist perspectives.  The key is to notice that the Women Studies Program at University of Wisconsin embraces biology.  You might also want to check out the journal Hypatia, and the online journal/Podcast Lady Science .

Economic Botany, Ethnobotany, and Pharmacognosy CUNY Grad Center
This program focuses on the integration of indigenous knowledge and resources in the context of scientific innovation that promotes health, wellness, and conservation of biodiversity. See Ina Vanderbroek’s website link for more on this program. Other programs like this one can be found under the keywords ” Plant Science.”  Other programs cater to undergraduate degrees in anthropology, conservation biology, mathematics, and chemistry. The requirements vary depending on the program and students find that they can enter these programs directly after Lang or after some post-bac study. Examples include the University of Hawaii and University of Kent Masters in Science programs within Anthropology Departments.

Mount Sinai Biodesign Fellowship for established physicians

Texas Medical Center (TMC) had an initiative for merging STEM with innovation in health technology for company founders and start ups.  See this Medium post for application tips from two former program directors. Engineering, software development, medicine, business, design, and research teams worked together in interdisciplinary teams to observe and identify unmet needs to then create products which solve them. From the start, team members were immersed in the clinical experience, uncovering, analyzing and prioritizing needs before exploring and implementing potential solutions. There were two tracks per year: medical device and digital health.

Climate MD is an initiative for those who may go onto medical school and are interested in thinking about the intersection of climate, health, sustainability. 

The Lancet journal has the Countdown to Climate and Health and the NEJM also has an effort and there is a discussion on their NEJM website. 

Medical Students for a Sustainable Future is a student run effort that has a monthly journal club and provides three different ways to get involved depending on your time and interest. 

These programs are located around the world with different range and focus. Robin Arnette writes about careers in Science communication and the degree granting programs in a 2005 article in Science. where the MIT, UC Santa Cruz, and Boston Programs are reviewed.

Science Communication at Otago New Zealand: Three programs ranging from the PhD to MS in filmmaking

Visual Narrative MFA School of Visual Arts. This program integrates visual story telling with design and is a low residency program.

New Careers in Molecular Visualization of Science: Series of articles pointing to new field and new graduate programs. See this amazing article on the ” father” of molecular animations, David Goodsell and his use of watercolors, and a lovely video narrated by Janet Iwasa. 

A number of new programs and companies are emerging in this area ranging from molecular modeling, medical illustration, molecular animation, and information design.  See Nature Magazine Sept , 2011 and this series of links  in an article by Kiera Heikes about ArtScientist collaborations  from the ASCB

Some universities are offering affordable certificate and masters programs to bridge students’s undergrad and graduate experience.  The NYU Tandon Bridge Program is focused on data analytics, communication, computer science and bioinformatics and the CUNY Translational Medicine program is headed up by Sabriya Stukes a WOC who is also engaged in science communication, outreach and anti-racist teaching. 

Big Data Network Science PhD UCSD has new graduate programs that bridge interdisciplinary work.

Data Science MS At Berkeley is a new online program that includes data organization storage, visualization etc. This is part a growing number of analytics and data science programs. To read about 23 such programs and the 140,000 jobs that require these skills see this site on data science masters programs and for more on where these programs reside (business, computer science, or statistics departments) and the kinds of questions you should ask yourself before pursuing look here.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention describes epidemiology as the basic science of public health, but it is so much more — involving not only an understanding of the occurrence and distribution of health-related events and processes in different populations, but also a focus on the critical determinants of health that influence them. Epidemiology plays a vital role in applying this knowledge to the control of health problems.

Each year NYC hosts an Epidemiology Forum at the end of February (NYCEF) to provide regular contact and exchanges between epidemiologists working in academic and other institutions in the New York City Metropolitan Area, with a special focus on junior researchers, including junior faculty, post-docs, fellows, and doctoral students from nearly 20 academic and other public health institutions from the New York City metropolitan region present their work.  The forum provides an opportunity for epidemiologists at these institutions yo present their work, discuss opportunities for collaborative research, and enhance professional networks. During this day-long forum, epidemiologists present research in two oral sessions – one focusing on international and national topics, and the other on those specific to New York City – and in two poster sessions and “flash science presentations,” with a short oral presentation and an accompanying poster.  Topics included examining gentrification and health in NYC; multisystem biological risk and cancer mortality; housing instability and opioid use; patient and health system factors related to early and late breast cancer presentation in Tanzania; documenting the feasibility of integrated, multilevel care for cardiovascular diseases, and HIV in low- and middle-income countries. See 2019 at NYU here for presentations recordings etc, and for 2020 the event will be hosted at Columbia on Feb 28. Abstracts due in December

Undergraduate Bioenergy Scholars supports scholarships and Summer REUS for students seeking to address planetary health challenges through renewable energy approaches. There are many locations and this is the link to the PennState program which  can feed  into the graduate program below.

Bioenergy Online Graduate Certification and Masters Program Scholarships offers scholarships for graduate professional courses in bioenergy – take a look at the bioenergy courses that are available, and envision how you could benefit from taking one of these graduate level, credit-bearing courses. Students who complete all four graduate bioenergy courses are potentially eligible for a graduate certificate in bioenergy from Penn State. In addition, outstanding students may be eligible to continue onward for a Masters of Professional Studies in Renewable Energy and Sustainability Systems at Penn State.

NatureMagazineSerieson WhattodowithaPhD
This series in Nature Magazine points to PHD programs that IS majors would be well suited and alternatives to the PhD that still promote deep scientific research. This particular piece is written by Alison McCook

Fix the PhD Editorial in Nature 
This piece is a bit doomsday but places emphasis on choosing wisely, and getting into the workforce before diving into a long term PhD. Please note that all is not bleak, and they mention some really interesting integrative programs in business, science, and industry, as well as not for profit.

What to do with a PhD workshops every year.  A great two day event with workshops, events and more hosted in NYC.