Population & Family Health

The Department of Population and Family Health is not accepting applications for entry into the DrPH in Leadership in Global Health and Humanitarian Systems for the 2023-2024 academic year. 

The Department recognizes through its engagement with heath programs globally the demand for leaders with strong research skills, wide interdisciplinary vision, and competencies for systems-informed interventions. In designing a doctoral program to equip such leaders, flexibility to accommodate the needs and demands of public health and related professionals already established in their careers is paramount.

This innovative program combines on-site classes with field-based research—and the potential for remote study after an initial year in residence at Columbia—to produce graduates with the skills, knowledge, and drive to take on leadership roles in the field of global health and humanitarian response.

The program structure equips participants with strong research and measurement capacities and supports their practical application to ‘on-the-ground’ realities of humanitarian aid and global health practice. Drawing extensively on the expertise and field engagement of faculty working in the field of global health and humanitarian systems, the curriculum provides a unique doctoral educational experience for those committed to a career combining scientific rigor with applied relevance.

Address Principles and Policy in the Field of Global Health & Humanitarian Systems With Current Leaders

A series of doctoral seminars running throughout the first year of the program addresses issues that shape the field of global health and humanitarian response. Many seminars involve discussion with leaders actively addressing such issues as researchers or policymakers with UN organizations, non-governmental organizations, private corporations, or foundations. Students engage in debates and discussions with key protagonists.

Personal Learning Plan as a Foundation for Career Development

Students develop a personalized study program in collaboration with their adviser. This identifies not only  classes from across the School and the wider University of relevance to targeted competences but also opportunities for practical engagement with global health and humanitarian programs that enhance experience in specified areas. Students are currently engaged in programs linked to faculty in Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America on the basis of such plans.

Use New Learning Technologies to Engage in a Global Network of Faculty and Fellow Students While Preparing for Field-Based Study

New learning technology is utilized throughout the program, such that by the second year of study students have the option to return to the workplace and continue to be engaged in structured tuition and research support in preparation for the major field-based study that provides the basis for the doctoral dissertation. In order to prepare students for addressing challenging systems issues in global health and humanitarian practice, study is geared to field realities and constraints, and the methodologies required in such circumstances.

For detailed information about our DrPH program, please consult the Population and Family Health DrPH Guidelines.