phd in health geography

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Health Geography

Health Geography is the application of geographical information, perspectives, and methods to the study of health, disease, and health care.  It explores the patterns, causes, and spread of disease, environmental hazards, environmental mediators of health behaviors, and the planning and provision of health services.

This map of reinforcing and balancing feedback mechanisms was developed as part of a group model-building workshop with stakeholders of NIH(NIDCR/OBSSR) grant R01DE023072, Integrating Social and Systems Science Approaches to Promote Oral Health Equity. Sara Metcalf, PhD.

Tracking the spatial-temporal dynamics of influenza in WNY with smartphones, Ling Bian, PhD.

Dengue virus transmission intensity in Kamphaeng Phet, Thailand, Jared Aldstadt, PhD.

Population adjusted ED visit rates for cardiovascular disease, Enki Yoo, PhD.

117 Wilkeson Quad

Phone: (716) 645-0481

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Global Health, PHD

On this page:, at a glance: program details.

• Location: Tempe campus
• Second Language Requirement: No

Program Description

Degree Awarded: PHD Global Health

The PhD in global health draws on the premise that sustainable and satisfying solutions to the most pressing global health challenges require a sophisticated understanding of how cultural context, social and ecological processes and disease are really related.

This transdisciplinary graduate program trains students broadly in cutting-edge health social science research theory and methods. The program leverages the strength of ASU's medical anthropology programming and 15 medical anthropologists, and it has the advantage of accessing an exceptionally wide set of skills offered by those in such fields as medical sociology, demography, human geography and epidemiology.

Some particular thematic foci of the program are biocultural approaches to human coping, computer-based complexity modeling, culture and health, health in the Americas, and Indigenous and minority health, as well as mathematical epidemiology, nutritional anthropology, social justice and vulnerable populations, social networks, and urban and environmental health.

The program draws some 80 faculty members from throughout the university to consider how cutting-edge social science can be applied to understand and substantively improve the health of populations. The program favors community-based research in communities of all sizes and types, from hunter-gatherer communities to large U.S. cities, and runs collaborative projects in which students are encouraged to gain experience and conduct research.

Students generally enter the program with a master's degree in a relevant field.

Degree Requirements

84 credit hours, a written comprehensive exam, an oral comprehensive exam, a prospectus and a dissertation

Required Core (3 credit hours) ASB 510 Health: Social and Biocultural Theories (3)

Electives (39 credit hours)

Other Requirements (18 credit hours) ASB 500 Research Methods (3) ASB 501 Professionalism (3) ASM 579 Proposal Writing (3) SSH 591 Topic: Principles of Epidemiology for Global Health (3) systematic methods courses (6)

Research (12 credit hours) ASB 792 Research (12)

Culminating Experience (12 credit hours) ASB 799 Dissertation (12)

Additional Curriculum Information For electives, students should see the academic unit for a course list approved by the chair.

Other requirement coursework may be substituted with the approval of the academic unit. At least two systematic methods courses in an area other than epidemiology or biostatistics and ethnography should be selected, such as nutrition, survey, archival analysis, demography or geographic information systems.

When approved by the student's supervisory committee and the Graduate College, this program may allow up to 30 credit hours from a previously awarded master's degree to be used for this program. If students do not have a previously awarded master's degree, the remaining coursework is made up of electives.

Admission Requirements

Applicants must fulfill the requirements of both the Graduate College and The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

Applicants are eligible to apply to the program if they have earned a bachelor's or master's degree from a regionally accredited institution.

Applicants must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 (scale is 4.00 = "A") in the last 60 hours of their first bachelor's degree program or a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 (scale is 4.00 = "A") in an applicable master's degree program.

All applicants must submit:

• graduate admission application and application fee
• official transcripts
• personal statement outlining educational and professional goals
• current curriculum vitae or resume
• three letters of recommendation
• proof of English proficiency

Additional Application Information An applicant whose native language is not English must provide proof of English proficiency regardless of their current residency.

Suitable backgrounds for admission include a master's degree in the social sciences (e.g., anthropology or sociology), public health, human biology or related fields. Students who enter directly from a bachelor's degree program should have completed at least 15 credit hours of social science and six credit hours of human biology or equivalent at the senior level and should have some background in statistics or epidemiology.

Applicants may submit with their application materials an optional scholarly writing sample, not to exceed 30 double-spaced pages.

Next Steps to attend ASU

Learn about our programs, apply to a program, visit our campus, application deadlines, career opportunities.

Nationally and internationally, the health field provides enormous and varied career opportunities, and demand is high and growing for graduates with specific skills. The program supports the goals of those pursuing careers in academic research teaching and health services. Sample employment venues include:

• health departments
• government agencies
• international agencies (World Health Organization, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Global Health Council, World Bank, Inter-American Development Bank)
• nongovernmental organizations
• private sector
• universities

The degree program also provides a broad intellectual base for those who plan advanced specialist health training in fields such as:

In Arizona and elsewhere, there is a pressing need for professionals with appropriate skills to work in cross-cultural settings or with underserved populations, such as migrants, minorities and those living in poverty, and many of these jobs are directly or indirectly related to health.

Global Opportunities

Global experience.

With over 250 programs in more than 65 countries (ranging from one week to one year), study abroad is possible for all ASU students wishing to gain global skills and knowledge in preparation for a 21st-century career. Students earn ASU credit for completed courses, while staying on track for graduation, and may apply financial aid and scholarships toward program costs. https://mystudyabroad.asu.edu

Program Contact Information

If you have questions related to admission, please click here to request information and an admission specialist will reach out to you directly. For questions regarding faculty or courses, please use the contact information below.

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About the PhD Track in Environmental Sustainability, Resilience, and Health

The Environmental Sustainability, Resilience and Health (ESRH) track cultivates innovative public health scientists and engineers who address urgent challenges at the intersection of climate, sustainability, resilience, and equity.  ESRH students will be prepared for diverse careers, including work in academic institutions, government agencies, intergovernmental bodies, nongovernmental organizations, and private businesses.

Environmental Sustainability

Humans can safely co-exist within our planetary boundaries over a long time.

Environmental Resilience

Humans and their environment can quickly recover from negative shocks, such as extreme heat events or zoonotic pandemics.

Environmental Health

Humans shape their natural and built environments in ways that promote positive, equitable health outcomes for themselves and the planet.

The PhD Track in Environmental Sustainability, Resilience, and Health is Unique

Have you seen any other doctoral programs with a name like ours? There aren’t any. Yes, you can find programs in “environmental sustainability” and programs in “environmental health,” but you won’t find a program that combines those two emphases and includes a focus on resilience. The nexus between sustainability, health, and resilience is a critical frontier for research and practice in the 21st century. Our students are going to be leaders at that frontier.

Public Health and Engineering

One distinctive feature of this program is its joint delivery by the Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Whiting School of Engineering. Students benefit from an interdisciplinary cohort and the opportunity for coursework, mentorship, and research opportunities across both schools. There are slight differences in requirements at the two schools. Prospective students choose which school to apply through based on their primary interests. 

What you’ll study

The ESRH track trains students in systems thinking and the application of core public health and engineering tools. That training is supplemented with a deep understanding of the anthropogenic drivers of environmental change, and the consequences of that change for human health and well-being. Using methods and tools from public health and engineering, ESRH students design, implement and analyze research studies with relevance to both science and practice.

To provide a shared foundation in ESRH topics, all students take a sequence of core courses. Elective coursework is then customized to student interests. Each student identifies a primary focus area and a primary methodological area. Examples of focus areas include climate, food systems, energy, built environment, air, water, and equity. Examples of methodological areas include biostatistics, epidemiology, lifecycle assessment, engineering, economics, systems analysis, program evaluation, qualitative methods, risk policy and communication, and geography. 

Track Faculty

Meghan Davis, PhD, DVM  (BSPH) - Environmental microbiology, one health, asthma  Peter DeCarlo, PhD  (WSE) - Atmospheric aerosols (particulate matter), air quality, and climate Paul Ferraro, PhD  (WSE) - Behavioral science, causal inference, environmental policy Shima Hamidi , PhD  (BSPH) - Geospatial data, built environment, housing and transportation & health Ben Hobbs, PhD  (WSE) - Systems analysis, energy, water Ben Q. Huỳnh (BSPH) - AI, data science, environmental justice; planetary health Kirsten Koehler , PhD, MA  (BSPH) - Exposure assessment, aerosols, air quality Keeve Nachman , PhD, MHS  (BSPH) - Risk science, risk assessment, food systems Roni Neff , PhD, ScM  (BSPH) - Food system, wasted food, resilience, equity Scot Miller, PhD  (WSE) - Global change, greenhouse gases, air pollutants Carsten Prasse , PhD  (WSE) - Emerging contaminants, engineering processes, analytical detection methods Ana Rule, PhD  (BSPH) - Air pollution, bioaerosols, metal speciation Kellogg Schwab , PhD, MSPH  (BSPH) - Water, sanitation and hygiene, environmental microbiology, microbial fate and transport  Brian Schwartz , MD, MS  (BSPH) - Environmental epidemiology, sustainability, built environment, lead Genee Smith , PhD, MSPH  (BSPH) - Environmental epidemiology, health effects of climate change, infectious diseases

Browse an overview of this program's requirements in the JHU  Academic Catalogue  - See Track Requirements for Environmental Sustainability, Resilience, and Health , and explore all course offerings in the Bloomberg School  Course Directory .

All full-time PhD students will receive the following support for the first five years of the program: full tuition, stipend, individual health insurance, University Health Services clinic fee, vision insurance, and dental insurance.

Need-Based Relocation Grants Students who  are admitted to PhD programs at JHU   starting in Fall 2023 or beyond can apply to receive a $1500 need-based grant to offset the costs of relocating to be able to attend JHU.   These grants provide funding to a portion of incoming students who, without this money, may otherwise not be able to afford to relocate to JHU for their PhD program. This is not a merit-based grant. Applications will be evaluated solely based on financial need.  View more information about the need-based relocation grants for PhD students .

Questions about the program? We're happy to help. [email protected]

Program Directors Paul Ferraro, PhD Keeve Nachman, PhD  Roni Neff, PhD