PhD Epidemiology

Doctoral students successfully completing a program of study in the Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics will possess a defined set of competencies. These competencies should be used to guide the student and the student’s Doctoral Program committee in planning a program of study. Competencies can be met through previous academic or work experience, or through a combination of planned course work and other scholarly experiences. Download the College PhD Student Competency Form at: http://health.usf.edu/publichealth/academicaffairs/For%20Faculty/COPH%20College-wide%20PhD%20competencies.pdf. 

In addition to the overall Doctor of Philosophy degree competencies, graduates with a concentration in Epidemiology will be able to:

1. Synthesize Scientific Literature: Critically review and evaluate the scientific literature, synthesizing the findings across studies, and developing an informed judgment on the state of knowledge in that area, presenting appropriate implications for public health practice, public policy, and implications for further research.
2. Master Knowledge in a Substantive Area: Demonstrate mastery of a substantive area, including knowledge and application of that knowledge in conducting original research related to a specific topic, including the descriptive and analytic epidemiological literature, pathophysiology of disease, policy and public health implications of research
3. Ethically Conduct of Human Research:Understand and implement the concepts of ethical conduct of research which involves human subjects, issues of confidentiality, and awareness of particular issues relevant to the conduct of epidemiological studies in special and vulnerable populations.
4. Formulate Study Hypotheses: Formulate an original hypothesis or statement of the research problem that will advance scientific knowledge about a topic of public health importance.
5. Design Epidemiological Studies: Design epidemiological studies to address questions of public health importance.  Understand the advantages and limitations of each design for addressing specific problems, as well as the practical aspects of their uses, including trade-offs.
6. Develop Epidemiologic Proposals: Develop an epidemiology research proposal to address a study question (or questions), which includes a scientific and public health rationale for the significance of the study, and detailed methodology to conduct the epidemiological study to answer the question (or questions).
7. Collect Data and Manage Epidemiologic Studies: Demonstrate mastery in the implementation and conduct of data collection, for epidemiological studies in a clinical and/or community setting.  Develop, implement and assess quality assurance and control measures.
8. Apply Statistical Concepts and Analyses: Be a skilled data analyst able to use state-of-the art statistical methods appropriate for the major epidemiology study designs and able to manage various types of variables, including examination of data for the presence of confounding and/or effect modification.
9. Interpret Epidemiological Data: Interpret research results from statistical analyses of epidemiological studies, make appropriate inferences based on results, and understand implications of the results in the context of findings from other studies and relevant information and theories from other sciences such as, biology, physics and the social sciences. 
10. Effectively Communicate Epidemiological Findings: Present the findings from epidemiological investigation in writing and orally to scientific and lay audiences.  Including, presentation of findings from epidemiological investigations at national and international meetings in epidemiology and/or in their substantive area.
11. Write Peer-Reviewed Publications: Submit the findings of epidemiological research in manuscript form for publication to an external, peer-reviewed journal.
12. Critically Evaluate Completed and Proposed Epidemiological Research: Critically review and evaluate scientific manuscripts and epidemiological research proposals.
13. Effectively Teach Epidemiological Concepts and Methods: Demonstrate proficiency in explaining fundamental and complex epidemiological concepts and methods, and fundamental concepts and methods in their substantive/focus area in the classroom to undergraduate and/or graduate students.