Work with your Faculty Mentor to decide your program progression and which elective courses you need to take
The DrPH program is intended to be an individually designed program that makes it possible for students to develop the course of study that best fulfills their unique needs, with the advice of their Faculty Mentor(s) and doctoral committee. Students should develop mentoring relationships throughout their DrPH experience. Mentors will be needed for the applied practice experience (APE), and a senior level mentor tis needed o participate on the doctoral committee.
Faculty Mentor
Students will be assigned one or more Faculty Mentor(s) by the end of their first year of the program. The Faculty Mentor must be a full-time COPH faculty member. Your Faculty Mentor is your main advisor/major professor throughout your DrPH experience. Profiles of each faculty member and their research and practice interests can be found here.. If you click on individual faculty, you will find their areas of specialization and more detailed information.
Doctoral Committee Formation
Within the second year of the program, as you approach finishing your coursework, you should work with your COPH Faculty Mentor(s) to establish a doctoral committee. The doctoral committee will consist of a minimum of one Major Professor and one Committee Member (or two Faculty Co-Majors) from the faculty of the COPH, as well as an external public health professional who is a mentor to the student:
Faculty Mentor/Major Professor: You need a Major Professor (or co-majors) to lead your doctoral committee. This role is typically filled by your Faculty Mentor.
Committee Member: You need a second faculty member from the COPH to be on your doctoral committee. This position can also be filled by a Faculty Co-Major if you have two primary advisors.
External Mentor: In the DrPH program, we require you to select someone in a senior level position in the field to be your external member. That person must have a graduate degree, and be active in the profession and in a mentor role to you.
Other members: You are welcome to have other members of the committee, if your Major Professor recommends it.
To get your doctoral committee approved, you must submit your committee appointment request through Archivum. The directions can be found here, and in the DrPH Canvas site. Committee forms must be submitted at least 10 weeks prior to your qualifying exam request.
Practice-Based Mentor
The role of the mentor is to assist the DrPH student with developing professional and organizational leadership skills, goal setting, access to resources, and connecting the student with an appropriate local and national network of colleagues and resources. A practice-based mentor on a doctoral project committee plays a crucial role in guiding a doctoral student, particularly in applied, professional, or practice-oriented research. This mentor typically brings industry or field-specific expertise, complementing the academic insights of the COPH faculty members. Their role includes:
Bridging Theory and Practice – Ensuring that the research aligns with real-world applications, industry standards, and professional best practices.
Providing Subject-Matter Expertise – Offering specialized knowledge that enhances the practical relevance of the doctoral project.
Guiding Methodological Approaches – Advising on appropriate practice-based research methods, such as action research, case studies, or applied qualitative/quantitative techniques.
Ensuring Feasibility and Impact – Helping shape data collection, and findings to be meaningful and applicable in professional settings.
Facilitating Access to Resources – Assisting in securing industry contacts, data sources, or organizational approvals needed for the doctoral project.
Supporting the Doctoral Project Process – Offering feedback on drafts, participating in committee meetings, and helping the student navigate challenges in completing the projectg.
Examples of mentoring activities include the following:
Supervising a practice-based experience in your field
Participating in meetings and/or conference calls with internal and external collaborators
Observing or participating in program activities
Exposure to policy-related activities
Exploring funding sources
Exploring resources that are most useful to the mentor’s agency, population of interest, and/or leadership style
Managing teams and projects
Discussing the mentor’s own leadership style
Providing leadership opportunities within an agency
Providing leadership opportunities within the community at local, state, regional, national and/or international levels
Providing access and time with individuals in various other levels of leadership
Here are some ideas for how you can develop a mentoring relationship with leaders in the field of Public Health.
Understanding your mentoring needs: Before approaching a potential mentor, you need to identify what you hope to gain from a mentoring relationship and what type of a mentor is best for helping you meet your objectives. The person that best meets your mentoring needs may or may not be in your area of expertise. That said, the best thing to do is to start by identifying your career goals. Where do you see yourself in 5-10 years? What knowledge, skills, and abilities do you need to get there? What key experiences could a mentor provide that would benefit you most?
Choosing a mentor who is right for you: In addition to being able to meet your developmental needs, the best mentors are people who are excited about learning and who are continuing their own development. You'll want to seek out someone who possesses such traits and who also sets high standards for his or her work and can set an example for you. It may be that you could have different mentors at different stages of your career. Once you identify your mentoring needs, meet with your academic and practice-based advisor to discuss potential mentors that match your mentoring needs.
Approaching your potential mentor: Initiation of the mentoring relationship is, and should be, done by the mentee. You need to have the self-confidence to approach a potential mentor and effectively present the merits of a mentoring relationship. Once you have found an appropriate individual, approach your potential mentor and share your long-term goals, your accomplishments, and your major developmental needs and objectives. Your potential mentor needs to know if he or she will be able to help you acquire the skills or competencies you want to develop. Please note that your potential mentor may feel that he or she is not an appropriate choice for you, or the individual may not have the time to commit right now. If the person agrees to begin a mentoring relationship, you'll want to have a focused conversation about what you both want to accomplish.
