Expectations for Population Health Studies Predoctoral Trainees

The Population Health Science Predoctoral Training Program will fund selected PhD students from four University of Minnesota PhD porgrams--Epidemiology, Health Services Research, Policy & Administration, Sociology, or Geography--for up to three years. 

Population Health Science predoctoral trainees are selected via a competitive application process, with trainees generally expected to begin the program in the second year of their PhD programs.

Predoctoral trainees are expected to engage broadly in four types of activities: research, coursework, professional development, and evaluation, including:

  • collaboration on research projects led by faculty mentors;
  • development of independent research projects and resulting manuscript (in addition to the dissertation);
  • opportunities to publish collaborative and independent research manuscripts;
  • a program of interdisciplinary core and cross training coursework to provide the theoretical, substantive, and methodological skills of population health science;
  • numerous professional development activities that integrate trainees across disciplines, both formal and informal;
  • supervision by an interdisciplinary team of faculty mentors and program directors;
  • regular evaluation of program and career progress.