“I chose the University of Wisconsin-Madison Department of Population Health Sciences due to the breadth of expertise among the departmental and program faculty, and the opportunities for collaborative research with various programs campus-wide. The environment here is ideal for training to be an independent researcher. The students are supportive of each other and the faculty are very approachable and committed to helping each student succeed. I am confident that the interdisciplinary training and the methodological skills I have received as a graduate student in this department have adequately prepared me for a career as an independent researcher.” ~Abiola Keller, 2012 PhD Graduate
“Being a student in this department has been an amazing experience, both professionally and personally. The interdisciplinary focus of the curriculum allowed me to explore diverse areas of research and provided me with the skills to address my research questions with a well-rounded perspective. The faculty are incredible mentors, going above and beyond just being fantastic instructors, providing students with amazing opportunities to engage in exciting new research and apply what we learn in class to real world situations. The administrative staff is so friendly and helpful, and without them, traversing the logistics of graduate school would have been much more challenging. But the best part about this program is that everyone in the department is truly your advocate; they want you to succeed in graduate school and as a future independent researcher, and they are willing to help in whatever way they can to make sure that you get the most out of this program.” ~ ~Lauren Wisk, 2013 PhD Graduate
“I strongly believe that joining the MS program was the best decision I made professionally, and I am confident that the hard work of the last two years and the high-quality education that I received will lead to future great achievements. As a clinician, I believe that the knowledge I acquired during these two years is critical to my overall ability to take care of my patients; I believe that as a result of this amazing and rigorous program, I am a more skilled physician and a more critical reader of the literature. I also have a much deeper as well as a broader appreciation of health care and its determinants at the population level than I ever had previously. This appreciation will certainly shape my future research.”
~Wael Saber, MD, MS, 2008
“The Population Health program is a graduate program unlike any other I’ve been a part of. The faculty are an amazing mix of talent, energy, persistence, and compassion. They always make the time to meet or read over a draft, to discuss a problem or to just talk about what’s going on. The students are first-rate, always supportive of one another, and even when being critical, knowing that that is what it really takes to strive for perfection. Becoming a part of this group of learners and scholars was exactly what I needed to develop into a bona fide researcher.”
~Marlon Mundt, PhD, 2007
I came to the PHS Department 5 years ago as a Master’s student with the intention of completing my Ph.D. elsewhere. However, the quality of the faculty and staff, the warm work environment, and the incredible research opportunities made staying an obvious choice. During my time here, I have been able to work in a variety of health topics, with multiple job descriptions, and with many different people. I have gained knowledge and experience that many receive only following graduation and I am excited to take my skills into the real world.”
~M. Gabriel Detjen, MS 2005, PhD 2008