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OPPORTUNITIES
FOR GRADUATE TRAINING
IN EPIDEMIOLOGY AND PUBLIC HEALTH
Purdue
University Department of Comparative Pathobiology
DESCRIPTION
OF THE GRADUATE PROGRAM
OBJECTIVE
The objective of the training
program is to prepare students for careers in research,
teaching and service with institutions of veterinary
and human medicine. These include government agencies,
private medical practice, industry, and academic
institutions that address a variety of issues related
to human and animal health.
STUDENTS
The training program is designed
to attract students with diverse professional, cultural,
and geographical backgrounds. We seek both graduate
veterinarians as well as non-veterinarians. Non-veterinarians
enrolled in the program have included biostatisticians,
microbiologists, and economists with interests in
the health of humans, animals, and the environment.
All applicants should have a keen interest in quantitative
research methods as they relate to the study of
health issues in populations and biological processes.
Students also must be willing to adopt an interdisciplinary
team approach to solving problems in human and animal
health. Therefore, excellent interpersonal communication
skills are essential.
COURSES AND DEGREES
Case-control studies, clinical
trials, infectious disease epidemiology, microcomputers,
multivariate analysis, and biomedical ethics are
among the subjects that are taught in formal courses.
In addition to the epidemiology and public health
courses offered at Purdue University, courses in
epidemiology, public health and biostatistics are
available in summer programs offered by the schools
of public health at other universities. The students
also select courses from other departments at Purdue
University, including Animal Science, Statistics,
Food Science, Foods and Nutrition, Biochemistry,
Agricultural Economics, Health-Kinesiology and Leisure
Studies, Health Sciences, Child Development and
Family Studies and others. The faculty in these
departments may also serve on the students' advisory
committees.
Numerous research opportunities
are available at Purdue and with state and federal
agencies. Graduate students from foreign countries
will be encouraged to consider research problems
that are germane to their own culture.
Center for the Human-Animal
Bond
The Center fosters the interdisciplinary
activities of the University by serving as a focal
point for faculty and students interested in the
development of new information related to human-animal
interactions and animal welfare. Center collaborators
conduct research on animal behavior and human-animal
interaction and basic studies to better elucidate
the psychological and physiological effects of interrelationships
between people and the animals that share their
lives.
Selected Examples of Dissertation
Topics of Current and Former PhD Students
The Epidemiology and Pathogenesis
of Cat-Scratch Disease
Molecular Studies of the Transmission
of Zoonotic Tuberculosis in Uganda, Africa
Risk Factors for Internal
Parasitism of Children in Guinea, Africa
Dynamics of the Pet Population
in the United States
Causes of the Current Epidemic
of Hyperthyroidism in Pet Cats
Dietary Risk Factors for Gastric
Dilation in Dogs
Chemicals and Bladder Cancer
in the Workplace
Influence of Pet Ownership
on Human Evacuation Behaviors During Natural Disasters
Either a Master's of Science
(M.S.) or a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree
will be awarded upon successful completion of the
required formal courses, a research project, defense
of the thesis, and communication of the results
to the scientific community
FACULTY
The Section of Epidemiology and Public Health
consists of faculty with diverse research and teaching
interests. A description of the faculty
of the Department of Comparative Pathobiology can be found in
the Epidemiology and Public Health Program Requirements section
of this web page.
FINANCIAL SUPPORT
A limited number of university
assistantships and fellowships are available to
highly qualified students. All graduate students
will be assisted by the faculty in applying for
fellowships and research grants offered by other
agencies including the NIH, USDA, EPA, Rockefeller
Foundation, and World Health Organization.
APPLICATIONS
Applications to the graduate
program in Epidemiology and Public Health and additional information
about Purdue University can be obtained by e-mailing
lhudson@purdue.edu
or by contacting:
Graduate Programs
Comparative Pathobiology
Purdue University
725 Harrison St.
West Lafayette, IN 47907-2027
Telephone: 765-494-7543
Fax: 765-494-9830
DEPARTMENT
OF COMPARATIVE PATHOBIOLOGY
GRADUATE
PROGRAMS
The Department of Comparative Pathobiology in the School of Veterinary Medicine
is currently organized in three sections: anatomic
and clinical pathology; epidemiology and public health; and
microbiology and immunology.
Much of the research and educational programs conducted
by Purdue's Center for the Human-Animal Bond is
located within the Department of Comparative Pathobiology.
The Department of Comparative Pathobiology offers graduate instruction leading
to either a Master of Science or Doctor of Philosophy
degree to persons who possess the DVM degree or
who have a baccalaureate degree and comprehensive
training in the biological sciences, including bacteriology,
epidemiology, immunology, laboratory and experimental
medicine, parasitology, public health, toxicology,
and virology.
Graduate training within
the department is designed to prepare students for
careers in academia, industry, and government. Opportunities
are also available for the specialty boards in epidemiology,
microbiology, pathology, and public health.
The student with direction
from a major professor and an advisory committee
selected will design a plan of study to direct achievement
in an area of common interest to the student and
the committee. Course work may be chosen from a
variety of academic disciplines to provide understanding
and competence in the primary area of research.
Supportive course work may be selected from such
areas as biochemistry, biostatistics, chemistry
education, molecular biology, physiology, pharmacology,
and physiology. A thesis is required for both the
Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy degrees,
but a non-thesis option may be chosen for the M.S./residency
program in anatomic and clinical pathology.
Research off campus is also
an option made possible through collaborative agreements
with non-profit research institutions and with pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. Such arrangements may be made depending on the interest of the student and the faculty sponsor.
Purdue
is an Equal Opportunity/Equal Access/Affirmative Action Employer/Educator.
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