Policy, Place, Population Health and Aging Program

About the P3HA Program

The P3HA Training Program trains doctoral students who are well-qualified in their home disciplines and equipped to incorporate methods and approaches from other fields relevant to understanding the roles of policies and place-level factors on health and aging.

Trainees achieve mastery of the theories, methods and approaches of their home discipline through coursework and research training in a structured model that includes the following with the ultimate goal of launching trainees into competitive research careers:

• Mentored research apprenticeships
• Substantive and advanced-methods coursework (including outside one’s home discipline)
• Participation in a biweekly Policy, Place and Population Health (P3H) Lab
• Professional development and networking opportunities
• Layered one-on-one, group, and peer mentoring

Program Objectives

By the end of their time in the training program, P3HA trainees will be able to:

1. Demonstrate expertise in the complex interactions between policies and places in shaping health, longevity and wellbeing across the life course.
2. Leverage multiple forms of data and advanced methods to push the boundaries of research in this area.
3. Demonstrate scientific reasoning and understand rigorous, reproducible and ethical research design.
4. Effectively communicate scientific findings to academic and non-academic audiences.
5. Employ the networking and other professional skills critical for health-focused research jobs.

Participating Departments

• Economics
• Human Development and Family Science
• Public Administration
• Sociology

Curriculum and Training Activities

Mentored Research Apprenticeship

Trainees work on research with a primary faculty mentor roughly 20 hours per week throughout the year, with a secondary mentor providing additional guidance.

Mentors and mentees are matched based on disciplinary, topical and methodological fit. The mentorship arrangement is supported with Individual Development Plans, Mentoring Agreements, annual reviews and mentorship training for mentors.

Specialized P3HA Coursework (19 credits)

• Interdisciplinary foundational bundle: SOC 667 Population Processes and PAI 794 Demography, Aging and Public Policy
• Two substantive-area electives
• Two advanced-methods electives
• Professionalization seminar

Certificate of Advanced Studies in Population Health and Aging

Many P3HA trainees are able to complete the courses required to earn a C.A.S. in Population Health and Aging just by completing the P3HA course requirements.

Policy, Place, and Population Health Lab

A recurring, applied research training and professional development lab tied directly to the program’s scientific priority areas.

Center-based Programming and Events

Trainees take part in research seminars, data and methods workshops, research working-groups and cross-disciplinary networking through the program’s affiliated centers:

• Aging Studies Institute
• Center for Aging and Policy Studies
• Center for Policy Research
• Lerner Center for Public Health Promotion and Population Health

Non-T32-funded students may also take part in many P3HA activities as Training Affiliates, extending the program’s benefits to more students across the participating departments. See the How to Apply page for more details.

Training Outcomes

Trainees are expected to complete the following:

• Maintain good standing in their home department.
• Complete their disciplinary Ph.D. program requirements.
• Complete the T32 course requirements.
• Complete training in responsible conduct of research and rigor and reproducibility.
• Submit an abstract for at least one national scientific conference.
• Submit at least one research paper to a peer-reviewed journal by the end of the training period.
• Publish at least two policy briefs by the end of the training period.
• Prepare and submit a grant proposal for their dissertation research.