摘要：Recent years have brought rapid growth in schools of public health and an increasing demand for public health practitioners. These trends highlight the need for innovative approaches to prepare doctoral graduates for academic and high-level practice positions. The University of Maryland’s School of Public Health developed a “Preparing Future Faculty and Professionals” program to enrich the graduate education and professional development of its doctoral students. We describe the program’s key elements, including foundational seminars to enhance students’ knowledge and skills related to teaching, research, and service; activities designed to foster career exploration and increase competitiveness in the job market; and independent, faculty-mentored teaching and research experiences. We present a model for replicating the program and share student outcomes of participation. Growing national interest in health care, health promotion, and disease prevention has contributed to rapid growth in schools and programs of public health. These trends are driving demand for new Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) faculty and researchers. Studies have suggested that there is a shortage of doctoral graduates needed to support new academic programs and to replace the aging public health faculty. 1–3 Doctorally trained professionals are likewise needed to maintain a strong public health infrastructure. 1–4 An important goal of doctoral education is to prepare graduates for the challenges of academic and professional careers. Yet research from multiple disciplines, including public health, has indicated that many PhD graduates feel ill equipped for the demands of academic and other postgraduate positions. 3,5–7 For example, a recent study of approximately 100 doctoral alumni of Maternal and Child Health Bureau–funded training programs by the Association of Teachers of Maternal and Child Health 3 (ATMCH) found that 55% of graduates worked in academic institutions, with 40% holding faculty positions. When asked about their career preparation, regardless of place of employment, 60% strongly agreed that they had adequate training for research, but only about one third felt similarly well prepared to seek external funding or to teach in academic settings. Another pioneering study of more than 4000 doctoral students concluded that a mismatch often occurs between students’ professional goals, training, and actual careers. 8 The National Science Foundation has reported that more than 40% of PhDs in the health disciplines work in nonacademic positions in which the knowledge and skills obtained in graduate school are often not valued or not practiced to the same degree as in academe. 9 Such research illustrates the need for innovative programs to better prepare doctoral students for their future roles as researchers, educators, practitioners, or administrators in both academic and nonacademic settings. Graduates will benefit from systematic guidance and experiences that help them to learn about different careers and acquire critical skills for positions that focus on their individual interests. 10,11
