PhD in Environmental Health Sciences

About

The doctoral program (PhD) in Environmental Health Sciences is a research-based program with two tracks of study. The Environmental Toxicology track focuses on identifying and quantifying the harmful effects of environmental chemicals on human health and elucidating the mechanisms by which these agents act. The Exposure Sciences and Environmental Epidemiology track focuses on population-based research and the evaluation of human exposures to environmental agents and on scientific principles used in evaluating risks to human health from environmental exposures.

Our graduate programs in Environmental Health Sciences provide students with the knowledge and skills necessary and appropriate to teach and/or conduct basic and applied research programs in inhalation/pulmonary toxicology, biochemical neurotoxicology, reproductive and developmental toxicology, chemical pathology, toxicokinetics, radiation toxicology, molecular carcinogenesis, exposure assessment, risk assessment, environmental epidemiology, environmental justice, and community-based participatory research.

The PhD in Environmental Health Sciences degree program participates in several special graduate training programs, including GPS-STEM, Ridge 2 Reef, and Environmental Racism and Health Equity.

Environmental Toxicology

Environmental Toxicology involves the scientific study of the entry, distribution, biotransformation and mechanism of the action of chemical and other agents that are harmful to the body. The graduate program interprets environmental toxicology as the study of the effects and mechanisms of action of hazardous chemicals and other agents in food, air, water and soil in the home, the workplace and the community. It considers experimentally and theoretically such diverse research problems as:

  • New scientific approaches to toxicological evaluation of environmental chemicals such as air and water pollutants, food additives, industrial wastes and agricultural adjuvants at the molecular, cellular and organism levels;
  • Mechanisms of action in toxicity;
  • The molecular pathology of tissue injury in acute and chronic toxicity.
Exposure Sciences and Environmental Epidemiology

Exposure Sciences involves the study of human exposures to environmental contaminants in different media such as air, water, and food and via multiple routes including inhalation, ingestion, and dermal absorption. Environmental Epidemiology examines the effects of exposure to environmental agents and other factors on health outcomes. Research includes:

  • New approaches to estimate human exposures to environmental chemical, physical, and biological agents, including exposure modeling and biomonitoring.
  • Modeling individual level exposures to environmental agents and examining associations of these exposures with health and disease outcomes.
  • Exposure to physical and psychosocial work environment hazards and health outcomes.

Learning Outcomes

  • Develop a broad knowledge of principles of environmental and occupational health sciences and apply these principles in the context of public health.
  • Conceive, develop, conduct, and interpret original research using a range of approaches, leading to advances in knowledge, methods, and practices in environmental and/or occupational health.
  • Develop and demonstrate written and oral communications skills by preparing papers, summaries, briefings and presentations regarding environmental and/or occupational health.

Time to Degree

For students enrolled full-time, the normative time to complete the PhD degree program is five (5) academic years.

Career Outcomes

The PhD in Environmental Health Sciences prepares graduates to initiate independent and collaborative research careers in academic institutions, to teach at advanced levels of instruction, and to lead research efforts at agencies dedicated to environmental health at all levels of organization. Graduates of the Ph.D. in Environmental Health Sciences will gain employment at research universities, government agencies, industry including consulting companies, non-governmental organizations, community-based organizations, or private sector organizations.

Questions?

Jun Wu
Jun Wu, PhD
Professor of Environmental & Occupational Health; Director, Graduate Programs in Environmental Health Sciences