Dina1987

Thank you Juillet. Your comments are very useful. I was aware there is no specific field so called "behavioral economics" and that's why I found it very difficult to choose. At this point I think it makes a lot of sense to try both Health Economics/ Policy & Management or Management (Business School). I guess the next thing would be to identify the Universities and the professors I may want to work with. Would you have any advice on this? I already have couple of researchers in mind but would be great to hear a second opinion

Thanks a bunch! My apologies for the delayed reply

Hi guys, For some time I have been reflecting on my decision to apply for a postgraduate degree. I have a MSc in Management & Policy Analysis (Holland) and I have been a visiting scholar in Epidemiology at University of Cambridge. At the end of the studies I worked in development (World Bank) and public health ( ECPC), focusing on monitoring &evaluation of behavioral interventions in health care. As I would like to move forward I realize I need to hone my skills in quantitative analysis, preferably in econ, and in behavioral science. Given that there are no behavioral economics programs in the US (I am considering US, as I may get financed) I was thinking that may be my best shot is in health economics and try to combine it with courses in behavioral science. Another option would be to apply for a program in management or economics. For the latter I don t think I have high chances of getting in. Overall, my interest is to design and evaluate behavioral change interventions preferably in health care. I would very much appreciate your advice on steps I should take, questions I should ask myself, general opinion on career prospect, programs I should consider, general experience in such programs.

A last question, my background is in Management & Policy Analysis in Health (MSc) and recently was a visiting scholar to the Epidemiology program offered by the Cambridge University, UK. I currently work for a multilateral development organization where I coordinate the impact evaluation portfolio. In my unit the PhD in economics are highly valued and I wondered whether the MPA/ ID program will make any difference for me given my interest to be involved in impact evaluations on the ground.

Congratulations on getting the funding and being accepted in the program (I presume). Couple of you have mentioned the MPA/ID program offered by Princeton University. Can any of you provide the link to their webpage? I can not find the program, the only option is MPA? Also, is it worth it to combine the program with another program (JD/ MPH)? I would be curious if any of you has considered applying for join degrees? if, so what was the motivation? thank you.

Hi, For somebody who already has a postgraduate degree (MSc Policy Analysis in Health- Netherlands; and visiting scholar Mphil Epidemiology-Univ. of Cambridge, UK),1 year of work experience in development, and would like to see herself working in development (health) I wondered what the best thing to do is at this stage? Would be another master an appropriate choice? If that is the case, what other options exist other than the MPA-ID program offered by Harvard University? About me: I currently work in a trust fund, within a development organization, and I coordinate the health impact evaluation portfolio. Nonetheless, I soon realized my quantitative skills are not recognized and I am missing out the field work experience. My background is in public health and, as mentioned by some of the community members, I found the job market very poorly defined and overall biased towards professionals with an MD degree. I have recently fallen in love with development (I think I always been) and I would like to think that soon I will be able to make a contribution to this field. Thanks in advance.