I'm working on my PhD in infectious diseases. My program is very lab-based, but I had the fortune of ending up with a PI who is a bit more "macro-oriented" than the typical faculty in the department. Going into the program, I thought I would be more interested in the very micro-level immunology, disease biology, etc. but in working on my project, which includes broader-scale epidemiological aspects in addition to more lab-based studies, I've discovered that's really what interests me... So naturally I'm thinking I want an epidemiology career on down the line instead of being trapped in some microbiology career I hate. While I've taken a couple of epi courses, and my parts of project are technically epidemiology (epi-lite though?), I feel like I'd need to beef up my background/coursework in public health to have a fruitful career. Which might mean going back for an MPH after I'm done with my PhD. I know going back for a master's is an unusual approach, but how uncommon is it with an MPH? I feel like it's less unusual than going back for something like an MS after a PhD since it is a specialized, applied degree. Also, I know off the top of my head that UNC-CH's Epi MPH is actually designed for applicants who already have a PhD, MD, or DVM (or so I was told)--are there any other programs out there like that?
