University of Washington's Global Health PhD Program

[loganartemis]

I brought this up in the Public Health forum but wanted to post a new thread here also in hopes of addressing this issue. This program is my top choice but I was left feeling uneasy after reading a Results post this evening. This person said they were accepted over the phone and, 

 

"WILL NOT BE ACCEPTING. I made a major mistake in applying to this program. If you think this program is truly global health you are grossly mistaken! There is no actual global health experience, you are just a data monkey doing systematic/meta analyses. If you want to do real global health and community based research and you want to attend UW I suggest you get a PhD in Epidemiology or Health Systems. This program is a joke!"

 

I am hesitant to buy this as the program told me they have just finished initial reviews and that they will begin final review of the applications which pass in late February with decisions announced around the first of March. I have also never heard anything negative about this program, and there is an entire year of international fieldwork/data collection explicitly laid out in the curriculum for those whose area of emphasis is Implementation Science. The other area of emphasis, Metrics, doesn't include this and shows completion in four years rather than five. Perhaps this is what this individual is alluding to? 

 

It seems pretty strange to me that this individual was accepted before the department has begun final review and that they subsequently chose to lambaste the program in the Results section. Does anyone have any thoughts on this particular issue or insight on UW's Global Health PhD program generally?

[emmm]

If they haven't actually sent out any decisions, then something is odd. Maybe the applicant was rejected and is bitter? I don't know. Nothing I have heard would indicate the UW program is "a joke." It is possible the applicant applied to the wrong program, as you suggest.