Academic Advising - Graduate Programs

Each graduate student is assigned an academic advisor, who will help you develop a personalized plan for completing your program of study. Your advisor will be a faculty member and/or staff member at the Milken Institute School of Public Health (Milken Institute SPH) and is assigned based on your department and degree program, as listed below

If you have questions about which courses or electives to take, talk to your advisor before registering for classes. You may want to consider topics including:

  • Will you follow the common course progression? Check the guide for your degree to see the progression generally taken by students in your program. The common progression is a guide -- discuss with your advisor how your plan may differ due to course offerings or work or family commitments.
     
  • How many credit hours should you take per semester? The right number of credits depends on whether you plan to work while completing your studies and whether you have other obligations outside of school or work. For each 3-credit course, expect to spend 3 hours in class per week, and an additional 6-9 hours per week preparing for class.
     
  • Will you be working while pursuing your graduate degree? Graduate classes are regularly scheduled in the late afternoon and in the evening to accommodate working students. If you have a job, you may sometimes need to arrange with your employer to take a class in the afternoon.
     
  • Which courses are offered in the semester for which you are registering? Have you completed the prerequisites?
  • Pathways to Public Health: If you are a non-MPH, graduate student, are you may be required to enroll in the zero credit, free, online course - Pathways to Public Health (PUBH 6080).  Confirm with your Program Director and find FAQs here.

 

Advisors by Department and Program 

Jump to: Biostatistics and Bioinformatics | Environmental and Occupational Health Epidemiology Exercise and Nutrition Sciences Global Health | Health Policy and Management Prevention and Community Health Online Programs

 

Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics

MPH - Biostatistics
All students: Heather J. Hoffman

MS - Health Data Science
Biostatistics Concentration: Angelo Elmi 
Bioinformatics Concentration: Keith Crandall

PhD - Health Data Science
Biostatistics Concentration: Yan Ma
Bioinformatics Concentration: Keith Crandall

Want to learn more about career paths in Bioinformatics? Check out this site: https://www.biotech-careers.org/

 

Department of Environmental and Occupational Health

MPH - Environmental Health Science and Policy
All students are initially assigned to: Kate Applebaum  Students will later be matched with a permanent advisor in the EOH Department.

MPH - Global Environmental Health
All students: Susan Anenberg

DrPH - Environmental and Occupational Health
All students: George Gray.

PhD - Environmental Health
All students: Kate Applebaum and Lance Price

 

Department of Epidemiology

MPH - Epidemiology 
Students with last names A-L: Manya Magnus
Students with last names M-Z: Heather Young

MS - Public Health Microbiology & Emerging Infectious Diseases
All students: Mimi Ghosh and Irene Kuo

PhD - Epidemiology
All students: Heather Young

 

Department of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences

Advising for EXNS MPH programs- Michelle Stevens

MPH - Physical Activity in Public Health
All students: Loretta DiPietro

MPH - Public Health Nutrition
All students: Karina Lora and Sameera Talegawker

MS - Strength and Conditioning
All students: Todd A. Miller

PhD, Exercise Physiology and Applied Nutrition
All students:  Jennifer Sacheck

 

Department of Global Health

MPH - Global Environmental Health
See Department of Environmental & Occupational Health

MPH - Global Health Epidemiology and Disease Control 
All students are initially assigned to: Christopher Mores and Halley A. Petersen-Jobsis. Students will later be matched with a permanent advisor based on interest area to one of the following: Nirbhay Kumar, Carlos Santos-Burgoa, James Tielsch or Emily R. Smith

MPH - Global Health Policy
All students are initially assigned to: Wolfgang Munar and Halley A. Petersen-Jobsis. Students will later be matched with a permanent advisor based on interest area to one of the following: Catherine ArsenaultSeble Freyhwot, or Wolfgang Munar.

MPH - Global Health Program Design, Monitoring, and Evaluation
All students are initially assigned to: Jennifer Seager and Halley A. Petersen-Jobsis. Students will later be matched with a permanent advisor based on interest area to one of the following: Sarah BairdUriyoan Colon-Ramos, Jennifer Seager, John Sandberg.

MPH - Humanitarian Health
All students are initially assigned to: Ramin Asgary and Halley A. Petersen-Jobsis. Students will later be matched with a permanent advisor based on interest area to one of the following: Adam Richards.

PhD - Global Public Health Sciences
All students: Nirbhay Kumar

 

Department of Health Policy and Management

MHA - Health Administration
All students: Robert Bonar

MPH-Health Policy
Certificate-Health Policy

For students starting the program in Summer 2021 or later: 

Students w/ last name A-B: Katie Horton
Students w/ last name C-D: Candice Chen
Students w/ last name E-G: Melissa Goldstein
Students w/ last name H-K:  Marsha Regenstein
Students w/ last name L-N: Leighton Ku
Students w/ last name O-R:  Melissa McCarthy
Students w/ last name S-T:  Ali Moghtaderi
Students w/ last name U-Z and all PA/MPH: Lara Cartwright-Smith 
JD/MPH students: Joel Teitelbaum
 

For students who started the program between Summer 2018 and Spring 2021: 

Students w/ last name A-B: Jeffrey Levi
Students w/ last name C-D: Candice Chen
Students w/ last name E-G: Melissa Goldstein
Students w/ last name H-K:  Marsha Regenstein
Students w/ last name L-N: Leighton Ku
Students w/ last name O-R:  Melissa McCarthy
Students w/ last name S-T:  Ali Moghtaderi
Students w/ last name U-Z and all PA/MPH: Lara Cartwright-Smith 
JD/MPH students: Joel Teitelbaum

 

Department of Prevention and Community Health

MPH - Community Oriented Primary Care
All students are assigned to Tamara Taggart
After accepting enrollment, students will be assigned to a permanent advisor based on interests. This advisor may continue to advise you for your Culminating Experience unless you request a different advisor based on evolving interests. COPC advisors include Donaldson ConserveTamara TaggartHoward Straker and Yan Wang

MPH - Health Promotion
All students are initially assigned to:  Bart Bingenheimer
After arriving on campus, students are matched with a permanent advisor based on interest area. Health Promotion advisors include Bart Bingenheimer; Mark Edberg; Michael Long; Kathleen Roche; and Olga Price

MPH - Maternal and Child Health
After a student officially commits and joins the MCH program, they will receive a letter instructing them of their MCH advisor assignment. MCH academic advisors include Amita N. VyasJerry FranzKaren McDonnellMonica S. Ruiz; Nitasha Nagaraj; Michael Long; Tamara Henry; and Melissa A. Napolitano.

MPH - Public Health Communication and Marketing
All students are initially assigned to: Jerry Franz
Students stay with Mr. Franz as their academic adviser until they graduate. When the time comes for the Culminating Experience (CE) project, students are matched with a PHCM faculty member or another faculty member of their choice who agrees to work with them. PHCM faculty include: Lorien AbromsW. Douglas Evans; Derek Dangerfield II; Elizabeth Andrade; or Khadidiatou Ndiaye.

PhD – Social and Behavioral Sciences
The program director, Bart Bingenheimer provides overall academic advising for all students. During the application and interview process, students will indicate interest which faculty member they feel is a good match with their interest.  Prior to matriculation, the program director will match the student with a content area mentor. The content area mentor will advise the student his/her program of research and generally about coursework, and will likely serve as the dissertation chair.  The program director will provide overall academic advising to all students.

Online Programs

MHA@GW
All students: Leonard H. Friedman, Christina Fenton, and Vivianne Alves de Sa

MPH@GW
All students: Kelley Vargo, Christiana EbiasahMalika Hook Muhammad, and Ann Rich
For general advising inquiries, please email [email protected]

Public Health Certificate (may enroll online or residential)
All students:  George Gray or email [email protected]