DrPH Project Team
Each doctoral student must work with a qualified DrPH Project Team (formally called DrPH Committee) that is knowledgeable in methods of graduate-level study and research, as well as in the subject area concerned. In addition to the student, the 3-person DrPH Project Team is comprised of the Faculty Chair (Chair), Faculty Reviewer (Content Specialist), and Independent Reviewer. The student will also need a site/clinical preceptor and the preceptor may serve as the Independent Reviewer. The Faculty Chair is the course instructor for all DrPH Project courses, acting as the Project Chair for the student. The Faculty and Independent Reviewers must have appropriate understanding and interest in the topic of the DrPH research project. All members of the DrPH Project Team must hold a doctoral degree and one member must hold a Doctor of Public Health Practice degree, ensuring that all members of the DrPH Project Team are well versed on doctoral-level work as well as in the field of the program. The student is permitted to select the DrPH Project Team members in consultation with the Faculty Chair, but Aspen University Program Leadership (DrPH Program Coordinator, Deans, and Director) makes the final decisions. To select Faculty and Independent Reviewers, the student sends a statement of request to the Faculty Chair along with the rationale for selecting the individual.
The professional relationship between the student and the DrPH Project team is characterized by enthusiasm, professionalism, and regular and reciprocal communication. In the ideal relationship between the DRPH Project Team members, the student receives constant, timely, and quality feedback on progress. This type of interaction and feedback can be accomplished in a variety of ways. However, the emphasis of interactions and feedback is on both the frequency of interactions and quality feedback to maintain a dialogue on the issues and research questions raised by the student’s investigative work.
The Faculty Chair assists the student in formulating the DrPH Project Team and oversees its progress. The Faculty Chair also serves the roles of supervisor, advisor, director, counselor, coach, role model, guide, collaborator, facilitator, advocate, chair and the like. The Faculty Chair supervises the immersion experience and communicates with the preceptor and student during the Project and related immersion hours. At the beginning of each DrPH Project course and the Faculty Chair will have a required teleconference with the preceptor and the student to discuss project objectives, goals and immersion activities to provide clarity to the student and the preceptor at the beginning, middle, and end of the course.
The Faculty Chair facilitates communications and resource exchanges among all members of the DrPH Project Team and is accountable for the DrPH Project Team’s work. The Faculty Chair provides guidance and supervision for the entire DrPH process, timely and practical reviews including specific constructive critiques to the student, communicates appropriate concerns to the student, and communicates with all the members of the DrPH Project Team and Aspen University administrators. The Faculty Chair is responsible for contacting and chairing meetings of the full DrPH Project Team. When there is a difference of opinion or conflict, the Faculty Chair negotiates with all DrPH Project Team members and the student.
The Faculty Chair serves as a guide and consultant to the student throughout the DrPH process and ensures the integrity of Aspen University’s DrPH guidelines. The Faculty Chair is an expert in providing guidance to the student about research including the research topic, problem statement, current literature review, research design and planning, data collection, analysis and reporting, DrPH document preparation, and the like to maximize the student’s progress for successful and ethical doctoral research. The Faculty Chair maintains documentation of all communication within the DrPH Project Team, ensuring that all necessary forms are completed, signed, and submitted to Aspen University administrators.
If the Faculty Chair is unable to serve for the entire duration of the student’s DrPH project, the Program Director will arrange for a replacement Faculty Chair.
Any additional human resources should be discussed with the Faculty Chair. Such resources might comprise a DrPH editor, academic advisor, or a subject matter expert (SME), such as a statistics expert. All individuals associated with the DrPH process should be acknowledged for their contribution. Any expense incurred by the student for external services rendered is managed independently between the student and the service provider. Hiring a writer or buying a completed DrPH product is not acceptable and grounds for termination.