PHDA testimonials

I first heard about the PHDA program through the PopData e-news updates (i.e., regular emails sent through their listserv with various announcements). The courses seemed relevant to my work as a health services researcher, and the testimonials from previous students seemed positive and relatable. The fact that the PHDA program qualifies for CIHR funding as part of their Professional Advancement Award really motivated me to enroll in the program.

I enrolled in four courses, offered continuously between fall 2014 and September 2015. The courses I found to be of greatest benefit to me and my work were PHDA-01 (Working with Administrative Data) and PHDA-05 (Longitudinal Analysis and Multi-level Modeling of Population Health Data). These courses provided practical skills that I find I apply regularly to my job, and made me much more comfortable with using data analytic programs like SAS. The other two courses I took (PHDA-02 Epidemiological Statistics and PHDA-03 GIS and Population Health) were both very interesting and informative. PHDA-02 provided me with a good statistical overview as it relates to the health sciences, and PHDA-03 introduced me to a completely new system for me – GIS – and taught me how I can supplement some of my research with consideration to health geography.

I have been able to use the skills learned about data management using SAS directly in my current research projects. I’ve been able to share some of the knowledge gained in the PHDA-05 course with colleagues who are working on projects that require analysis of longitudinal data.

I found a strength of the program to be the engagement of the other students, who are usually all from diverse backgrounds with varying levels of experience with the content. It was helpful to learn from each other. The course workload was also quite manageable for those who are working full-time. The teachers also all seemed knowledgeable and passionate about the topics, and were willing to help students answer their questions or provide assistance for the course projects.

I would recommend the program to others who are interested in building on their data analytic/ population health expertise. I would suggest budgeting in the time to read through the course materials and do the extra labs that are provided – it always takes longer than you think it will!

I saw a poster for the programme advertised on my campus, and found the course selection to be highly relevant to my doctoral studies.

The variety of courses provided learning opportunities for various software programmes, e.g., SAS and ArcGIS, while also teaching fundamentals of epidemiological statistics and other relevant bases for public health research. The use of geographical information systems in two courses was also of immense benefit. 

The skills learned in this programme are highly and directly relevant to my doctoral research, and are being used on a near-daily basis. For example, I use both SAS and GIS to analyse various administrative datasets, and have found that the statistical background gleaned from this programmes has enabled me to read more critically and use more sophisticated analyses in my own work.

The diversity of courses is an immediate strength, as is the online format. Every instructor was highly engaged and enthusiastic, and was happy to have discussions about course material and further topics via e-mail.

I would (and already have) recommended the PHDA programme to colleagues and young researchers. However, I would emphasise setting aside time to do the readings and work carefully through code. Also take the opportunity to learn as much from the instructors as possible. The papers and lessons are useful references for the future as well. I wish I had kept them on paper!

No, but I want to thank the administrative staff for managing such an excellent programme. Also, I am very happy that they offer a graduate student rate! Many thanks!