DrPH vs. PhD: My Public Health Doctorate Journey & What You Should Know

03/07/25 • 22 min

In this episode of The Dr. Des Show, I take you through my journey of earning a Doctor of Public Health (DrPH)—from deciding between a DRPH and a PhD, securing funding, managing full-time work while in school, dealing with burnout, and navigating the dissertation process. If you're thinking about getting a doctorate in public health or you're already deep in the struggle, this episode is for you!

I break down the key differences between a DRPH and PhD, discuss whether a doctorate is the right choice for your career goals, and share tips for surviving and thriving in a doctoral program.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✅ DRPH vs. PhD: What's the Difference? – Understanding the key distinctions and choosing the right path for your career goals.
✅ Funding a Doctorate: How I Got Mine Fully Funded – The funding opportunities available and why you should never pay out of pocket for a PhD.
✅ Balancing Work & School – How I worked full-time while pursuing my DRPH and the lessons I learned.
✅ Burnout is Real: How to Manage Stress in a Doctoral Program – My personal experience with burnout and how I overcame it.
✅ Dissertation Survival Guide – Choosing a topic, handling research, and getting through the writing process.
✅ Should You Get a Doctorate? – A checklist to help you determine if a DRPH or PhD is right for you.

Resources & Links Mentioned:

🎓 Public Health Club Workshop: DrPH vs. PhD – Learn from DRPH and PhD professionals about the career differences, salaries, and funding opportunities. Join here

Join me LIVE in Atlanta on April 11, 2025 for The Business of Public Health Summit! We're talking entrepreneurship, career pivots, public health x tech and so much more! There will be a public health business pitch competition plus champagne!

Secure your ticket here!🎟

https://www.drdesshow.com/
https://www.publichealthclub.com/

I break down the key differences between a DRPH and PhD, discuss whether a doctorate is the right choice for your career goals, and share tips for surviving and thriving in a doctoral program.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

Resources & Links Mentioned:

🎓 Public Health Club Workshop: DrPH vs. PhD – Learn from DRPH and PhD professionals about the career differences, salaries, and funding opportunities. Join here

Secure your ticket here!🎟

https://www.drdesshow.com/
https://www.publichealthclub.com/

Previous Episode

Public Health + Profits: Yes, You CAN Make Money Helping People!

In this episode of The Dr. Des Show, we’re talking about something BIG—how to build a business that not only generates income but also makes a real impact. If you’re in public health, social work, or any field where helping others is your passion, you might feel like making money and making a difference can’t go hand in hand. But guess what? They absolutely can!

I’m sharing my personal journey of growing The Public Health Club, starting a successful consulting business, and landing high-paying contracts—all while creating meaningful change. Whether you want to start a consulting business, develop an online course, or build a community, this episode is packed with actionable steps to help you launch and scale your impact-driven business.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

✅ What a social impact business is and why you don’t need a nonprofit to create change
✅ How to monetize your expertise without feeling guilty about making money
✅ The B2B vs. B2C business models—and how to choose the right one for you
✅ The power of marketing your services (and why you NEED to talk about your business daily)
✅ The pricing mistake I made early on—and how to charge what you're worth
✅ Why visibility = income and how to grow your audience even with zero followers
✅ My journey from working full-time to building a 6-figure consulting business
✅ How to land your first consulting client and where to find high-paying opportunities

Resources & Links Mentioned

📌 Join The Public Health Club – Get access to consulting opportunities, career development resources, and expert mentorship. Join here

Share the Love 💛

If you enjoyed this episode, please take a second to rate & review the show! Your support helps us reach more public health professionals who are ready to build businesses that create change. And don’t forget to share this episode with a friend who needs to hear it!

🎧 Hit play, take notes, and let’s build the business AND the impact you deserve!

https://www.drdesshow.com/
https://www.publichealthclub.com/

Next Episode

How to Turn Your Million Ideas into Actionable Success

In this episode, Dr. Des dives deep into Shiny Object Syndrome—that overwhelming feeling of having a million business ideas but struggling to execute them effectively. As an entrepreneur, it’s easy to get distracted by new opportunities, but without proper strategies, this can lead to burnout and lack of progress. Dr. Des shares personal experiences, practical strategies, and an actionable game plan to help you stay focused while still nurturing your creative business ideas.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

🔹 What is Shiny Object Syndrome?

Understanding why entrepreneurs often feel pulled in multiple directions.
How constantly jumping from one idea to the next can prevent real success.

🔹 Dr. Des' Personal Struggles with Shiny Object Syndrome

Juggling consulting, coaching, and content creation while maintaining balance.
Learning to say no and prioritizing what aligns with core business values.

🔹 Strategies to Organize and Execute Your Ideas

Brain Dumping & Prioritization: Writing down ideas and evaluating them later.
Aligning with Core Values: If an idea doesn’t fit your mission, it’s not the right time.
The Power of “Not Right Now”: Placing ideas in a queue instead of abandoning them.
Batching Content & Work Tasks: How dedicating set days for different tasks increases productivity.
Blocking Distractions: Avoiding random projects that don’t align with long-term goals.

🔹 Why Saying “No” Can Be a Form of Self-Care

Declining one-on-one coaching sessions to preserve energy and time.
Shifting from one-on-one services to scalable group coaching models.
Recognizing that saying no to distractions means saying yes to family, rest, and self-care.

🔹 Time Management Hacks for Entrepreneurs

Theme Your Days: Keeping all meetings on one day to free up time for deep work.
AI & Automation: Tools like ChatGPT, scheduling platforms, and AI note-takers.
Scheduling & Pre-planning Social Media Content: Staying visible without being glued to social media.

🔹 Making Money Without Trading Time for It

Moving from trading hours for dollars to passive income through courses & memberships.
How Dr. Des structured her Subcontracting to 6 Figures course to be hands-off while still providing value.
Why launching a digital product or membership model can free up time while increasing impact.

Action Plan: How to Turn Your Million Ideas into Actionable Success

✅ Step 1: Write It Down – Keep a notepad or digital document to store all your new business ideas.

✅ Step 2: Prioritize Your Ideas – Align each idea with your business mission & long-term goals before acting on it.

✅ Step 3: Set Clear Business Goals – Use SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) to determine if an idea is worth pursuing.

✅ Step 4: Structure Your Time – Use batching, scheduling, and automation to stay productive without feeling overwhelmed.

✅ Step 5: Learn to Say No – If an opportunity takes time away from your priorities, it’s okay to decline it.

✅ Step 6: Focus on Scalable Income – Shift from one-on-one services to group programs, courses, and digital products to maximize impact while working less.

🙌 Share this episode with a friend who needs help prioritizing their business ideas!

https://www.drdesshow.com/
https://www.publichealthclub.com/