Hi everyone!
I have been researching possible PhD programs for a little over a year now. I have an MPH in Environmental Health and will be finishing an MS in Analytics in December 2026.
I have been doing a ton of research and was even able to speak with professionals and professors in the field, but it has left me confused since all of the conversations and possible mentorships went well. I am interested in three related but very distinct programs: PhD in Epidemiology, PhD in Toxicology, and PhD in Environmental Health.
My interests include exposure science, environmental epi, drug safety, regulatory/industrial toxicology, consumer product safety and pharmacoepi. I can even see myself utilizing my new computational skills from my MS in Analytics in these fields. I feel very torn because I like all three of these programs for different reasons and wish there was a way to combine all of my interests into one cohesive program.
I want to work in industry, preferably in pharma or private with no interest in academia or government. I have been slowly ruling out Tox since I don't want to be a bench scientist in my day to day but worry if I wanted to do a role such as regulatory tox I would not have the appropriate background.
Another small caveat to add to my stress, I am not able to relocate at this time due to family reasons so will only be targeting CA schools.
Has anyone gone through this and how did you ultimately decide given these three are closely connected. I am worried about choosing the wrong program/research. Any advice ??
Thanks!