Two Duke Predoctoral students, Ruth M Wygle, Department of Sociology and Sarah Petry, Sanford School of Public Policy, have been selected to participate in the International Max Planck Research School for Population, Health and Data Science (IMPRS-PHDS). This new and unique three-year doctoral program aims at training the next generation of population scientists by providing training in the materials and methods of demography and population health combined with advanced skills in statistics, mathematical modeling, and data science. The School is hosted by two core partners, the MPIDR and the University of Rostock, in partnership with ten affiliated institutions worldwide that have complementary strengths. In addition to Duke, other partner universities include the University of Greifswald, the University of Groningen/NIDI, Erasmus Medical Center Rotterdam, the University of Helsinki, Oxford University, the University of St. Andrews, Stockholm University, the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Washington.
Each year, the IMPRS- PHDS program admits approximately a total of 20 doctoral students. About half reside in Rostock and the other half in affiliated partner institutions. The students have access to advanced coursework, mentoring guided by an interdisciplinary team of faculty members, and mechanisms for exchange and professional development for both students and scholars across the participating institutions.
The Duke IMPRS-PHD partnership is under the leadership of M. Giovanna Merli, Director for the Duke Population Research Institute (DUPRI) and Director for Duke Populating Research Center (DPRC). Also engaged in the program are Scott M. Lynch, Associate Director for DUPRI and Director for the Center for Population Health and Aging (CPHA), and James Moody, Robert O. Keohane Professor of Sociology.
Ms. Wygle’s research interests are situated in two broad topic areas: the aging of the justice-involved population in the US, and the role of local jails in the US criminal justice system. Currently she is looking at the practice of local jail leasing as a way to alleviate the burden of overcrowding in state-run prisons. Ms. Petry’s research interests are in population aging and health care policy for vulnerable populations. In particular, she studies how population aging composition and change impact our health care system and how these changes impact Medicare and Medicaid.
For additional information about the IPHDS program, contact M. Giovanna Merli.