By New Dawn
Copyright thenewdawnliberia
The University of Liberia has held an orientation for the first batch of students in its College of Health Sciences Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) program.
By Lincoln G. Peters
Monrovia, Liberia; September 29, 2025 – The Government of Liberia, through the University of Liberia, has taken a giant step to mentor the next generation of independent researchers and leaders in biomedical and public health science, following climax of the official orientation for the first batch of students for the College of Health Sciences Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) program.
On Friday, September 26, 2025, the College of Health Sciences at the University of Liberia held at an orientation program for its PhD students in the auditorium of the medical school. The program was graced by international partners, government institutions, including the National Public Health Institute of Liberia, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Health, and the United States Embassy in Liberia, World Health Organization, Food and Agriculture Organization and Africa-CDC.
The program’s expectations and academic standards aim to maintain high academic standards, as students are expected to demonstrate high intellectual curiosity, professional integrity, and make consistent progress during their studies.
The program emphasizes the importance of research ethics and integrity, as students are expected to adhere to guidelines for responsible conduct, authorship, and respect for human and animal subjects, where applicable.
Its concentration is on biomedical science, public health, epidemiology, and biostatistics, with a focus on educating highly skilled and independent researchers and leaders in the health sciences through rigorous coursework, research, and professional development.
In a PowerPoint presentation on curriculum structure of the PhD Program, Dr. Peter S. Humphrey said that the program is organized around four major phases, which include year one and two, coursework and seminar, comprehensive examination and pedagogical training, while years three and four focus on dissertation research and proposal defense, and dissertation completion and final defense.
He added that each phase builds upon the previous one, preparing candidates for the challenges of advanced scholarship and research. He also disclosed that students will engage with courses such as philosophy of science, advanced research methods, statistics, research ethics, and cultural competency.
He further indicated that in Phase Two, candidates will learn scientific writing, grant and proposal development, and teaching and monitoring. In contrast, Phases Three and Four conclude with the dissertation and evaluation.
Speaking earlier, Dr. Bernice T. Dahn, Vice President of the University of Liberia College of Health Sciences, welcomed the participants and provided background information on the program, expressing appreciation and gratitude to international partners and government officials for their support.
“It’s a pleasure to welcome all of you to the first day of the orientation for this first-ever cohort of PhD students at the University of Liberia, and one of the first PhD programs in Liberia. The process of developing the first PhD program at ULCHS started in 2021, following the W.H.O. call for countries to prepare for future pandemics. To fulfill this call, UL decided to leverage partnership and training opportunity for Liberian researchers, as a means of growing our timber”, Doctor Dahn noted.
In separate remarks, the World Health Organization, the Africa CDC, the Ministry of Health, and the Ministry of Agriculture, among others, commended the ULCHS for initiating the program, describing it as timely and appropriate.
Various institutions separately pledged support and commitment to the process, while urging that it drives local independent research and innovation to address Liberia’s current and future public health crises. Editing by Jonathan Browne
