Rebekah Israel Cross, PhD

I don’t meet with prospective PhD applicants for practical and ethical reasons. Practically, I get anywhere from 10-20 emails from prospective students during the PhD admissions cycle and I simply don’t have enough time to speak with each of them and provide substantive information about the application process and what it’s like to work with me.

Ethically, as someone committed to equity, I don’t speak with students prior to reading applications because many students do not know that speaking with potential advisors is an option. These students are usually women, students of color, first-gen and don’t know the ins and outs of the hidden curriculum. If I speak to the more academically savvy students and help them increase their chances of getting an interview, then I’m inadvertently exacerbating already-existing inequalities. This is my small way of trying to level the playing field. I want prospective students to use this document to (1) decide if they actually want to apply to work with me and (2) prepare a strong application.

If you have a specific question that is not answered here, please email me directly and I will add it to the list of FAQs.

Maybe. I’m usually open to considering Ph.D. students because Ph.D. training is one of the most fulfilling parts of my job. That said, as a small department, we only take 4-5 students per year which means there are many faculty who do not get students even though they want one. If I take on a doctoral student, it is my intention to advise them throughout their whole program. That being said, I highly suggest you list other faculty members in your statement of purpose (if their work aligns with your interests). Things happen. Illness, family issues, global pandemics, etc. that may impact my ability to be a primary advisor. So, if you’re really set on coming to UChicago for your doctoral training, please consider some of my other colleagues as well.

A Ph.D. is a license to create new knowledge. That’s not to say those with Ph.D.s are the only ones who can create new knowledge, but it is to say you have to have a sense of what knowledge is out there to create something new. To do that, you have to read. You have to read with a critical eye toward making arguments stronger, toward understanding what’s missing from the larger picture, and why it’s important to explore those missing pieces. There are a few things that you want to convey in your statement of purpose. In short, you need to answer these questions: Why do you want to do a Ph.D.? In public health? Right now? At UChicago? With Me?

1. Why do you want to do a Ph.D.?

   Here you should talk about your research interests. It’s helpful to be as specific as possible. You don’t need to know what your dissertation topic will be (though that would be awesome) because chances are your research interests will evolve as your training progresses. But I want to see that you have read the literature in this area and have an idea about what excites/confuses/angers/puzzles you to the point where you need to answer questions that other people aren’t answering. Our Ph.D. program is 5 years. So there needs to be enough there there to keep you interested for half a decade. In addition to holding your interests, this needs to be something that keeps me interested for 5 years as well. So, talk about why this issue matters not just to you but to the world. And talk about why this is a public health research issue not just a public health issue. This distinction matters because if the problem is something that can be solved in public health practice, you don’t need a PhD for that  One way I like to think about question development is thinking about it through the lens of a puzzle. If you can present a meaningful public health research puzzle in your statement, you’ve done what you needed to do in this section. 

2. In public health?

   One of the great things about studying health is that every single discipline has its own perspective on how to approach it. Getting a Ph.D. in public health is somewhat different than in other disciplines. For students studying with me, I’d like to know why you want to approach this problem from a public health perspective as opposed to any of the social sciences (sociology, economics, anthropology, political science, etc.) or other practice-based fields (education, social work, policy, urban planning, etc.) you don’t have to specifically mention these other fields/disciplines but you should make it clear that your approach is a public health research approach.

3. Right now?

   Academia is in a precarious state right now. I can think of so many other careers that feel more secure than academic research—especially in a discipline that relies so heavily on federal funding. That being said, here you are! Your statement should talk a bit about why. What attracts you to doing this work right now? What do you hope to learn? How do you want to use this knowledge for the advancement of public health knowledge?

4. At UChicago?

   You don’t have to speak glowingly about how great UChicago is. It is a fine institution. And like all institutions, it has its strengths and weaknesses. You do not need to waste any ink telling us how “honored” you would be study here. I do want to know, however, what resources UChicago has that will help you reach your goals. Are there centers, other departments, community organizations, etc. that will help sharpen your thinking and analytical skills? Are there collaborators here that you’re already working with? Are you attracted to the interdisciplinary and/or quantitative approach of our department? Be specific with why you applied to this program. This shows the readers that you’ve done a bit of homework and have somewhat of a plan to accomplish answering your very important question.

5. With me?

   Again, I don’t need to be flattered here. But I want to get a sense that you know what you want to get out of the program and you know how I can help you achieve those goals.

1. Don’t use AI to write your statement.

   “Artificial intelligence” tools are neither artificial nor intelligent. AI tools cannot “think” for themselves and therefore cannot they “think” for you. And to be frank, I don’t enjoy reading AI writing. It’s very superficial, repetitive, and stylistically boring. I could go on… But beyond my own distaste for AI essays, I encourage you to strongly think about why you want to pursue a PhD just to outsource one of the core components of knowledge production: writing. Writing is hard. I still struggle with communicating my ideas clearly. But that is the beauty of this work. Get started writing early. Send your drafts to your friends, colleagues, and mentors.

2. Don’t make your statement the prose version of your resume.

   We will have both, they serve different functions. The resume/CV gives us the overview of what you’ve done in terms of research and practical experience. The statement should tell us why you want to pursue a PhD. There can be some overlap. For example, if a particular experience led you to want to pursue the PhD, please include it but focus less on the material in the resume and more on what you learned from that experience and, importantly, how you hope to build on what you learned in your doctoral training.

My training background is at two large schools of public health, with multiple departments, hundreds of faculty members, and large PhD cohorts. This department is not that. In our interdisciplinary department, there are fewer faculty and fewer students that study a range of public health issues. As a student you will be taking core courses in epidemiology, biostatistics, and health services research. We are expanding to offer more courses in social, behavioral and environmental sciences but each student will still be required to learn and apply advanced quantitative methodologies. Beyond the curriculum, the PhD cohorts are small: about 4 or 5 students per year. In my opinion, there are benefits and drawbacks of a smaller department. PhD students get more 1-on-1 time with the faculty. On the downside, with so few students, I can imagine it feeling isolated (though, I can’t speak on that from experience). I always encourage students to get involved outside of the department because UChicago has so many resources: brilliant faculty, centers, departments, etc. that can enhance one’s intellectual development. 

I am a self-proclaimed “all-over-the-place” researcher. My work examines structural inequality, maternal and child health, parenting, housing policy, community development, critical pedagogy, and the history of public health. I am interested in a lot of things, to say the least. It’s quite impossible for someone to hit all my areas. That’s okay. I am not interested in training a replica of myself. I’m interested in training critical thinkers who use the theoretical and methodological tools from public health and apply them to analyze systems of power to better understand and improve health. It may be helpful to read some of my work. And take a look at my updated CV to get a sense of what I’m working on right now. This will help you decide if your training will be enhance by having someone with my perspectives providing feedback on your work.