Annual Evaluation of HSR PhD Students

Each HSR PhD student will complete an annual evaluation. The evaluation will help prepare doctoral students professionally and document their progress in the HSR PhD program. The entire evaluation process must be completed by April 1 of each year.

By March 1 of each year, each HSR PhD Student will submit the following items to his or her faculty advisor:

• The student’s professional portfolio, including a current curriculum vitae, copies of abstracts submitted during the past year, manuscripts in progress or submitted during the past year, major research papers submitted for courses during the past year, and related materials. The portfolio is described in detail in the section of this manual that describes the qualifying exam. The portfolio is required for all students entering the program beginning with the fall of 2009. Students from earlier cohorts are encouraged to develop portfolios, and are required to do so if they choose the portfolio evaluation option for the Qualifying Examination.

• A 1 to 2 page single-spaced self assessment (required of all students). The self assessment should be organized as follows, using the following “headings” or sections:

(1) Major accomplishments in research during the past year should be described;

(2) Progress in Academic Training (including courses completed and grades);

(3) Experiences and training in teaching (when relevant);

(4) Goals for Scholarship and Academic Training, including goals for grant writing or other applications to support the student’s studies.

For students assigned as graduate assistantships, the faculty advisor is either the faculty member to whom the student is assigned, or another member of the HSRD faculty approved by the Program Director with whom the student has established a formal mentor-protégé relationship. For students conducting dissertation research, the faculty advisor is the dissertation Chair. Most other students will be assigned a faculty advisor, who will typically share the student’s research interest. For students not assigned a faculty advisor, the evaluation materials should be submitted to the HSR PhD Program Director.

The faculty advisor will review the materials, and prepare a summary and evaluation in the form of a 1 page letter to the HSR PhD Program Director. The letter is due to the HSR PhD Program Director by March 15, and should be accompanied by the student’s current curriculum vitae and self assessment. The faculty advisor should provide his or her evaluation of the HSR PhD student’s progress in research/scholarship and academic training, which includes the student’s performance in any assistantship. The advisor will return the portfolio to the student at the conclusion of the annual evaluation.

The advisor evaluation becomes part of the student’s permanent file. They may be used when evaluating the adequacy of student progress for continued assistantship funding, fellowship opportunities or other honors, determining priorities for funding 4th year assistantships in years when they might be available, preparing letters of recommendation for employment, and so forth.

The course plan for the HSR PhD represents the minimum number of courses and credit hours for completion of the degree. Students whose progress in developing skills or knowledge required for successful completion of the dissertation may be required to take additional courses. The requirement to take additional courses will be determined jointly by the student’s advisor and the Program Director.

Contact

Larissa Huber, PhD
Professor, Director PhD in Health Services Research Program
Dept. of Public Health Sciences
Phone: 704-687-8719
lrhuber@uncc.edu