<p>Twenty years ago, while working as a special education teacher in Colorado, the state offered me the opportunity and resources through a leadership grant to pursue an Ed.D at the University of Northern Colorado. My program focus was leadership, administration, and research methods. The program required a full year of residency; advanced courses in learning theory, organizational development, and administrative practices; full complement (as in two years) of basic and advanced research training; four days of written comprehensive exams; research based & formally defended dissertation; and three month community agency management field placement. </p>
<p>Here are a few examples of what I have accomplished as a result of by training:</p>
<p>Research (Published or Presented)
◦ Behavioral predictors of Fragile-X syndrome (a chromosomal disorder)
◦ Neonatal bilirubin exposure and long-term educational outcome
◦ Effects of treatment & time to intervention on recidivism of alcohol related arrests
◦ Behavioral & health outcomes of Arctic Natives practicing an indigenous lifestyle
◦ Effects of Federal lighter safety regulations on fire starting behavior of children</p>
<p>Research Management & Stats (Project Manager or Principal Investigator)
◦ Effectiveness of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome treatment programs
◦ Identifying the environmental determinants of autism
◦ Treatment decision modeling associated with breast cancer treatment outcomes
◦ Efficacy of enhanced foreign language instruction on acquiring greater proficiency
◦ Established a human research compliance program</p>
<p>Leadership
◦ Health services research program (Developer/Director)
◦ Clinical pathway development (Director)
◦ Office of Medical staff administration & training
◦ Community based action research projects (Consultant)
◦ Corporate and governmental health agencies (Administrator/Executive Director)</p>
<p>Academic (Teaching & Research)
◦ Associate Research Professor
◦ Research Associate (University Institute dedicated to Circumpolar Health Issues)</p>
<p>The training I received through the EdD program provided me with a comprehensive set of skills that I continue to apply to a wide range of research, management, academic, and community based venues. Within the context of my cognate, my skill-set is equivalent to my PhD counterparts. But, to use a military saying, Im constantly in the field getting my boots dirty while my PhD colleagues generally focuse on theory, design, model development, and experimentation. Both degrees have value and, actualy, can complement each other. Anyone remember fraggle rock?</p>