The Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics applies, develops, and teaches the skills needed to understand the determinants of disease and improve health. We teach students the descriptive and analytic approaches (epidemiology) needed to investigate the complex causes of major public health problems and to develop effective strategies to prevent them. The biostatistics program centers on the development and application of theory and methods in the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data used in public health and other biomedical sciences.

• Our students are trained to become expert researchers and public health workers capable of investigating complex urban and community health challenges. Through practicum experiences students learn to apply descriptive and analytic methods and theory to real-world problems.
  
  
• The department’s faculty conduct pioneering research in many areas, including aging; autism; biostatistical methods; cancer; cardiovascular disease; environmental risk factors; infectious disease and prevention; social and neighborhood determinants of health.
  
  
• Our graduates enjoy rewarding careers in national and local disease-prevention organizations, community-based organizations, industry, academia, government, and global public health.

Latest Research

Transgender Adults Holding Gender-Affirming IDs Have Better Mental Health

Having gender-affirming documents, such as a passport, driver’s license, or birth certificate, may improve mental health among transgender adults, according to findings published today in The Lancet Public Health from researchers at Dornsife, including lead author Ayden Scheim, PhD, assistant professor in the department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics.

Analyzing Black-White Disparities in Cardiovascular Health in the U.S.

Research led by Loni Philip Tabb, PhD, associate professor of Biostatistics at the Dornsife School of Public Health (DSPH), found evidence of significant spatial heterogeneity in black-white differences in optimal cardiovascular health (CVH) that varied within and between five cities in the United States.

The research was co-authored by Leslie Ain McClure, PhD, MS, professor and chair of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at DSPH; Ana Diez Roux, MD, PhD, MPH, Dean and Distinguished University Professor of Epidemiology; Angel Ortiz, MS, DSPH alum; Steven Melly, MS, GIS Specialist at the Urban Health Collaborative at DSPH; and researchers from the department of Epidemiology at the Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University and the department of Preventive Medicine, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University.