Epidemiology

Epidemiology—the study of the frequency, distribution, and determinants of disease in humans—is a fundamental science of public health. Epidemiologists use many approaches, but the ultimate aim of epidemiologic research is the prevention or effective control of human disease.

The Department of Epidemiology has a long tradition of teaching and research, including in the epidemiology of cancer, cardiovascular, and other chronic diseases, and infectious diseases, as well as in epidemiologic methodology. Current research in the department includes the role of viruses in the etiology of cancer; the connection between diet and risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease, and other major chronic diseases; the relationship between exposure to chemicals in the workplace and the development of cancer; the epidemiology of infectious disease; factors in early life predisposing individuals to chronic diseases; case identification and risk factors in mental disorders; health effects of drugs, vaccines, and medical devices; and causes of human infertility.

Degree Programs in Epidemiology

As described below, the department offers both 80-credit and 42.5-credit master of science (SM) programs, as well as a doctor of science (SD) and doctor of public health (DPH) program.

Students in all degree programs choose from among fifteen areas of interest:

Cancer epidemiology In addition to research methodology, the curriculum in this area includes courses on the biology and genetics of cancer; the basic concepts and issues of cancer epidemiology; the roles of lifestyle factors such as diet and physical activity, oncogenic viruses, and occupational exposures in the etiology of cancer; the integration of biomarkers into research; the prevention of cancer; and research methods. Research opportunities for students include a large number of ongoing cohort and case-control studies within the department and in conjunction with the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center.

Cardiovascular epidemiology This area provides training in research methodology and the epidemiology of cardiovascular diseases. Doctoral students conduct research in a substantive or methodological area related to cardiovascular epidemiology. Research opportunities for graduate and postdoctoral students include a broad area of topics, including the role of diet, genetics, plasma markers, lifestyle characteristics, clinical interventions, and environmental predictors of primary and secondary onset of cardiovascular disease. Trainees will have the opportunity to work with several large ongoing cohort and case-crossover studies and to interact with other departments with active cardiovascular research programs.

Clinical epidemiology This area is designed primarily for clinicians and other health care professionals who wish to develop the quantitative skills needed for clinical research. Students take core courses in epidemiology and biostatistics to develop basic skills in study design and analysis that will allow them to examine clinical questions related to the diagnosis and treatment of disease. Additional courses in epidemiology and courses offered by other departments address related topics of potential interest such as health status and quality-of-life measurement, decision analysis, costeffectiveness analysis, health services research, and quality improvement of health care.

While the appropriate content for this area may be covered by taking courses offered during the regular academic year (fall and spring semesters), requirements for the 42.5-credit SM degree in epidemiology may also be partially fulfilled by taking the summer courses offered through the Summer Program in Clinical Effectiveness and the Summer Session in Public Health Studies. In this schedule students begin their program by taking a core set of courses during an initial summer period. They complete the SM program by taking advanced courses during the regular academic year and, if desired, during a second summer period. Alternatively, students who only take courses during two summer periods can satisfy the requirements for the 42.5-credit SM degree by completing a supervised research project. The content of this project typically entails the design and implementation of a clinical study, the analysis of the resulting data, and the creation of a manuscript of quality suitable for publication. An outline for this project must be submitted at the time of application.

Environmental/occupational epidemiology This area is closely associated with the concentrations in exposure, epidemiology, and risk and in occupational health in the Department of Environmental Health. Students take courses in epidemiology, environmental health, occupational health, biostatistics, toxicology, genetics, and environmental exposure assessment. Doctoral students conduct research in a substantive or methodologic area related to environmental or occupational health. Research emphasis includes the relationships between environmental and occupational exposures and cancer, children’s health, cardiopulmonary disease, neurodegenerative disease, reproductive health, and gene-environment interactions.

Epidemiologic methods This area provides training in the development and application of new methods in epidemiologic research. Students learn to use and justify classical epidemiologic methods in study design, data analysis, and interpretation of results. Students also receive training in biostatistical areas most relevant to epidemiologic research. Recent innovations in epidemiologic methodology are introduced through advanced courses and tutorials. Doctoral students conduct research with faculty members in the development of new methodologies and in novel applications of existing methodologies. Those enrolling in this area of interest ordinarily have completed four semesters of college calculus and one semester of linear algebra. Students engaged in this area will have an opportunity for collaboration with researchers working in causal inference and allied sciences.

Epidemiology of aging This area is geared toward those interested in the diseases and conditions, as well as research methods, specific to older populations. Social and cultural aspects of health in older persons are also covered. Core courses focus on the epidemiologic aspects of the study of aging and include topics in biology, statistics, and other relevant fields. Numerous research opportunities on a wide range of issues, including neurologic diseases, osteoporosis, incontinence, and others, are available in the Department of Epidemiology, as well as the Department of Nutrition, Channing Laboratory, the Division of Preventive Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and Hebrew Rehabilitation Center for the Aged.

Infectious diseases Research in this area focuses on the biological and dynamic features of infectious diseases, with emphasis on the use of epidemiologic approaches to study the social, behavioral, and biological determinants of infectious disease emergence, transmission, pathogenesis, and immunity. Courses within the department cover the common features of communicable diseases and their dynamics, methods for the analysis of transmission dynamics, and advanced topics in the epidemiology of certain specific infectious diseases, especially HIV. Courses in other departments provide introductions to the epidemiology of additional specific infectious diseases and to additional relevant methodologies, including spatial and time-series analysis. Students in this area ordinarily join the interdisciplinary concentration in the epidemiology of infectious disease.

Molecular/genetic epidemiology This area introduces students to the application of molecular and genetic methods in epidemiology. These methods may be useful as measures of exposure, disease susceptibility, or disease outcome. Training encompasses family-based association methods, genome-wide association studies to identify the chromosomal localization of genes associated with disease, and fine mapping and identification of these genes. Population-based studies correlate variation in genes with disease risk and prognosis and assess gene-environment interactions. Relevant courses explore the genetic epidemiology of complex diseases, including cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, psychiatric illnesses, Alzheimer’s disease, and asthma, as well as individual variation in drug response (pharmacogenomics). Students can collaborate with the Department of Environmental Health, the Channing Laboratory, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and other research groups.

Neuroepidemiology This area provides training in research methodology and the epidemiology of neurological diseases. Current research is focused on the roles of diet, infections, and environmental exposures in the etiology of neurodegenerative diseases such as multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and integrates biomarkers and genetic factors. Doctoral students conduct research in a substantive or methodological area related to neuroepidemiology.

Nutritional epidemiology Through courses in the Departments of Epidemiology and Nutrition, students in this area learn methods of nutritional assessment and their related strengths and weaknesses. Students also receive advanced training in the nutritional determinants of disease and in methods for analysis specific to research in nutritional epidemiology. Students can conduct research within several large prospective ongoing studies at HSPH and Harvard Medical School, including an examination of dietary factors in relation to cardiovascular disease, cancer, and other chronic diseases; a study of the interactions between nutritional and genetic determinants of disease; and the assessment of nutritional supplementation in relation to infectious agents and malnutrition.

Oral and dental health epidemiology This area prepares dentists and others interested in oral diseases for research and teaching careers in epidemiology with an emphasis on oral epidemiology and dental health. A new focus area is the links between oral conditions; nutrition; systemic diseases such as coronary heart disease, stroke, diabetes; and adverse pregnancy outcomes. Students can participate in field research activities; epidemiologic studies of oral health; or clinical trials designed to test preventive, diagnostic, or therapeutic interventions. This area of interest is jointly administered by the Department of Oral Health Policy and Epidemiology in the Harvard School of Dental Medicine and the HSPH Department of Epidemiology.

Pharmacoepidemiology This area focuses on the determinants of both unintended and expected effects of drugs, vaccines, and medical devices. Patterns of utilization of drugs, vaccines, and devices, cost-benefit and risk-benefit analyses, and investigation of the distribution of diseases possibly amenable to medical intervention represent important secondary themes. The Department of Epidemiology offers courses in pharmacoepidemiology and a variety of ongoing research projects. Relevant courses elsewhere in the school cover such areas as clinical trials, meta-analysis, drug regulatory affairs, decision analysis, and health services research. Students in pharmacoepidemiology have the opportunity to attend courses and congresses outside the school and are encouraged to undertake internships in regulatory agencies or pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. Students ordinarily have a prior degree in medicine or pharmacy. Others are expected to acquire substantially equivalent expertise in areas related to their research.

Psychiatric epidemiology This area introduces students to concepts and methods for studying the genetic and psychosocial factors that relate to the prevalence, incidence, and outcome of different types of psychiatric illnesses. Emphasis is given to issues of reliability and validity in studying such disorders among children, adolescents, and adults. The curriculum consists of six specialized courses, as well as related courses offered in the Departments of Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and Society, Human Development, and Health. A wide range of research opportunities are available, with particular depth in psychiatric genetics, mental health services, pharmacoepidemiology, clinical trials, prevention, and community and cross-cultural studies.

Reproductive epidemiology This area focuses on the determinants and consequences of reproduction, including women’s health and male infertility. Students can explore pubertal development, gynecologic disorders, sexually transmitted infections, the menstrual cycle, menopause, fertility, conception, assisted reproductive technologies, and pregnancy as endpoints or as factors influencing disease outcomes. The Obstetrics and Gynecology Epidemiology Center, based at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, offers the opportunity to gain experience in data collection and analysis of large-scale population- and clinicalbased epidemiologic studies. Students may collaborate with faculty members at HSPH and Harvard Medical School and also have the opportunity to pursue gynecological and reproductive health research at the many resources available in the area, including the Channing Laboratory, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, and the Division of Preventive Medicine and Connors Center for Women’s Health and Gender Biology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Students are encouraged and given guidance on how to submit their own research proposals for private or federal funding.

Master of Science in Epidemiology (80- credit and 42.5-credit programs)

The master’s programs provide students with basic skills in epidemiologic and quantitative methods and in computing, in preparation for research or academic careers. Graduates have taken positions as researchers in university and hospital settings and as epidemiologists for public health agencies and private companies.

The 80-credit SM program is designed for individuals who hold a bachelor’s degree and have a strong background in biology and mathematics. The 42.5-credit program is open to applicants with a medical degree or master’s-level background in biology.

Required courses for the 80-credit and 42.5-credit programs are the same and include schoolwide requirements, elements of epidemiologic research, the design and analysis of case-control and cohort studies, and the analysis of rates and proportions.

In addition to epidemiology and statistics courses, students in the 80-credit program study the basic medical sciences and the biological aspects of public health problems. The program is primarily intended for students who expect to continue toward a doctoral degree. Recommended courses cover human physiology and the pathophysiology of human disease, regression and analysis of variance in experimental research and applied regression for clinical research, introductory cancer biology, principles of toxicology, and the practice of quantitative methods.

In the 42.5-credit program remaining courses reflect areas of special interest and may include supervised research.

Doctor of Science in Epidemiology/ Doctor of Public Health

The doctoral programs are designed for students who plan careers in epidemiologic research or teaching or for those who aspire to leadership roles in the health professions. Recent graduates are working in major universities, medical schools, and research institutes. They also serve as epidemiologists for the National Cancer Institute, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, other domestic and international governmental institutions, and private industry.

Applicants to the SD program should hold at least a bachelor’s degree and have a strong background in biology and mathematics. For these individuals the degree generally takes four to five years to complete; candidates with relevant doctoral degrees may complete the program in three years. The DPH degree is available to students holding a prior doctorate and an MPH degree.

Normally most of the first two years is devoted to course work. Course requirements are the same as for the SM program, with the addition of courses on the practice of epidemiology, advanced epidemiologic methods, and principles of screening; and for nonphysicians, human physiology and the pathophysiology of human disease. Ten credits are also required in substantive courses offered by the department. Of the two minors required for the degree, one must be in advanced biostatistics.

Funding may be available for U.S. citizens or permanent residents enrolled in the doctoral program or a postdoctoral fellowship program; depending on the specialty area, funding sources include the National Cancer Institute and the National Institute of Mental Health. For U.S. citizens and permanent residents interested in cardiovascular disease or aging, research traineeships may be available through Harvard Medical School. The National Institute of Aging also offers research traineeships for doctoral students, postdoctoral fellows, and physicians engaged in postdoctoral training.

Related Offerings

• Exposure, epidemiology, and risk and occupational health concentrations, Department of Environmental Health
• Interdisciplinary concentration in the epidemiology of infectious disease
• Interdisciplinary concentration in women, gender, and health
• Summer Program in Clinical Effectiveness

Contact Information

For more information about research and training in epidemiology, please contact the coordinator of academic services:

Department of Epidemiology
677 Huntington Avenue
Boston, MA 02115

Phone: 617-432-1055
Fax: 617-566-7805
Web: http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/departments/epidemiology/