Department of Epidemiology
Areas of Interest
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 students and post-docs 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 within the School of Public Health and Medical school with active cardiovascular research programs.
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Clinical Epidemiology
This area is designed primarily for clinicians and other health care professionals who wish to develop the quantitative and analytic 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 20 disease. Additional courses in epidemiology and courses offered by other departments address related topics 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 40-credit SM degree in epidemiology may also be partially fulfilled by taking the summer courses offered through the Summer Program in Clinical Effectiveness. Students begin their program by taking a core set of clinical effectiveness 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, clinical effectiveness students who only take courses during two summer periods can satisfy the requirements for the 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 time of application.
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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, and toxicology. Doctoral students conduct research in a substantive or methodologic area related to environmental or occupational health. This area's 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.
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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.
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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 studying aging, and include courses 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, Division of Preventive Medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital, and Hebrew Rehabilitation Center for the Aged.
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Infectious Disease Epidemiology
This area is designed to familiarize students with the epidemiology and biology necessary to understand the interactions of infectious agents, their hosts, and their vectors. Social and cultural aspects of infectious diseases and of related health services are covered, as are new and resurgent infectious diseases. Students in this area take courses in the Departments of Epidemiology, Immunology and Infectious Diseases, and Population and International Health. More advanced topics of infectious disease epidemiology are covered in tutorials with faculty members focusing on this area. For more information see, Infectious Disease Epidemiology at HSPH.
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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, gene-mapping 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 (including the Program for Population Genetics), the Channing Laboratory, Dana-Farber Cancer Center, and other research groups. For more information see the Program in Molecular and Genetic Epidemiology.
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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.
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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.
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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, and 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. The Department of Oral Health Policy and Epidemiology in the Harvard School of Dental Medicine and the HSPH Department of Epidemiology jointly administer this area of interest.
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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.
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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, Maternal and Child Health, and Health and Social Behavior.
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Reproductive Epidemiology
In addition to unique methodological issues, this area encompasses clinical, environmental, cancer, and infectious disease epidemiology. Reproductive epidemiologists choose as their interest the broad topic of the determinants and consequences of reproduction, including women's health and male infertility. Students can explore menarche, the menstrual cycle, infertility, conception, 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 largescale population-and clinical-based epidemiological studies. Students also have the opportunity to pursue gynecological as well as reproductive health topics at the Channing Laboratory, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, and the Division of Preventive Medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital, to name a few of the extensive resources available to students in the Harvard Medical Area. Students may also collaborate with other faculty members at HSPH, Harvard Medical School, and the Harvard-affiliated hospitals. Students are encouraged and given guidance on how to submit their own research proposals for private and federal funding.
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