We are committed to enriching the academic experience for our talented students, empowering them with the critical thinking and problem-solving skills they need to address current and future public health challenges. We offer more than seventy courses covering a broad range of topics including cancer, infectious disease, reproductive and cardiovascular epidemiology. Degree programs include Master of Public Health (now available online), Master of Science (one- and two-year degrees), and the Ph.D. in Population Health Sciences. Students specialize in one of twelve areas of interest and can choose from a wide variety of course offerings.

The Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health is in the center of the Longwood Medical Area, a Boston healthcare hub that is home to the Harvard Medical School, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and many other venerable institutions dedicated to improving public health worldwide. This energetic environment offers engaged students a wealth of invaluable resources as they launch their professional careers.

Our impressive faculty, led by Department Chair Professor Albert Hofman, is comprised of more than seventy-five members, including thirty-five core professors working onsite in our Boston location. Recognized for their expertise in a wide array of disciplines, our team remains at the forefront of epidemiology, actively engaged in research and regularly publishing their findings in the most respected health journals. Our researchers strive to enhance the validity and efficiency of epidemiological investigation methodologies, and expand the practical applications for these tools. The primary goals of our collaborative, multidisciplinary research are to effectively control and ultimately prevent human disease. Learn more about some outstanding accomplishments of the exceptional students in our diverse department community.

Research

Well-grounded multidisciplinary research toward assessing the distribution and determinants of human illness with the aim of establishing reasoned preventive measures.

Methodology

Continuous efforts to improve methods for epidemiological investigation, to enhance validity and efficiency, and to expand the scope of activities in which epidemiologic methods can be usefully applied.

Education

Preparation of future researchers and practitioners in the field of epidemiology, as well as dissemination of knowledge to health professionals and the general public. As the reach of the School of Public Health is global in scope, so too is our research program. We are committed to the enhancement of quality of health not only in our own country, but internationally.

50 Years Ago: Q&A with Epi Dept Alumnus Noel Weiss

Noel Weiss, Professor Emeritus in the Department of Epidemiology, University of Washington School of Public Health, is an epidemiologist who has worked extensively on the causes of  cancer . He also has been engaged in the development of epidemiologic methods and on the application of these methods to the understanding of the determinants of the outcome of illness. He is widely recognized not only for his impressive research contributions, but also for his outstanding teaching and mentorship. As a graduate from our department fifty years ago, we took this opportunity to ask him to reflect on his experiences during that time, as well as on  the development of his career and on the field of epidemiology since then.