Epidemiologists study and analyze the incidence and distribution of diseases. We look at defined populations, considering the possible control of diseases and other factors relating to health.
Epidemiology's impact extends beyond the classroom: it shapes policy decisions and identifies targets for preventive healthcare. The work we do is fundamental to the practice of evidence-based public health and medicine and affects the lives of millions of people worldwide.
Discover the programs and people that make up the Department of Epidemiology at Brown University
Launched in 1959 and now led by Brown epidemiologist, Professor Stephen Buka, the NEFS spans three generations of participants and unlocks key insights, showing how late-life health traces back to what happened in the womb.
Innovative research centers conduct epidemiological studies from disease outbreaks to the effects of environmental toxins
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl chemicals are everywhere—in our homes, our clothing, the personal care products we use and in our bodies. Postdoctoral researcher Amber Hall explains the dangers PFAS pose, especially to developing humans, and offers suggestions for avoiding them.
Study epidemiology with world-renowned faculty
Brown's Epidemiology graduate program offers a doctoral degree and a MPH concentration which will prepare students for careers in research or public health which require knowledge of advanced epidemiologic methods.
Doctoral candidates undergo rigorous training in epidemiologic methods. We prepare students to become leading, independent investigators. Our graduates excel in academia, industry, government and public health practice.
Whether it is investigating an infectious disease outbreak, assessing the impact of in-utero exposure to environmental pollutants and endocrine disrupting chemicals, or the relations of nutritional, genetic, stress-related factors to cardiometabolic health, epidemiology is the foundational discipline underpinning many public health stories in the headlines every day.
Unique Degree Paths
We offer a Ph.D. in Epidemiology and support an MPH Epidemiology Concentration
Primary Faculty Members
With over 50 Secondary and Adjunct Faculty Members
of our recent F31s submitted received funding in their first round
Comparatively, F31 success rate was 27.8% across all NIH institutes in FY2020