Epidemiology Ph.D.

The extensive epidemiologic research programs at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health offer students many opportunities for doctoral-level training. Beginning in fall 2008, the Ph.D. program will be modified to reflect the more rigorous methodological and research skills students will need to be leaders in this field.

The Epidemiology Ph.D. program offers formal tracks in social/behavioral epidemiology (SBE) and clinical/biological epidemiology (CBE) for students interested in research and teaching careers in the health sciences.

Social/behavioral epidemiology recognizes that many of the major diseases affecting today's population are related to lifestyle, and that the behaviors themselves (and their determinants) are an important endpoint for epidemiologic study. Diet and nutrition, exercise, and use of licit drugs, especially tobacco and alcohol, are among the most important contributors to disease, death, and disability in developed countries. To understand modern disease epidemics and to develop ways of preventing them, it is important to understand the origins of these behavioral patterns and the ways in which they are influenced by environment, personality, family, and culture.

The focus of the clinical/biological epidemiology track is on the determinants and description of the diseases themselves. The program has particular strengths in the etiology of cardiovascular disease, cancer, genetics, and infectious disease.

Students study with experts in cancer, cardiovascular and infectious disease; nutrition; maternal, child and reproductive health; genetic epidemiology; behavioral interventions; and epidemiologic methods for clinical, observational and community-based research.

Current Students: For more information about the Epidemiology Major, go to www.epi.umn.edu