Public Health was defined by C-E.A. Winslow as the science and the art of preventing disease, prolonging life, and promoting physical health and efficiency through organized community efforts with the goal of enabling every citizen to realize his/her birthright of health and longevity.
The disciplines of epidemiology and biostatistics are essential to achieving the goals of public health, and combining these two disciplines in a single department creates synergies for both training and research. Epidemiologists study the distribution and determinants of health and disease in populations. Biostatisticians develop and apply statistical theory, methods and techniques to public health research data and the planning, implementation and evaluation of public health programs. Given the strong overlap, epidemiologists and biostatisticians often collaborate to work toward the shared goal of generating and analyzing data to advance the public’s health.
Within the department, the degree programs are administered under two separate streams, the Division of Epidemiology and Division of Biostatistics.
Find out more about the department and what we offer in our welcome from the Chair.
We offer eight advanced degrees in epidemiology and biostatistics. Each graduate degree has specific application deadlines and requirements.
Director:
Dr. Robert Moran, Graduate Director for Biostatistics
Directors:
Thanks to a $13.2 million grant from the NIH Common Fund, public health/epidemiology professor Angela Liese and nursing professor Coretta Jenerette will collaborate to launch the Faculty Institutional Recruitment for Sustainable Transformation (FIRST) program at UofSC.
The new MPH program is not only online, it is 100 percent asynchronous to fit into the busy lives of participants. Students can enroll full-time or part-time, completing the program in as little as two years. The integrated curriculum covers the five core disciplines of public health.
The study, which was published in the Journal of American College Health, found that negative impacts on physical activity, sedentary time and anxiety persisted for this population from the beginning of the pandemic in 2020 until a year later in 2021 when the research was conducted.
Researchers have shown that their theory-based lifestyle intervention is effective in helping women with elevated weight reduce the amount of gestational weight gain they retain after birth. This research was a part of the Health in Pregnancy Postpartum (HIPP) Study and was published in Obesity.
Arnold School researchers Edward Frongillo and Alexander McLain have partnered with scientists from UNICEF and the World Health Organization, including WHO collaborator Elaine Borghi, to develop a method for estimating childhood stunting and oversight trends in the European region.
Amanda Elmore graduates with her Ph.D. in Epidemiology this month and researches how social determinants of health, adverse childhood experiences and trauma influence health outcomes in each stage of the mother-infant dyad.
Sabrina Karim's August graduation is more than a celebration of the physician notching a 4.0 in two programs, but another step towards overcoming the personal challenges she has faced and pursuing her passion for improving maternal and child health.