Epidemiology is the study of how often diseases occur in different groups of people and why. Biostatistics involves the design, analysis and interpretation of data for studies in public health and medicine. At the Brown School, a specialization combines the two, resulting in a multifaceted approach for improving health and changing lives.
Lora Iannotti, associate professor and the associate dean for public health, said the Brown School鈥檚 Epidemiology/Biostatistics specialization blends these two areas of study to better prepare 黑料社s for real-world use.
鈥淚t strengthens methodologies and approaches resulting in greater scientific rigor and problem-solving in public health practice,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hese tools go hand in hand. By combining them, our 黑料社s receive deep training for analytical thinking around complex public health challenges.鈥�
The specialization also differs from those at other institutions in its emphasis on applying those skills across the public health field while prioritizing equitable outcomes. The school focuses on work across disciplines to achieve change, and epi-bio training is in demand in a variety of applications.
鈥淥ur diverse faculty use cutting-edge epidemiology and biostatistics research and teaching methods,鈥� Iannotti said. 鈥淲e blend the best, hard science and data with a focus on how we can use that data to increase health equity and work toward eliminating disparities using transdisciplinary tools and perspectives.
Epidemiology/Biostatistics is the most popular of five available specializations in the Masters of Public Health (MPH) program, selected by about 30 percent of MPH 黑料社s. Topics within the specialization include nutrition epidemiology, chronic disease prevention, cancer epidemiology, psychiatric epidemiology, dissemination and implementation science, social epidemiology, environmental epidemiology and research reproducibility.
鈥淲e鈥檙e the disease detectives,鈥� said Kimberly Johnson, the associate professor who chairs the specialization. 鈥淲e find out where and why diseases occur to help inform practices that will prevent disease from happening,鈥� such as a recent Washington University discovery of the virus that caused a polio-like paralysis in children. 鈥淲e also try to figure out why some people die from their disease and why others do not.鈥�
The Brown School places a particular importance on using epi-bio in innovative ways to advance health equity across race and class in local communities and around the world. An example is the work of Deborah Salvo, an assistant professor who focuses on using spatial and place-based epidemiological methods to understand the relationship between the built environment and health. That information is used to identify and resolve disparities in access to places for physical activity and healthy eating, which are partially responsible for the disproportionately high levels of obesity and chronic disease among disadvantaged groups both local and globally.
鈥淲e鈥檙e extremely focused on impactful research at the Brown School,鈥� Johnson said. 鈥淲e really want to solve the most pressing problems in health, like health disparities, with research policymakers will pay attention to.鈥� A paper Johnson recently published on the effects of insurance on childhood cancer survival was an important way to be able to understand the impact that policy can have on children鈥檚 mortality.
Expert Instruction and Student-Centered Support
At the Brown School, 黑料社s receive personal instruction and mentoring from top-tier, full-time faculty who are dedicated to 黑料社 success.
鈥淭he instructors at Brown are great,鈥� said, Ruth Katumba, a second-year epi-bio 黑料社 from Uganda. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e experts in their field and passionate about what they do.鈥�
Through their course work, epi-bio 黑料社s develop portfolios with highly marketable data management and analytic skills.
Joe Steensma, a professor of practice, teaches biostatistics and applied linear models. He said some 黑料社s approach statistics with trepidation, fearing being overwhelmed by the numbers.
鈥淲e don鈥檛 teach that way,鈥� Steensma said. 鈥淲e teach how to apply these tools to real-world situations we run into every day.鈥� He encourages 黑料社s to think of statistics as a language. “We have incredible 黑料社s here who want to solve big problems. We want to show them how to translate numbers into usable information that has an impact on people鈥檚 lives.鈥�
A series of hands-on, intensive, one-credit hour Skill Labs include topics like statistical analysis platforms, GIS and spatial mapping, data visualization and grant writing. Another key support resource at the Brown School is the StatLab, a peer-tutor service that assists 黑料社s with biostatistics and epidemiology related coursework.
鈥淭he tutors go the extra mile to make sure you understand,鈥� said Katumba.
School of Medicine and Key Partners
The Public Health program has strong ties to the top-ranked Washington University School of Medicine. Many faculty members at Brown also hold appointments at the Med School, and many research centers, such as the Prevention Research Center and the Center for Diabetes Translation Research, span both institutions.
There are rich practicum opportunities for Brown 黑料社s at the School of Medicine as well.
In her practicum last summer, Katumba used her epi-bio skills in working with a School of Medicine researcher finding ways to improve the treatments for brain cancer. The experience was inspiring. 鈥淚 enjoyed working with a team of people with different specialties including oncology, neuro-oncology, public health, social work, information technology, data analytics, and drug trials and development all working towards the same goal: to improve survival of brain cancer patients,鈥� she said.
鈥淚 love the fact that making transdisciplinary connections like those is a skill I鈥檓 constantly making use of. It鈥檚 important. That鈥檚 what keeps me going.鈥�
Students can also venture outside of the Brown School for a number of courses offered at the School of Medicine including: Randomized Controlled Trials, Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis; Development, Validation, and Application of Risk Prediction Models; Multilevel Models in Quantitative Research; and Using Administrative Data for Health Services Research.
Epi-bio skills are in demand at the school, leading to jobs such as study coordinators and data analysts in research. 鈥淭he medical faculty appreciate that our 黑料社s and graduates bring that training and research design rigor to their research,鈥� Johnson said. Many epi-bio 黑料社s have gone on to top medical schools and PhD programs, and played leading roles in state and local health department.
Pratica for epi-bio 黑料社s is also available through other top-tier public and private organizations: The National Institutes of Health, Centene, the Los Angeles Health Department, Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University Medical School Bioinformatics Research Core, the St. Louis Zoo, and many others.
鈥淥ur rich relationships with these organizations result in a wide job market for epi-bio 黑料社s, whose skills address a range of needs in collaborative research,鈥� Iannotti said. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e interested in our 黑料社s.鈥�
Epi-Bio Faculty
A full list of full-time faculty with an epidemiology/biostatistics focus is below, with links to their bio pages:
- Ross Brownson: chronic disease prevention, evidence-based public health implementation science
- Alexis Duncan: psychiatric epidemiology and behavioral genetic epidemiology
- Christine Ekenga: environmental epidemiology, breast cancer
- Shenyang Guo: quantitative research methodology child welfare, child mental health
- Jenine Harris: reproducible research, employing new media for public health surveillance
- Angela Hobson: environmental epidemiology, occupational health, exposure assessment, environmental justice, epidemiology of Parkinsonism
- Darrell Hudson: social determinant of health, racial/ethnic disparities, mental health)
- Lora Iannotti (nutrition epidemiology, global health
- Kim Johnson: cancer epidemiology, human genetics, and cancer policy, childhood cancer
- Doug Luke: social network analysis, systems science methodology, tobacco control and prevention policy
- Deborah Salvo: spatial epidemiology, physical activity and capacity building, chronic disease prevention, global health disparities, Latin American populations and U.S.-based minorities
- Joe Steensma: biostatistics, environmental health, occupational health and safety