Epidemiology and Biostatistics Chair's Welcome

Welcome to the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics!

This is an exciting time in our Department's history. Our educational programs are growing rapidly; our research activities and partnerships with prominent public health organizations are expanding; we have created numerous student work and award opportunities; and we are continuing to recruit new and talented faculty. We invite you to read on, learn more, and participate in the growth and evolution of our Department.

The mission of the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics is to:

  • Provide outstanding educational and professional opportunities to help our students become skilled public health leaders and practitioners.
  • Develop a nationally recognized epidemiologic and biostatistical research portfolio.
  • Foster synergistic partnerships with organizations and communities that will improve public health in the Washington DC area and beyond.

We are well-positioned to address this mission, with 18 Department faculty at the Foggy Bottom campus... 10 faculty at the Biostatistics Center in Rockville, Maryland... 27 faculty who have secondary appointments... and 8 adjunct professors and professorial lecturers. These faculty are supported by 4 administrative staff, 2 graduate administrative assistants, 15 research staff, 17 graduate student research assistants, and 16 instructional assistants!

Our Educational Foundation: Our highly regarded and well-subscribed academic programs give us a strong educational foundation on which to build. In the 2009 academic year, there are 238 graduate students enrolled in the Department's masters, doctoral and certificate programs.

In 2009, over 1,750 students enrolled in more than 72 Department courses offered in the fall, spring and summer semesters. As we recognize new needs, we regularly develop new programs and courses to address them. For example, we have recently introduced new courses on disaster epidemiology, emerging infectious disease epidemiology, nutritional epidemiology, perinatal and reproductive health epidemiology, and spatial analysis. View our Academic Programs to learn more about our programs and how to apply.

Research Portfolio: We are especially proud of our broad and expanding research portfolio. Foggy Bottom faculty members are exploring topics as diverse as cancer, HIV/AIDS, and sexually transmitted infections... cardiovascular epidemiology, behavioral epidemiology, and health disparities... surveillance, aging, and biodefense... and geographic information systems and spatial analysis. In 2009, a new Research Center in the Department was chartered by the University - the Center for HIV/AIDS Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Public Health Laboratory Research - information about this large and growing Center can be accessed through this website.

Recognizing the value of partnerships as an essential tool to leverage resources and expertise, and to provide faculty and students opportunities for public health practice, we have forged links with organizations that include:

  • District of Columbia Department of Health
  • National Minority Quality Forum
  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
  • National Institutes of Health
  • National Cancer Institute
  • HIV Prevention Trials Network
  • HRSA
  • Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation
  • Association of Public Health Laboratories
  • World Health Organization
  • UNICEF

Faculty members at the renowned Biostatistics Center in Rockville, Maryland, which coordinates large NIH-sponsored clinical trials, hold their primary appointment in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics. Major clinical trials focus on diabetes, cardiovascular disease and maternal-fetal health research. Biostatistics Center faculty has a variety of interests in applied research and in the development of new biostatistical methodology.

Read more about Departmental research activities by visiting the Research Activity section of our website.

Student Research and Practice Opportunities: Graduate students in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics have numerous opportunities to learn by doing in the DC area and beyond. Paid opportunities to work on faculty research projects, and a required capstone practicum experience, provide hands-on experience in conducting epidemiologic and biostatistical research.

Through their practicum placements, Departmental students have worked closely with scientists at dozens of different agencies and organizations involved with public health, including Health Departments in the District of Columbia, New York City, and in Maryland and Virginia; Federal Agencies such as the National Cancer Institute, National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Disease, Food and Drug Administration, Department of Defense, Walter Reed, Veterans Administration, and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; local academic institutions such as GW, Georgetown and Children's National Medical Center; with international organizations such as PAHO and the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation; and at global public health sites in Asia, Africa and South America.

Our Research Seminar series, where students join faculty to hear invited speakers, represents another opportunity to involve students in the cutting-edge research of their chosen field. As well, Departmental student research awards support participation in national scientific and public health conferences.

More information about all of these activities is available on this website. Vibrant and growing, the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics is deeply committed to helping graduate students and faculty develop their educational, research, and practice skills in the core quantitative sciences of public health. We invite you to learn more about our Department, and to join us as we pursue academic excellence here in the nation's capital.

Alan E. Greenberg, MD, MPH
Professor and Chair, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics