About

Although the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics is part of the College of Human Medicine at Michigan State University, epidemiology and biostatistics are known as basic sciences in public health. Our department engages with faculty and students in numerous colleges and departments across the university which includes the campus here in East Lansing, as well as those in Grand Rapids, Flint and other Michigan communities. 

Our college is also now engaging with a new partner, Henry Ford Health System (HFHS), that will extend our partnership with investigators in Detroit. We see particularly strong opportunities for collaboration with epidemiologists, biostatisticians, and biomedical informaticians in the HFHS Department of Public Health Sciences. Our two departments already have a history of collaborations but we hope the formal affiliation between institutions will lead to more synergy and more closely involve students. Our faculty strive to produce scientific evidence that will lead to improvements in public health in Michigan, the US, and worldwide.

PRIMARY WORK

The primary work of our department can be categorized into three areas which often overlap:

• RESEARCH AND SCHOLARSHIP

  Our faculty in epidemiology work in many areas of public health: drug dependence, mental health, cardiovascular, reproductive, perinatal, pediatric, environmental, neurodevelopment, and infection.

  Our biostatistics faculty also work on a wide range of methods: Bayesian, statistical genetics, causal inference, trials, cost-effectiveness, high-dimensional data, longitudinal, and structural equations. This work is supported by extramural funding from several national agencies including the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Patient-Centered Outcome Research Institute (PCORI).

  This funding also provides support for trainees in our graduate programs directly or as the basis for individual student or postdoctoral applications for funding. This includes supporting of students, postdoctoral fellows, and early investigators on NIH Research Supplements to Promote Diversity 

• EDUCATION

  We provide a stimulating environment for students and faculty to contribute to the improvement of public health. The department offers master of science (MS) and doctoral (PhD) degrees in Epidemiology and in Biostatistics. The central goal of these programs is to train new researchers who can become independent experts and leaders in the areas of epidemiology, biostatistics, public health, clinical research and health services research. Opportunities for learning include monthly seminars with visiting scholars, training in innovative statistical and epidemiologic methods, supportive faculty mentorship, peer-to-peer discussions of contemporary issues across epidemiology and population health, and events sponsored by the Department’s vibrant graduate student organization, GEMS. MSU supports the principles of equal opportunity, non-discrimination and affirmative action. Diversity is a major source of our intellectual vitality and innovative spirit. The scope of research complements the exceptionally diverse environment in the department, with students and faculty from over 30 countries.

  Our faculty in epidemiology work in many areas of public health: drug dependence, cardiovascular, reproductive, perinatal, pediatric, environmental, neurodevelopment, and infection. Our biostatistics faculty also work on a wide range of methods: Bayesian, statistical genetics, causal inference, trials, cost-effectiveness, high-dimensional data, longitudinal, and structural equations. Our faculty consider the social determinants of health and how to work towards health equity. For PhD students especially, but also for MS students, we encourage you to identify those faculty with whom you have shared interests and reach out to them when you apply to our programs.

  We also take the lead role in educating medical students in the College of Human Medicine on the concepts, principles, and methods of evidence-based medicine and critical appraisal. Finally, our educational mission on campus also includes teaching the fundamentals of epidemiology, biostatistics and public health to undergraduate students, through our undergraduate minor in Global Public Health and Epidemiology.

• OUTREACH

  Our outreach activities are designed to impact public health practice from our local community to international settings. National and state-level work is supported by the national funding agencies mentioned previously the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS), as well as by various non-governmental organizations. International outreach is promoted through collaborations with colleagues and organizations throughout the world, but particularly in Africa and Latin America. Most recently, several of our epidemiology and biostatistics faculty have engaged in work to support our local and state health departments, university, and local communities in strategies to mitigate COVID-19 and its sequalae.