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.
She joined the Arnold School’s department of epidemiology and biostatistics to collaborate with the Aphasia Laboratory. After working with him on his aphasia research, Wang began developing unified modeling frameworks for both epilepsy and aphasia.
Ly Tran chose the Fulbright Scholar Program because it provided an opportunity to enhance intercultural relations, diplomacy and cultural competence. She chose UofSC because of the Arnold School of Public Health’s national rankings as well as its expertise in cancer epidemiology.
Master of science in public health student pursues career in epidemiology to improve health for Latino populations.
Graduate students from across the Arnold School have earned 2018-2019 SPARC Graduate Research Grants from the UofSC Office of the Vice President for Research to fund individual scholarship initiatives.
The December issue of the American Journal of Public Health includes an editorial by epidemiology and biostatistics professor Jihong Liu on prioritizing the top health issues in China beyond 2018 from a health equity perspective.