Areas of Research

The Cancer Epidemiology and Prevention program at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health is one of the first comprehensive academic programs in the world dedicated to the training of cancer epidemiologists. 

The program’s curriculum includes a breadth of courses on cancer research methodology, substantive courses on cancer epidemiology and prevention, as well as courses on genetic epidemiology and biomarkers. The courses are aimed at enhancing the skills and training of cancer epidemiologists through the integration of biologic and environmental factors into a deeper understanding of disease etiology and for translation into cancer control. 

Students and fellows in the program work closely with faculty who are conducting cutting-edge research into the lifestyle, environmental, and genetic factors that influence both cancer incidence and survival with studies both in the U.S. and globally. Research covers a broad array of malignancies including breast, colorectal, lung, nasopharyngeal, hematologic, ovarian, endometrial, and prostate cancers. A major focus of the work is integrative and multidisciplinary, conducted with colleagues in biostatistics, molecular pathology, cancer biology, genetics and immunology. 

A notable strength of the program at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health is its integration into the Dana Farber/Harvard Cancer Center, which enhances opportunities for collaborations with colleagues at other Harvard Medical Area institutions (e.g., Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute). This integration allows researchers to leverage unique data resources, most notably several large prospective cohort and case-control studies. These resources provide superb research opportunities for students and fellows. 

Clinical Epidemiology is one of the largest areas of interest in the Department of Epidemiology. Faculty members are national and international leaders in research and teaching, conducting research in fields including cardiology, oncology, nephrology, neurology, psychiatry, infectious diseases, and surgery. 

The Department of Epidemiology also has an extensive network of faculty members based in the Harvard teaching hospitals and in other national and international institutions. 

The Department of Epidemiology hosts a PhD Program with Clinical Epidemiology as the area of interest, as well as one- and two-year Master of Science programs in Clinical Epidemiology. These graduate programs have established the Department of Epidemiology’s role as the educational hub for training in clinical research at Harvard University. 

The Department of Epidemiology also offers a hybrid (online and in-person) Master of Public Health degree that has trained thousands of clinicians worldwide on epidemiologic methods. 

Faculty members in the Department of Epidemiology play a leadership and teaching role in the Program in Clinical Effectiveness, direct the Master of Public Health’s concentrations in Clinical Effectiveness and Quantitative Methods, and teach Clinical Epidemiology at the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology. 

Focusing on the anticipation, identification, evaluation, and quantification of diseases and injuries due to workplace exposures, research in Environmental Health Occupational Health/Occupational Epidemiology strives to provide the scientific basis for occupational health and safety policies to control occupational hazards and assess hazardous exposures in the workplace (chemical, physical, biological) via human population studies.   

This area is geared toward those interested in the diseases and conditions, as well as research methods, specific to older populations. Core courses focus on the epidemiologic aspects of the study of aging, including diseases most common in older persons, such as neurodegeneration. Collaborations with other departments and institutions in the Boston area, such as the Division of Aging at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, the Institute for Aging Research, and Hebrew Senior Life in Boston, allow for a wide range of research opportunities. Primary faculty conduct research on issues such as cognitive decline, Parkinson’s disease, depression, musculoskeletal disorders, eye diseases, urinary incontinence, and successful aging. 

This area provides training in the development and application of new methods in epidemiologic research. Students learn to use and justify classical epidemiologic methods in study design, data analysis, and interpretation of results. Students also receive training in biostatistical areas most relevant to epidemiologic research. Recent innovations in epidemiologic methodology are introduced through advanced courses and tutorials. 

The concentration in infectious disease epidemiology (often referred to as “ID Epi”) provides a rare opportunity for students to obtain rigorous training both in traditional methods for epidemiologic studies and in mathematical modeling and other approaches to studying transmission mechanisms. Coursework bridging these areas is reinforced by ongoing collaborations within the department, and between epidemiologists and bench scientists who can measure parameters relevant to epidemiologic models. 

The Program in Cardiovascular Epidemiology promotes and advances research collaboration and discussion among investigators with expertise in cardiovascular disease research at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Framingham Study, and other sites. 

By means of forums and other activities, the Program “expands the hallway” for those critical hallway discussions that often result in the most interesting and scientifically promising collaborations, mentorships, grant proposals, and projects. In addition to research synergy and grant successes, the Program facilitates sharing and expansion of mentoring and fellow training, didactic training in cardiovascular epidemiology, and coordination of external collaborations related to cardiovascular epidemiology. 

Program members’ interests include nutrition, pharmacoepidemiology, aging, women’s health, genetics, basic science, biostatistics, policy and risk analysis, social and environmental epidemiology, international health, pediatrics, and methods.

The Program in Genetic Epidemiology and Statistical Genetics (PGSG), formerly the Program in Molecular and Genetic Epidemiology, focuses on the genetic dissection of complex human diseases.  The Program gives special emphasis to deciphering the molecular mechanisms underlying cancer to improve our capacities for cancer diagnosis, prognosis and treatment, as well as prevention. We also conduct research on other chronic diseases and on new methods in statistical genetics in collaboration with colleagues at Harvard Chan School, Harvard Medical School, The Broad Institute, and elsewhere. The Program has several components: 

(1) High-Throughput Polymorphism Detection Core Facility 
(2) Biostatistical Analysis and Bioinformatics 
(3) Teaching and Research in Genetic Epidemiology and Statistical Genetics 

The mission of the Program in Pharmacoepidemiology is to: (1) advance research in the determinants of both intended and unintended effects of drugs, vaccines, biologics, medical procedures, and medical devices; (2) train the next generation of leaders who will continue to advance the field; and (3) enhance research and academic capacity in pharmacoepidemiology. 

The Psychiatric Epidemiology area introduces students to concepts and methods for studying the genetic and psychosocial factors that relate to the prevalence, incidence, and outcome of different types of psychiatric illnesses. Emphasis is given to issues of reliability and validity in studying such disorders among children, adolescents, and adults. The curriculum consists of specialized courses, as well as related courses offered in the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health Departments of Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and Social and Behavioral Sciences. A wide range of research opportunities are available, with particular depth in psychiatric genetics, mental health services, pharmacoepidemiology, clinical trials, prevention, and community and cross-cultural studies. 

The Neuroepidemiology area provides training in research methodology and the epidemiology of neurological diseases. Current research is focused on the roles of diet, infections, and environmental exposures in the etiology of neurodegenerative diseases such as multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and integrates biomarkers and genetic factors. Doctoral students conduct research in a substantive or methodological area related to neuroepidemiology. 

Through courses in the Departments of Epidemiology and Nutrition, students in this area learn methods of nutritional assessment and their related strengths and weaknesses. Students also receive advanced training in the nutritional determinants of disease and in methods for analysis specific to research in nutritional epidemiology. Students can conduct research within several large prospective ongoing studies at Harvard Chan School and Harvard Medical School, including an examination of dietary factors in relation to cardiovascular disease, cancer, and other chronic diseases; a study of the interactions between nutritional and genetic determinants of disease; and the assessment of nutritional supplementation in relation to infectious agents and malnutrition. 

This area focuses on the determinants of health throughout the lifecourse, including those related to reproductive health, the perinatal period, childhood, and adolescence/young adulthood. 

Reproductive topics include pubertal development, menstruation, gynecologic health (e.g., endometriosis, dyspareunia), sexually transmitted infections, contraception, reproductive cancers, and menopause. 

Perinatal topics include pregnancy intention, fertility, assisted reproductive technologies, abortion, pregnancy complications (e.g., preeclampsia), and pregnancy outcomes (e.g., preterm birth, birth defects, neonatal mortality, postpartum depression). 

Methodological issues are a strong emphasis, as is a focus on health inequities—including among sexual and gender minority populations. Several faculty have expertise in global issues, and many focus on exposures—including environmental—that are salient throughout the lifecourse.