University of Chicago, Department of Public Health Sciences

Public Health Sciences (PHS) is the home in the Biological Sciences Division at the University of Chicago to biostatistics, epidemiology and health services research. These core fields in public health research share a focus on the development and implementation of complex analytic methods to understand the determinants of health, the efficacy of experimental treatments, and the structure of health care at the population level. Bringing together these fields in one department underscores their commonality and enhances opportunities for interdisciplinary research. Faculty members lead local, national, and international studies, and also welcome opportunities to collaborate with faculty across the Biological Sciences Division and the university. Substantively, our research themes include social and environmental determinants of health, genetics and disease, the economics of health care, and the evaluation and implementation of new technologies in public health and clinical care. In terms of methodological expertise, areas in which our faculty has developed innovative approaches include: risk factor measurement; multilevel, clustered and longitudinal data; clinical trials; administrative health data; social networks; and statistical methods to assess the genetic and molecular basis of disease. Our department offers a range of graduate degree programs including a newly establish Masters of Public Health (MPH), Master of Science in Public Health Sciences for Clinical Professionals (MSCP), and a doctoral PhD program with tracks in biostatistics, epidemiology and health services research.