Faculty

What is Health Services?
Epidemiology has been defined as the study of the distribution and determinants of disease and injury in human populations. Epidemiologist study the variation of disease in relation to age, sex, race, occupational and social characteristics, place of residence, susceptibility, exposure to specific agents or other pertinent characteristics. Also of concern are the temporal distribution of disease, the examination of trends, cyclical patterns and intervals between exposure to causative factors and onset of disease.

Teaching
The academic objectives of this department are:

• To prepare students for careers in research, teaching and community service.
• To provide a stimulating academic environment which will challenge students to expand their field of knowledge, develop their understanding of epidemiologic methodologies and ability to apply these to a wide range of health problems.
• To provide students in the other programs in the School of Public Health with an understanding of the basic principles of epidemiology and of their application to the resolution of health problems in the community.
• To join with other departments in the School of Public Health to conduct multidisciplinary educational programs for the training of more broadly qualified health professionals (e.g., environmental epidemiologist).
• To improve the quality of epidemiology practice in developing countries, particularly in Asia, through training in-country and at UCLA.