About the Department
Epidemiology is the study of the distribution, determinants, and control of illness and impairment in human populations. It is the cornerstone of population health and informs policy decisions and evidence-based medicine by identifying risk factors for disease and targets for treatment and prevention. The Department of Epidemiology and Population Health (EPH) provides the analytical foundation for research conducted at the Stanford School of Medicine, offering expertise, research, and training on collecting and interpreting the scientific evidence essential to improving human health.
The scholars within EPH conduct a wide variety of health-related research. Using observational and experimental research methods, our scholars uncover environmental, social, genetic, and behavioral factors to aid in human disease diagnosis, treatment, and prevention. Further, the faculty train physician investigators in techniques of clinical research and are committed to advancing knowledge in epidemiology and population health through educational programs for undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate students.
Recent News
Hsing leading new study on Asian American prevention research
August 5, 2023 – Dr. Ann Hsing will lead the Asian American Cohort Study for Prevention Research: A Populomics Epidemiology Cohort (ARISE), which recently received funding from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Dr. Hsing and co-researchers will recruit 2,100 Asian Americans from the San Francisco Bay Area to address major gaps in research on the correlates and determinants of disease risk in Asian American Groups.
Langston Named Cancer Moonshot Scholar
August 3, 2023 – Dr. Marvin Langston was named to the inaugural cohort of Cancer Moonshot Scholars, a program launched by President Biden last year to support early-career researchers and help build a cancer research workforce that better represents the diversity of America. Dr. Langston will examine diverse risk-based approaches to prostate cancer screening.
Luciana Yerena honored for outstanding service and leadership
July 10, 2023 – Luciana Yerena, a senior human resources administrator who supports EPH, was one of four Stanford employees selected to receive the Anne G. Crowe Spirit Award. Recipients were chosen for their outstanding dedication, initiative, motivation, positive attitude, and customer service to those they support.
Bondy, Rehkopf to study effect of guaranteed income on cancer incidence in impoverished communities
June 26, 2023 – The National Cancer Institute awarded nearly $10 million to a collaboration between Stanford University, the University of California, San Francisco, and UC Davis to launch the UPSTREAM Research Center. The center will investigate whether and in what ways regular income supplementation for people living in poverty in several Northern California communities affect their health behaviors and cancer risk.
“Poverty limits people’s ability to be healthy,” said David Rehkopf, ScD, director of the Stanford Center for Population Health Sciences and one of the center’s lead investigators. “When you’re living in poverty, paying your bills and getting food to eat takes time and resources and absorbs a lot of your mental bandwidth. The UPSTREAM Research Center will investigate what happens when we address poverty directly. If we mitigate some of this stress and give more resources to people, do we reduce cancer risk factors?”
EPH celebrates 2023 graduates
June 18, 2023 – The Department of Epidemiology and Population Health is proud to present its 2023 class: 32 students earned master’s degrees and one student earned a PhD in Epidemiology and Clinical Research. Graduates come from diverse backgrounds and offer varied experiences, perspectives and beliefs. They shared their innovation and research with Stanford faculty, staff and each other. We’re incredibly proud of their achievements thus far and we look forward to the impacts they make in the field of epidemiology.