Epidemiology and Population Health
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
Dr. Goldman Rosas' produce prescription program featured by Fox5NY
August 1, 2024 - Dr. Goldman Rosas was featured in a new Fox 5 New York segment discussing the benefits of a Food as Medicine program that provides prescriptions for affordable produce based on patients' needs.
Dr. Cardenas explains PFAS in new Stanford Scope blog
July 25, 2024 - Headlines about a group of chemicals known as PFAS often focus on their potential health risks, but many people remain confused about what, if anything, they should do to protect themselves from PFAS. Dr. Cardenas has analyzed years of national health data to uncover how PFAS exposure changes people's health. In this article, he and other Stanford experts share what they know about PFAS - and what the public should understand about potential health risks.
New study finds more Black Americans die from effects of air pollution
July 16, 2024 - A new study by Stanford researchers, including EPH professor Mathew Kiang, found that Black Americans are significantly more likely to die from causes related to air pollution compared with other racial and ethnic groups. Black Americans suffer from more exposure to polluted air along with more susceptibility to its adverse health effects because of societal disadvantages.
New report finds significant lack of data and research on chronic conditions affecting women is hindering diagnosis, treatment, and prevention
July 10, 2024 - EPH professor Julia Simard sits on a National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine committee that recently released a report that calls on the National Institutes of Health and other relevant federal research agencies to enhance their research efforts to better understand chronic conditions in women.
New study finds targeted malaria interventions deliver benefits to nearby individuals
July 4, 2024 - EPH Professor Jade Benjamin-Chung is the senior author of a new study published in Nature Medicine that explores the "spillover effects" of targeted malaria interventions. Benjamin-Chung and fellow researchers found that non-recipients living within 1km of combined chemoprevention and vector control interventions had 43% lower malaria incidence. Within 3km of combined interventions, non-recipients experienced 79% lower malaria prevalence. These spillover effects increase cost-effectiveness of the intervention by 42%.