Message from the Chair

Welcome to the Department of Epidemiology and Community Health. Our Department is actively engaged in generating and transmitting knowledge in disease prevention and health protection essential to meeting public health challenges. We train the new generation of public health professionals to respond to the recent challenges of bio-terrorism and new infectious diseases while continuing efforts to reduce the burden of disease on society and ensure the safety of our food, water, and workplaces. Ranked among the top community health programs in the United States by U.S. News and World Report, the Department provides courses of study leading to master’s (MPH) and doctoral (PhD) degrees and research opportunities in the application of solutions to a wide range of health problems. Our MPH degree program is fully accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health and provides essential skills and knowledge to prepare the public health leaders of tomorrow to conduct health surveillance, analyze population-based data, and design, implement, and evaluate public health programs and policies.  The doctoral degree program in epidemiology trains students to become competent, self-directed research scientists capable of conducting rigorous clinical and population-based research.   We also train licensed physicians in public health and general preventive medicine through a fully accredited two-year residency program and provide population-based medicine courses to medical students.

Our students include those new to the discipline as well as seasoned health professionals who want to enhance their current job performance or seek new career opportunities in public health.  A multidisciplinary faculty offers rich experience in a broad range of research areas.

Our location on Virginia Commonwealth University’s medical sciences campus in the capital of Virginia gives students and faculty easy access to a wide variety of lectures and seminars; research opportunities; library and computer resources; health, educational, and human service programs; health care and clinical venues; and community and political activities.  Our Department is located just a few blocks from the State Capitol, Richmond’s City Hall, and the Virginia Department of Health, and only two hours from Washington, D.C., the nation’s capital. The nearby VCU Academic Campus offers a second library, many related courses including those in the new Life Sciences Initiative, as well as sports activities and other special events.

We invite you to consider how the Department of Epidemiology and Community Health can help you attain the knowledge and skills you need to prepare to meet your career goals.

Tilahun Adera, PhD
Professor and Chairman
Department of Epidemiology and Community Health