Disease detectives
COVID-19. Racism. Cancer. HIV. Vexing public health challenges demand answers from epidemiology — the study and analysis of disease distribution, frequency and causes. Decisions like coronavirus closures, tobacco policy and nutrition labeling can’t be made responsibly without epidemiology to back them up. Along with critical skills in disease surveillance, outbreak investigation, molecular epidemiology and research methods, Ohio State epidemiology students gain an understanding of the historical and social context surrounding diseases. Taught by world-class faculty, they examine how social determinants of health — like chronic and infectious illnesses — tend to spread in predictable patterns. Alumni go on to work at research firms, colleges and universities, hospitals and public health agencies.
