Epidemiology

Payton Watt, master's student in Epidemiology and Health Management and Policy, University of Michigan School of Public Health

Shaping Public Health Policy with Arab Communities in Israel

Payton Watt

With growing experience in epidemiology and health policy, master’s student Payton Watt is pursuing her passion for improving health in lower income populations. She continues to examine a pandemic that revealed flaws in US health care and how better policy can ensure access to basic needs.

Belinda Needham, Associate Professor and Chair of Epidemiology, University of Michigan School of Public Health

The Social Side of Disease and Disease Prevention

Belinda Needham

Socioeconomic status, overcrowding, institutional racism, political partisanship, and global economic inequality are all social factors that determine the disease risk for individuals and populations. And understanding those factors from all angles—from biology to sociology—can help us reduce that risk.

Kaitlyn Akel, Master’s Student in Epidemiology, University of Michigan School of Public Health

Confronting COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy with Public Health History

Kaitlyn Akel

Kaitlyn Akel combines her study of history and biology with her passion for public health to protect entire populations. From urban health to vaccine hesitancy to environmental health, Akel’s work connects academic and cultural insights to provide broader understandings of community health.

Lorem ipsum

Engaging and Empowering Vulnerable Communities for Climate Change Action

Marie O'Neill

Marie O’Neill, professor of Epidemiology and Environmental Health Sciences at the University of Michigan School of Public Health, uses this idea as a basis for her long-standing research on environmental and occupational exposures—and how they affect human health. We spoke to Marie to learn more about her research and community-based work.

wedding ceremony

Essential "I Do's": Epidemiology Alums Marry in Hospital During Pandemic

Jen Andonian, MPH ‘15 and Matt Shearer, MPH ‘14

Two epidemiology alums found love here on campus while earning their master’s degrees. When their wedding plans are interrupted by a global pandemic, their community of health colleagues help them get married in a unique ceremony fit for these hardworking frontline heroes.