Epidemiology

On a PHAST track

Public health students’ experiences beyond the classroom prepare them for success

The Public Health Action Support Team (PHAST) at Michigan Public Health offers students hands-on experience in public health. During the most recent annual trip to Grenada, students worked on projects like promoting voluntary blood donation, enhancing Alzheimer’s care, and supporting disability services, demonstrating the vital role of experiential learning and community engagement in driving public health initiatives.

Living fuller lives

Finding innovative ways to foster purposeful living and positive social connections

Americans of all ages face increasing loneliness and mental health issues. Michigan Public Health is addressing this crisis through research by faculty such as Victor Strecher promoting purposeful living, Lindsay Kobayashi studying health impacts of loneliness, and John Piette’s SPEAK! program fostering social connections.

The state of research

The commitment to public health begins right here in Michigan

The University of Michigan stands out as a premier public research institution and, within it, the School of Public Health is recognized as an epicenter of innovative research and excellence in education. Last year, Michigan Public Health topped $100 million in research expenditures, boasting the highest research expenditure per faculty member across the university.

Sara Adar's research informs the EPA and helps safeguard kids

‘Changing the world because of my science’

Sara Adar jokes that her kids have grown tired of her antics—as she puts it, they are “very much over me.” Although her 14-year-old twins still call her “Science Mom,” they no longer participate when she stops the car at a moment’s notice to go play in traffic, testing some level of environmental disturbance. Fortunately for the rest of us, Adar is still “playing in traffic.”

Larry Brilliant: A lifelong pursuit of public health, 'the most rewarding field in the world'

Dr. Larry Brilliant, MPH ’77, arrived at the University of Michigan School of Public Health in the 1970s with perhaps the most impressive résumé for a prospective student. He and his wife, Girija, had just returned from India after helping eradicate smallpox. Of course, the physician and medical epidemiologist has gone on to have a world-class career in public health and in the technology industry.

Public Health IDEAS adds two new interdisciplinary research initiatives

Combating Infectious Diseases and Building Health Equity

Michigan Public Health recently launched two new initiatives under its Public Health IDEAS umbrella that will focus on preventing the spread of infectious diseases and building health equity: Public Health IDEAS Combating Infectious Diseases and Public Health IDEAS for Building Health Equity.