Social Epidemiology

Two people embracing surrounded by a vibrant floral pattern.

Loneliness is a public health issue: Let's tackle it together

Discover the surprising impacts of loneliness on our physical and cognitive health. Lindsay Kobayashi, a social epidemiologist at the University of Michigan School of Public Health, discusses what’s happening in research and policy that can help combat the loneliness epidemic.

Health and dignity for Michigan farmworkers

Health and dignity for Michigan farmworkers

With the Michigan Farmworker Project, two researchers document the health challenges faced by the state’s agricultural workers. Alexis Handal and Lisbeth Iglesias-Rios discuss the crucial role of data in driving policy changes for better conditions for farmworkers.

disease

(Re)emerging infectious diseases

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, many people didn’t spend as much time thinking about a news report about an emerging or reemerging disease popping up in another part of the world—or even in our own country. But now, that news feels different, more consequential. In this new era, where global media attention has turned to epidemiology and infectious disease, how do we understand our situation and feel protected when it seems like we’re hearing about so many diseases all the time?