Alumni,Epidemiology

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.

Anna Siu

Empowering Better Health through Empathy

Anna Siu, MPH ’14

Registered dietician Anna Siu believes the most successful patient outcomes are based in understanding each patient as a real person. She's now bringing that empathetic philosophy to a unique program aimed at defeating type 2 diabetes.

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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.