Research Interest Area: Chronic Disease/Lifecourse Epidemiology
Chronic disease/lifecourse epidemiology provides the interested student with the opportunity to learn techniques and tools to investigate etiology and control, including screening and outcomes, of chronic disease across the lifespan.
Overview
The PhD student in epidemiology should attain skills specifically for the practice of epidemiology in research, teaching and practical settings.
Students with the following interests and are encouraged to explore this research interest area:
- Aging
- Cancer
- Cardiovascular disease
- Diabetes
- Maternal, child, and reproductive health
- Mental health
- Musculoskeletal disorders
- Neurologic disorders including multiple sclerosis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and dementia
- Psychiatric disorders
- Socioenvironmental determinants
Faculty
Faculty members primarily working in this area
- Mary Charlton
- Anjali Deshpande
- John Flunker
- Michael O’Rorke
- Sarah Nash
- Jonathan Platt
- Paul Romitti
- Linda Snetselaar
- Jim Torner
Collaborating faculty
Emeritus faculty
Curriculum
Examples of Featured Emphasis Area Courses
- EPID:5560 Biomarkers in Epidemiology
- EPID:6350 Nutritional Epidemiology
- EPID:6600 Epidemiology of Chronic Diseases
Learning Objectives
Students interested in chronic disease/lifecourse epidemiology are preparing for a career in which they will:
- Describe the roles of developmental, genetic, infectious, nutritional, behavioral and environmental factors throughout the life span in chronic disease causation
- Summarize the current state of knowledge and develop hypotheses that may lead to new discoveries in the determinants and prevention of chronic disease
- Generate original ideas, data, and analyses of a quality that will influence public health practice or chronic disease epidemiological science
- Translate the available research into evidence-based public health practice for the prevention of chronic disease
- Design a study where a multidisciplinary team focused on behavioral, environmental, infectious, nutritional and/or genetic factors determines chronic disease etiology.
- Communicate original ideas and findings orally and in writing at a level effective for diverse audiences including attendees at professional meetings, readers of research journals, news media, and laypersons.
Recommended Plan of Study for the Chronic Disease/Life Course Research Interest Area PhD Elective Requirement
| course # | course name | s.h. | semester(s) offered* |
|---|---|---|---|
| EPID:5500 | Introduction to Clinical Epidemiology | 3 s.h. | Fall |
| EPID:5560 | Biomarkers in Epidemiology (Introduction to Molecular Epidemiology) | 3 s.h. | Spring odd years |
| EPID:6600 | Epidemiology of Chronic Disease | 3 s.h. | Spring even years |
| In addition, students will complete at least 14 s.h. from the following recommended courses or courses approved by faculty in the Chronic Disease Epidemiology interest area. Students should select courses in consultation with their advisor to reflect their research interest area (e.g. cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, aging, neurologic disorders, musculoskeletal disorders, etc). | |||
| EPID:5214 | Meta-analysis of Epidemiologic Studies | 3 s.h. | Spring |
| EPID:5540 | Public Health Surveillance Mechanisms, Applications and Data | 3 s.h. | Fall |
| EPID:6000 | Independent Study in Epidemiology | 3 s.h. | Fall, Spring, Summer |
| EPID:6071 | Social Epidemiology | 3 s.h. | Fall |
| EPID:6350 | Nutritional Epidemiology | 2 s.h. | Spring |
| EPID:6360 | Nutrition Intervention in Clinical Trials Research | 2 s.h. | Fall |
| EPID:6370 | Nutrition Intervention in Research Lab | 3 s.h. | Fall |
| EPID:6420 | Survey Design and Analysis | 3 s.h. | Spring even years (elective for Certificate in Biostatistics) |
| EPID:6570 | Infectious Causes of Chronic Diseases | 3 s.h. | Spring even years (elective for Certificate in Emerging Infectious Disease) |
| EPID:6900 | Design of Intervention and Clinical Trials | 3 s.h. | Fall |
| EPID:6910 | Pharmacoepidemiology and Comparative Effectiveness Research | 3 s.h. | Fall even years |
| EPID:6950 | Clinical Research Ethics | 2-3 s.h. | Spring |
| BIOS:5130 | Applied Categorical Data Analysis | 3 s.h. | Fall (elective for Certificate in Biostatistics) |
| CBH:5220 | Health Behavior and Health Education | 3 s.h. | Fall |
| CBH:5435 | Substance Abuse Prevention and Early Intervention | 3 s.h. | Spring even years |
| CBH:6205 | Designing and Implementing Interventions | 3 s.h. | Fall |
| CBH:6230 | Health Equity and Social Justice | 3 s.h. | Fall |
| FRRB:7001 | Molecular and Cellular Biology of Cancer | 3 s.h. | Contact department (offered Spring 2022, previously a fall very year course) |
| GENE:7191 | Human Molecular Genetics | 3 s.h. | Spring even years |
| GEOG:4150 | Health and Environment: GIS Applications | 3 s.h. | Fall |
| OEH:4240 | Global Environmental Health | 3 s.h. | Spring |
| *Semester(s) offered subject to change due to enrollment, instructor availability, etc. Students should always check the course schedule at MyUI.uiowa.edu for the most up to date version of the course schedule. | |||
Centers and Resources
Centers and Institutes
- Center for Health Effects of Environmental Contaminants
- Center for Health Policy and Research
- Center for Public Health Statistics
- Environmental Health Sciences Research Center
- Francois M. Abboud Cardiovascular Research Center
- Fraternal Order of Eagles Diabetes Research Center
- Hawk-IDDRC – Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center
- Health Effectiveness Research Center
- Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center
- Institute for Clinical and Translational Science
- Iowa Cancer Registry
- Iowa Perinatal Health Research Collaborative
- Iowa Cancer Consortium
- Iowa Department of Public Health
- Iowa Registry for Congenital and Inherited Disorders
- Nutrition Center
- Preventive Intervention Center
- Prevention Research Center for Rural Health
Research Resources
- Cancer Prevention and Control Research Network (CPCRN)
- Epidemiology Research Core
- Iowa Cancer Consortium
- SEER-Medicare Users Group
- SEER Patterns of Care Data
- SEER*Stat software
- Pilot Grant Programs (Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center, Environmental Health Sciences Research Program, Center for Health Effects of Environmental Contamination)
Additional Resources for Students:
- United States Research Data
- Available through Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR. ICPSR offers a wide range of data resources searchable on variable names as well as themed collections.
- United Kingdom and Ireland – Selected resources