This course provides an overview of epidemiology, including key terms, sources of data, and study design. Learners will calculate different rates of disease and go through the steps an epidemiologist takes to investigate a disease outbreak.
Epidemiological research helps us to understand how many people have a disease or disorder, if those numbers are changing, and how the disorder affects our society and our economy. The epidemiology of human communication is a rewarding and challenging field.
Epidemiology is the study and analysis of the distribution (who, when, and where), patterns and determinants of health and disease conditions in a defined population, and application of this knowledge to prevent diseases.
Epidemiology publishes original research from all fields of epidemiology. The journal also welcomes review articles and meta-analyses, novel hypotheses, descriptions and applications of new methods, and discussions of research theory or public health policy.
epidemiology, branch of medical science that studies the distribution of disease in human populations and the factors determining that distribution, chiefly by the use of statistics.
Epidemiology is the study of how various health challenges, including disease, spread, who they affect among populations and why, and how to prevent or control them. Learn more about this diverse field, which is the cornerstone of public health, here.
Epidemiology is a critical branch of medicine and public health that investigates the many factors that play into disease. Britannica explains that this practice "concerns itself with groups of people rather than individual patients and is frequently retrospective, or historical, in nature."
The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health was ranked #1 in Epidemiology by peers in the 2025 U.S. News & World Report Rankings. We improve the public’s health by training epidemiologists and advancing knowledge concerning the causes and prevention of disease and the promotion of health.