College of Public Health Departments
Biostatistics
Biostatistics is the science of applying statistical discipline to the complex problems presented in all areas of biology and medicine. The Biostatistics Department collaborates with scientists, physicians, clinical investigators and other researchers, provides statistical consulting, teaches courses in biostatistics, and conducts methodological research.
The mission of the Biostatistics Department is to provide leadership in the application of quantitative sciences in collaborations with clinical, laboratory, and community investigators in the planning, conduct, analysis, and interpretation of research studies.
The Department's expertise includes clinical trials, study design, survival analysis, generalized linear models, longitudinal analysis, survey methodology, and analysis of microarray gene-expression data and other high-dimensional data. Department members can assist investigators in planning and designing scientific studies, developing efficient and effective means of collecting and managing data, and discerning, strengthening, and communicating findings.
Environmental, Agricultural & Occupational Health
The mission of the Department of Environmental, Agricultural and Occupational Health is to foster research, education and service that lead to improvements in environmental health, agricultural health, and occupational health and safety. In addition, the Department works to decrease toxicological problems associated with environmental and occupational exposures and foster more sustainable environments. This mission will be accomplished through multi-campus, interdisciplinary collaborations.
Epidemiology
The Epidemiology Department promotes public health through a variety of teaching and research activities. Educational offerings include courses available to medical and graduate students, as well as sponsorship of a departmental journal club and occasional guest lecturers. Recent research projects have focused on topics in maternal and child health, cardiovascular disease, cancer prevention and control, and neurologic disorders.
The mission of the Department of Epidemiology at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, College of Public Health is to utilize research and education to evaluate and improve population health.
Our objectives are:
- To prepare future epidemiology researchers and practitioners and disseminate current knowledge to the scientific community and general public.
- To conduct multidisciplinary research to assess distribution and determinants of disease and implement preventive measures.
Health Services Research & Administration
The Health Services Research & Administration Department promotes interdisciplinary research to investigate and plan for policy relevant to the delivery of health services.
Mission: Through state and national leadership in rural health services research and education, the Department of Health Services Research and Administration seeks to influence the content and implementation of public policies in ways that improve the health of Nebraskans and all rural residents in the United States.
Health Promotion, Social & Behavioral Health
The Department of Health Promotion, Social & Behavioral Health promotes public health through a variety of teaching and research activities. There are two distinct faculty groups in the department.
There are five faculty in Humanities and Law who are responsible for education, research, and service on health care ethics, health law, professionalism, the history of medicine, and the medical arts and humanities. Faculty support the activities of such university functions as the Medical Ethics Committee, the Ethics Consultation Service, and the Institutional Review Board. Faculty conduct scholarly and empirical research on a variety of topics, including advance directives, nursing ethics, ethical issues in organ transplantation, medical organization, environmental aspects of health care, genetics, advanced medical technology, public health ethics, history of medicine and public health and the aesthetic and humanistic aspects of health care facilities.
There are currently two faculty in Health Promotion with three to be hired this year. These faculty are responsible for education, research and service on topics related to health promotion. They will teach courses leading to a PhD in Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Research as well as courses in the MPH Community Health Education concentration. Faculty conduct research on topics related to social determinants of health and tobacco control including documenting the association between socioeconomic position and smoking, elucidating the mechanism of the link between social disadvantage and smoking, investigating the relationship between financial stress, smoking and smoking-induced deprivation, understanding how smoking is related to health disparities and social inequality, examining the differential impact of population level interventions on smoking behavior, reporting the effect of smoke-free policies on revenues in the hospitality industry. They also conduct research related to the assessment and promotion of physical activity to improve health-related outcomes in diverse populations.
