The College of Public Health at the University of Georgia was established in 2005 and fully accredited in 2009. After achieving this milestone, the College developed its doctoral degree in Epidemiology which was approved by the University and Board of Regents in 2011.

Housed within the College of Public Health, the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics trains public health professionals to use epidemiological principles and biostatistical methods to conduct innovative research that addresses existing and emerging public health issues. Epidemiologic principles include study design, statistical analysis of epidemiologic data, and information management. The areas of research include both infectious disease and chronic disease epidemiology.

The doctoral degree in Epidemiology is designed to train future leaders in the field, to address public health research and practice needs at state, national and international levels. The curriculum builds expertise in research methodology and inferential statistics so that graduates may create new knowledge that can be used to shape future interventions that change standard of care at multiple levels.

The objective of the Ph.D. program in epidemiology and biostatistics is to provide students with in- depth knowledge of core epidemiological, data analysis, modeling and biostatistical methods training. Students are expected to apply their knowledge to design, implement and evaluate research in public health and biomedicine. In addition, students will become subject matter experts in their chosen area of emphasis of Biostatistics (BIOS), Epidemiology (EPID), or Data Analysis & Modeling (DAM). The Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics embraces competency-based education as set forth by the Council of Education of Public Health.

For the Ph.D. program, the following general competencies apply: - Improve the quality of public health and biomedical investigations using sound study design and the appropriate application of state-of-the-art modeling, data analysis and biostatistical methods. - Train epidemiologists, data scientists and biostatisticians to respond to future challenges in public health, to educate future generations of students in the field, and to provide service to the community. - Evaluate and synthesize primary research literature to appraise the state of knowledge in an area of public health. - Demonstrate and practice ethical research as it pertains to all aspects of data collection, management, analysis, and interpretation. This includes ethical and legal principles as they pertain to the collection, maintenance, use, and dissemination of data. - Communicate effectively with lay audiences, with investigators in public health and other biomedical researchers.

For the Area of Emphasis in Epidemiology, the following additional competencies apply: - Choose valid observational or interventional study designs, data sources, and analytic methods to answer epidemiological questions. - Apply key sources of epidemiologic data to inform programmatic and research activities. - Lead and manage a research team to conduct an epidemiologic study. - Articulate research questions in epidemiology that address critical problems in public health.

Nichole Thomas, CPhT Graduate Program Administrator nthomas@uga.edu Jessica Knight, PhD Director of Graduate Studies jessica.knight@uga.edu