The epidemiology program addresses health disparities as a crosscutting theme at the local, national, and global levels via didactic training, practicums, and applied hands-on research leading to the written thesis. All students take a sequence of core courses in epidemiology, health disparities research, and introduction to the concentrations. Then the students choose one of the three areas of concentrations offered for their electives and thesis focus. Our curriculum provides an opportunity for students: to develop an understanding of the principles of social justice and health equity, and to recognize the biological, social, and economic determinants of health disparities nationally and globally, through scientifically grounded training in theory, policy and, research in epidemiology to study and apply epidemiological methods to the investigation of health disparities, and to understand role of community-based and community-engaged research in the amelioration of health disparities to recognize existing disparities across common health conditions and specific methods to eliminate such disparities.<br><br>The Social & Behavioral Epidemiology concentration provides graduate students with a command of essential concepts and skills in epidemiology and a solid foundation in human social and behavioral science theories, research methods, and their application to clinical and public health challenges, including disparities in social and behavioral health. Students who choose this concentration will develop competency in topics such as social determinants of health, health promotion, and risk and resilient behaviors in disease prevention and control. The concentration in social and behavioral epidemiology also provides graduates with comprehensive research, advocacy, and program planning and management skills and prepare them for careers in local, national, and global disease prevention and control programs and population health management.