With vast and far-reaching expertise, along with its location within a leading university in a world-class city, the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health is an ideal site for the research, teaching, and practice of epidemiology. Students and faculty benefit from access to and interactions with accomplished colleagues not only in the department, but throughout UCLA Fielding and the UCLA Health system, as well as across UCLA's campus. Los Angeles, as one of the world's most diverse metropolitan areas, presents unparalleled opportunities both for studying and addressing epidemiologic issues, as well as for collaborating with community-based organizations, government agencies, policymakers, and others.<br><br>Epidemiologists get to the root of health-related problems. Through specialized methodologies, epidemiologists identify, track, and analyze how diseases and other conditions are caused, transmitted, and prevented, as well as how they are distributed throughout the population. Such information plays a critical role in guiding policies and other evidence-based strategies to promote health and work toward health equity. The vital importance of epidemiologic research was highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic, in which epidemiologists have helped to track outbreaks and provide guidance on how the virus spreads in community settings. UCLA Fielding School faculty emerged as leaders early in the pandemic in communicating these findings to the public.