Epidemiology

Established early in the 20^th Century, the Department of Epidemiology at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health has had five chairs since World War II, each of whom has played an important role in the Department’s trajectory and impact on the field.

The first, E. Gurney Clark (1947-1966), was best known for his important textbook on preventive medicine and guide to epidemiologic investigation. Under Dr. Clark, the Department developed a dynamic relationship with the New York City Department of Health - a relationship that has been nurtured and grown by succeeding leadership.

Mervyn Susser next led the Department for 12 years, initiating a strong and abiding relationship with New York State Psychiatric Institute (NYSPI), formalizing our commitment to future generations of scientists by initiating several prestigious training programs, and – critical to our service and translational mission – obtaining funding to train clinicians in the field of epidemiology.

Under his leadership, the Department established a strong focus on child development, mental health, and the social and psychological sciences, which was unusual for departments of epidemiology at that time. In 1967, our Psychiatric Epidemiology Training Program was established, followed in 1972 by the award of a prestigious T32 training program from NIMH to Bruce Dohrenwend that is now in its 37^th year of funding. A PhD program in Epidemiology was also established, and its first graduate was awarded her degree in 1977.

Subsequent chairs, Drs. Jennifer Kelsey and Geoffrey Howe, expanded the Department’s focus to include women’s reproductive health and cancer epidemiology, thus providing the foundation for what is now one of our strongest research, training, and service programs.

In 1999, Ezra Susser was appointed Department Chair and, working with Mailman School Dean Allan Rosenfield, embarked on a vision that has brought the Department of Epidemiology into the 21^st Century. During this time, the epidemiology department transformed from one with few grants and a limited purview into one with a very large grant portfolio and many outstanding programs that contribute to shaping the field worldwide.

In 2008, Dr. Susser decided to step down from his position as chair. Dr. William Friedewald stepped in as acting-chair for a year while a search committee convened a vigorous international search for the epidemiology chair.

On January 1, 2010, Sandro Galea, MD, DrPH ‘03, joined the Mailman School as the new chair of the Department of Epidemiology and as the Anna Cheskis Gelman and Murray Charles Gelman Professor of Epidemiology. Internationally recognized for his seminal contributions in the field of epidemiology, Dr. Galea's research seeks to uncover how determinants at multiple levels of influence—including policies, features of the social environment, molecular and genetic factors—jointly produce the health of populations.