Molecular Epidemiology

What is the role of air pollutants in causing asthma? Which household pesticides increase a child’s risk of neurodevelopmental disorders? How do exposures to environmental toxins damage DNA in ways that set the stage for cancer? Answering questions like these is the realm of molecular epidemiology, a fast-growing field that evolved out of the integration of epidemiology and molecular biology.

The new Molecular Epidemiology Certificate, which draws on the School’s former Molecular Epidemiology track, teaches students this important discipline. Capitalizing on the ground-breaking work done by faculty in this area, the program introduces students to ongoing Mailman School studies being conducted at the local, state, national, and global level.

Graduates of the program are trained to be critical thinkers and are equipped with the tools needed to understand the underlying molecular mechanisms of toxic exposures and the disease processes they can trigger. Whether in academia, the chemical or pharmaceutical industry, an environmental protection agency, health department, or public interest group, graduates will be prepared to assess the impact of toxic environmental exposures on the underlying molecular mechanisms of disease.

Admissions Eligibility

Molecular Epidemiology is open to Columbia MPH students in:

Environmental Health Sciences

The program requires applicants to have one year of biology or a relevant life sciences course (Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, Environmental Science, etc). Applicants must also have one year of College Math or one semester of Calculus or evidence of mathematical proficiency based on the GRE Quantitative score.