School of Medicine Departments
Epidemiology & Preventive Medicine
Professor and Chair
J. Glenn Morris, Jr., MD, MPH & TM
Modern epidemiology is a biomedical discipline at the interface of clinical practice and basic medical science. Preparation for the practice of medicine requires knowledge not only of clinical medicine and basic medical science, but also epidemiology, research methods, biostatistics and social science.
The department is engaged in teaching, research and service across the spectrum of public health and preventive medicine. The faculty has expertise in clinical epidemiology, biostatistics, bioinformatics, environmental and occupational medicine, molecular epidemiology, pharmacologic epidemiology, clinical preventive medicine, health services research, aging, behavioral sciences, infectious diseases, international health, women's health and clinical research methods.
Departmental courses, seminars, journal club, clinical assignments and supervised research experiences are offered to enhance the physician's capabilities in these areas of increasing importance to clinical medicine. Interdisciplinary relationships have been formed with other departments and clinics within the University of Maryland Medical Center and throughout the region.
The department introduces principles of epidemiology and biostatistics, clinical research methods, occupational and environmental medicine and organization of the health care system in the second year, and shows their application to clinical medicine in the third and fourth years of the medical school curriculum.
MD/PhD students can elect to pursue their PhD degree in epidemiology or in molecular epidemiology. Another option for medical students interested in epidemiology and preventive medicine is a combined MD/MPH or MD/MS degree.
The department sponsors an ACGME approved two-year residency program leading to board certification in preventive medicine. The program prepares physicians for positions in federal health agencies, state health departments, hospitals, medical schools, public health institutes and industry, as well as for the practice of clinical preventive medicine.
Many of the graduate courses, tutorials and research experiences are available to medical students during their elective periods. Students are welcome at departmental seminars listed in the academic calendar and at the journal club which is scheduled each week throughout the academic year.
Community service activities of the department are carried out in health planning, research and evaluation through active collaboration with hospital clinics, health departments, governmental agencies and voluntary organizations concerned with public health problems.
RESEARCH INTERESTS
Department research activities cover a broad range of faculty interests. Clinical and community intervention studies are directed toward the causes and prevention of major chronic diseases. Environmental and genetic risk factors associated with disability are an area of active research. Research on hip replacement outcomes, as well as treatment of Lyme disease, exemplifies increased attention to the study of medical care effectiveness and outcomes. Behavioral change research, particularly smoking cessation and diet modification, focuses on establishing and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. The department's program of international health has a research project on viral hepatitis in Egypt and investigates the prevention and control of infectious and tropical diseases in other parts of the world. Women's health throughout the life cycle has become a recent research concentration; musculoskeletal and reproductive health are of particular interest.
UNDERGRADUATE MEDICAL PROGRAM
Second Year
Biostatistical and epidemiological methods, principles of occupational and environmental medicine and organization of the health care system are integrated into the blocks of systems-oriented instruction in the second year. The emphasis is on providing practitioners with the tools necessary to evaluate critically the scientific medical literature regarding issues such as disease etiology and diagnostic testing, as well as preventive and therapeutic interventions. These concepts are introduced in lectures and applied in exercises in small-group sessions. The exercises complement systems-related material introduced by other disciplines and relate to research papers which address clinically relevant issues.
Clinical Years
The applications of preventive medicine to clinical medicine are integrated into clinical rotations both by formal presentations and by patient-related discussions with clinical preceptors. Emphasis is placed on the important role of the physician in health promotion and disease prevention and the application of evidenced-based medicine to clinical problem-solving. Senior year electives are offered in public health, occupational medicine, preventive medicine research, and international health.
Electives
Elective opportunities are available for medical students, including tutorials with selected faculty members, supervised research experiences and field experience. Offerings include the following:
PREV 541. Introduction to Public Health Practice
PREV 542. Tropical Medicine and International Health
PREV 545. Health Problems in Developing Countries
PREV 589/599. Research in Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine
SUMMER FELLOWSHIPS
Summer fellowships in preventive medicine are available to a limited number of students. Each student works closely with a faculty member and undertakes a research project in some aspect of preventive medicine or epidemiology. Students also participate in departmental seminars, journal club and workshops that enhance interaction with faculty members, residents and other students. Elective credit may be given upon completion of project requirements.
GRADUATE AND POSTGRADUATE STUDIES
The department's graduate program consists of a PhD in epidemiology and an MS in epidemiology and preventive medicine, as well as the MD/PhD, MD/MPH and MD/MS combined degrees available to medical students. Work toward the PhD in the combined MD/PhD degree program will normally occupy at least three years between the second and third years of medical school. Contact the MD/PhD program office at (410) 706-3990 for information about stipends. The combined MD/MPH and MD/MS degrees may require one year in addition to the usual four-year medical school curriculum which also satisfies one year of the requirements for board certification in preventive medicine.
The department has a postgraduate two-year residency program in preventive medicine leading to eligibility for certification by the American Board of Preventive Medicine. The residency provides a variety of individually planned opportunities for advanced study and practice in epidemiology, biostatistics, computer science, health care administration, gerontology and occupational health. Components of the residency program include required and elective graduate-level courses, a variety of seminars, journal club and workshops, supervised research experiences and field placements in public health or research settings. Course work leads to a Master of Science degree in epidemiology and preventive medicine or a Master of Public Health degree.
In cooperation with the Departments of Medicine, Pediatrics, Family Medicine and other clinical departments, combined residency programs may be arranged for qualified applicants leading to board-eligibility in both preventive medicine and a clinical specialty.
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