Epidemiology is the scientific study of factors affecting the health and illness of individuals and populations, and serves as the foundation for interventions made in the interest of public health and preventive medicine. It is considered a cornerstone methodology of public health research, and is highly regarded in evidence-based medicine for identifying risk factors for disease and determining optimal treatment approaches to clinical practice. (For more information, click to read the "Epidemiology" article in  Wikipedia). 

Many research-oriented GIM Divisions focus narrowly on one or two aspects of epidemiology, like clinical decision-making, meta-analysis, or pharmacoepidemiology. Because of its close, historic relationship with the Department of Epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Hopkins GIM offers unparalleled scope and depth, encompassing topics of traditional interest to generalists, but extending to clinical trials and emerging areas, like social, molecular, and genetic epidemiology. The unifying features of epidemiologic research conducted by Hopkins GIM faculty are: 1) commitment to a multi-disciplinary approach; and 2) rapid translation from epidemiologic discovery into clinical and public health practice. 

Information about the faculty working in this research area and their projects is provided below.

Lawrence J. Appel, MD, MPH  
Professor of Medicine, Epidemiology, and International Health
Director, Welch Center for Prevention, Epidemiology, and Clinical Research
Director, Johns Hopkins ProHealth
Research Interests: Prevention of blood pressure-related cardiovascular and kidney diseases through pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic approaches, often nutrition-based             
To see publication abstracts: PubMed

Diane Becker, ScD, MPH
Professor of Medicine and Health Policy and Management  
Principal Investigator: GeneSTAR
Director, Center for Health Promotion
Research Interests: Molecular, genetic, and behavioral epidemiology of cardiovascular disease, family studies of premature cardiovascular disease, platelet dysfunction
To see publication abstracts: PubMed   

Wendy Bennett, MD, MPH
Assistant Professor of Medicine and Population, Family and Reproductive Health
Research Interests: Clinical epidemiology and management of gestational diabetes
To see publication abstracts: PubMed

Frederick L. Brancati, MD, MHS, FACP
Distinguished Service Professor of Medicine and Epidemiology
Samsung Professor of Medicine
Joint Appointments in Nursing and Oncology  
Associate Director, Division of General Internal Medicine
Director, Hopkins-UMB Diabetes Prevention & Control Core
Executive Medical Director, Business Development & Strategic Alliances
Core Faculty, Welch Center for Prevention, Epidemiology, and Clinical Research
Principal Investigator, Look AHEAD Study
Principal Investigator, NIDDKgrant (K24) for Patient-Oriented Research in Type 2 Diabetes
Research Interests: Epidemiology and prevention of type 2 diabetes mellitus and related conditions
To see publication abstracts: PubMed

Daniel Brotman, MD, FACP, FSHM
Associate Professor of Medicine
Director, JHH Hospitalist Program
Research Interests: Vascular events in hospitalized adults, circidian rhythms
To see publication abstracts: PubMed    

Geetanjali Chander, MD, MPH
Associate Professor of Medicine and Epidemiology
Director, GIM Fellowship Program
Principal Investigator, NIAAA grant (K23) on Alcoholism & HIV/AIDS
Research Interests: Epidemiology of alcoholism and substance abuse in relation to risk of HIV and hepatitis C, under-served populations
To see publication abstracts: PubMed    

Jeanne M. Clark, MD, MPH, FACP
Frederick Brancati, MD Professor of Medicine 
Joint Appointment in Epidemiology
Director, Division of General Internal Medicine
Core Faculty, Welch Center for Prevention, Epidemiology, and Clinical Research
Research Interests: Epidemiology of obesity, fatty liver disease, and related conditions, epidemiology and effectiveness of bariatric surgery
To see publication abstracts: PubMed 

Joseph Cofrancesco, MD, MPH, FACP
Associate Professor of Medicine
Director, Clinician-Educator Mentoring and Scholarship Program
Director, Center for Excellence in Education
Medical Director, Moore Clinic at Green Spring Station
Director, HIV Lipodystrophy and Metabolic Complications Clinic
Research Interests: Epidemiology, treatment, and prevention of HIV lipodystrophy
To see publication abstracts: PubMed   

Josef Coresh, MD, PhD, MHS  
Professor of Epidemiology and Medicine
Director, George W. Comstock Center for Public Health Research and Prevention (GWCC)   
Core Faculty, Welch Center for Prevention, Epidemiology, and Clinical Research
Director, CVD Epidemiology Track
Director, NHLBI Training Grant (T32) in Cardiovascular Epidemiology
Principal Investigator, the ARIC Study
Research Interests: Epidemiology of cardiovascular disease and chronic kidney disease, genetic and molecular epidemiology, epidemiologic methods
To see publication abstracts: PubMed

Gail Daumit, MD, MHS
Associate Professor of Medicine, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Epidemiology, and Health Policy and Management
Core Faculty, Welch Center for Prevention, Epidemiology, and Clinical Research
Research Interests: Epidemiology and prevention of obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease in adults with severe mental illness
To see publication abstracts: PubMed

Daniel Ford, MD, MPH 
Professor of Medicine, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Epidemiology, and Health Policy and Management
Vice Dean for Clinical Research, School of Medicine 
Core Faculty, Welch Center for Prevention, Epidemiology, and Clinical Research
Research Interests: Epidemiology and treatment of depression in primary care
To see publication abstracts: PubMed

Eliseo Guallar, MD, DrPH  
Professor of Epidemiology and Medicine
Core Faculty, Welch Center for Prevention, Epidemiology, and Clinical Research
Research interests: Epidemiology of heavy metal exposure in related to cardiovascular disease, meta-analytic methods, advanced epidemiologic methods
To see publication abstracts: PubMed  

W. H. Linda Kao, PhD, MPH  
Associate Professor of Epidemiology
Joint Appointment in Medicine/GIM
Core Faculty, Welch Center for Prevention, Epidemiology, and Clinical Research
Research Interests: Genetic epidemiology of obesity, type 2 diabetes, diabetic renal disease and related conditions; gene-gene and gene-environment interactions
To see publication abstracts: PubMed

Michael J. Klag, MD, MPH  
Professor of Epidemiology and Medicine 
Dean, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Core Faculty, Welch Center for Prevention, Epidemiology and Clinical Research
Research Interests: Cardiovascular and renal epidemiology
To see publication abstracts: PubMed    

Mariana Lazo, MD, PhD, MPH
Assistant Professor of Medicine/GIM
Research interests: Fatty liver disease, longitudinal studies, risk prediction
To see publication abstracts: PubMed

Nisa Maruthur, MD, MHS
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Co-Director, GIM Fellowship Program
Research interests: Clinical and molecular epidemiology of obesity and type 2 diabetes
To see publications abstracts: PUBMED

Richard Moore, MD, MHS  
Professor of Medicine and Epidemiology
Chief Exective Officer, Moore Clinic for HIV Care
Research Interests: Epidemiology and health services research of HIV and related conditions in primary care, pharmacoepidemiology
To see publication abstracts: PubMed

Karen A. Robinson, MSc, PhD
Associate Professor of Medicine/GIM, Epidemiology and Health Policy and Management
Co-Director, Evidence-Based Practice Center, JHSPH
Research and professional interests: Evidence-based health care, health informatics
To see publication abstracts: PubMed

Dhananjay (Jay) Vaidya, MBBS, PhD, MPH 
Associate Professor of Medicine
Research Interests: Statistics, vascular properties, gender differences and hormonal influences, randomized clinical trials
To see publication abstracts: PubMed

H.C. (Jessica) Yeh, PhD  
Assistant Professor of Medicine and  Epidemiology 
Core Faculty, Welch Center for Prevention, Epidemiology and Clinical Research 
Research Interests: Methods in epidemiology and controlled trials, clinical research mentorship, diabetes and novel complications, obesity
To see publication abstracts: PubMed

J. Hunter Young, MD, MPH 
Assistant Professor of Medicine and Epidemiology  
Core Faculty, Welch Center for Prevention, Epidemiology, and Clinical Research
Research Interests: Molecular and genetic epidemiology, physical anthropology, pathophysiology of hypertension in relation to obesity and diabetes
To see publication abstracts: PubMed

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