Population aging is an incontrovertible trend in both the developing and the developed worlds. In the US, the population over age 65 will double in the coming decades. To address the needs of this growing segment of the population, there is an urgent need for public health professionals who specialize in aging. The concentration in the epidemiology of aging aims to provide advanced training to epidemiologists who wish to work on problems that affect older adults.
This area of concentration is appropriate for master's and doctoral students in Epidemiology who wish to concentrate on diseases or processes that affect health and functioning in older adults. In addition to the study of diseases that afflict older persons, training will also emphasize statistical, methodological, and theoretical issues related to the study of older populations. Students will develop practical skills and knowledge on how to study older populations from an epidemiologic perspective. This area of concentration includes specialized course work in aging from several departments around the School built upon a strong foundation in epidemiology and biostatistics. There is an emphasis on chronic diseases, although students who wish to study infectious diseases are also welcome. Because gerontology (the science of aging) is an exceptionally broad and interdisciplinary endeavor, students are encouraged to work closely with their advisors to accommodate specific research and career development interests.
Second-year students are required to develop a research project related to the study of aging in collaboration with their advisor. That project normally will involve collaboration on an epidemiologic study of older populations that is ongoing at the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions.
The Center has close ties with the Welch Center for Prevention, Epidemiology and Clinical Research and with the Departments of Epidemiology and Biostatistics. There are four core faculty members in the Center with appointments in the Department of Epidemiology who are available to serve as mentors and advisors.
The Center is also the home of a National Institutes of Health funded training grant in the Epidemiology and Biostatistics of Aging. This training grant provides funding to doctoral and pre-doctoral fellows who apply and are accepted. Those who are interested in the training grant should contact Ms. Carol Han (410-502-5495) for additional information.
Doctoral students and MHS or MSc students who participate in the Epidemiology of Aging area of concentration are encouraged to consider pursuing the Certificate in Gerontology. The Certificate Program in Gerontology is designed to work in parallel with the Epidemiology of Aging training program and provides students with an additional credential. Those students who are interested in the Certificate in Gerontology should submit a formal letter of application before December 31 prior to the expected year of graduation.
