Welcome to the Social Epidemiology Cluster’s new blog and website. The Cluster is one of the six thematic units within the Mailman School of Public Health‘s Department of Epidemiology.
Social epidemiology cluster faculty members seek to understand the ways in which social, political, cultural, and economic circumstances influence our chances for a healthy life. We combine theory from the social sciences with rigorous epidemiological methods so that we can illuminate the connections between social factors and health and use what we find to improve health. Within this broad frame we have a special interest in the connections between social inequalities and health inequalities.
The blog will highlight the importance of research and interventions focused on social determinants of health for promoting population health and reducing disparities in health outcomes. The blog will include commentary on research news and policy debates and initiatives, and will disseminate research findings from work being performed at Columbia University. We plan to publish companion info-graphics and visualizations that will serve as companion pieces to the research papers published in the academic press.
