Department of Preventive Medicine

Return to: Keck School of Medicine of USC

Biostatistics Division
2001 N. Soto Street, Suite 205
Los Angeles, CA 90032-9234
Director: W. Gauderman, PhD
(323) 442-1810
FAX: (323) 442-2993
Email: mtrujill@usc.edu
biostats.usc.edu

Health Behavior Research Division
c/o USC/IPR
2001 N. Soto Street, Suite 205
Los Angeles, CA 90032-3628
Director: Mary Ann Pentz, PhD
(323) 442-8299
Email: sfagan@usc.edu
phdhbr.usc.edu

Environmental Health Division
2001 N. Soto Street, Suite 230
Los Angeles, CA 90032-3628
Director: Frank D. Gilliland, MD, PhD
(323) 442-1096
FAX: (323) 442-3272
keck.usc.edu/preventive-medicine/

Master of Public Health Program
2001 N. Soto Street, Suite 205
Los Angeles, CA 90032-3628
Director: Louise A. Rohrbach, PhD, MPH
(323) 442-8237
Email: rchon@usc.edu
mph.usc.edu

Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Studies Program
837 Downey Way
Stonier Hall, Suite 101
Los Angeles, CA 90089-1149
Director: Elahe Nezami, PhD
(213) 740-1060
Email: bhealthy@usc.edu
hpdp.usc.edu

Global Health Studies
837 Downey Way
Stonier Hall, Suite 101
Los Angeles, CA 90089-1149
Director: Elahe Nezami, PhD
(213) 740-1060
Email: bhealthy@usc.edu
hpdp.usc.edu

Faculty

Professor and Interim Chair: Thomas Valente, PhD (Dentistry and Annenberg)

AFLAC Chair in Cancer Research: Christopher Haiman, ScD

Verna R. Richter Chair in Cancer Research: Duncan Thomas, PhD

Sidney R. Garfield Chair in Health Sciences: Mary Ann Pentz, PhD

Professors: H. Allayee (Chemistry and Mol Biology); L. Baezconde-Garbanati; R. Bluthenthal; M. Cockburn; D. Conti; W. Cozen (Pathology); G. Dunton (Psychology); C. Haiman; W.J. Gauderman; F.D. Gilliland; M. Goran (Physiology/Biophysics and Pediatrics [CHLA]); S. Gruskin (Gould Law School); A. Leventhal (Psychology); Chun Li; T.M. Mack (Pathology); Wendy Mack (Gerontology); R. McConnell; M.A. Pentz; K. Siegmund; D. Stram; S. Sussman; T. Valente (Dentistry and Annenberg); D.C. Thomas; P.D. Thomas, Jr. (Molecular & Computational Biology); J. Unger; R. Watanabe (Physiology and Biophysics); J. Wiemels; A. Wu

Associate Professors: C. Breton; L Chatzi; J.C. Chen; S. Eckel; S. Ingles (OB/GYN); W. Setiawan

Assistant Professors: J. Barrington-Trimis; B. Belcher; D. Black; Z. Chen; C. Chiang; K. de la Haye; S. Farzan; L. Ferguson; E. Garcia; M. Herting (Pediatrics and CHLA); J. Johnston; D. Meeker (Pediatrics and CHLA); N. Mancuso

Professors of Clinical: E.L. Avol; M. Cousineau; D. Deapen; D. Van Den Berg

Associate Professors of Clinical: D. Barkauskas; V. Cortessis (OB/GYN); T. Boley-Cruz; M. Franklin; R. Karim; S. Kumar; L. Liu; R. Mckean-Cowdin (Ophthalmology); E. Nezami (Viterbi); L. Rohrbach; M. Wilson; H. Wipfli; M. Withers

Associate Professor of Clinical and Educational Scholar: C. Patino-Sutton

Assistant Professors of Clinical: T. Bastain; R. Burke; F. Choudhury; H. Dang; A. de Smith; A. Farias; R. Habre; J. Hartiala; A. Hwang; L. Ji; S. Kim; C. Koprowski; J.P. Lewinger; T. Mason; K. Miller; J. Piao; L. Polfus; A. Ritt; C. Soto (Children, Youth and Families); J. Steinberg; S. Tommasi;

Professors of Research: T. Alonzo; J.D. Buckley (Pediatrics and CHLA); M. Li; S. Groshen; A. Hamilton; S. Hempel; M. Krailo; P. Marjoram; M. Stern (Urology)

Associate Professors of Research: H. Bersaratinia; J. Huh; E. Lee; H. Mi; J. Milam; L. Renfro

Assistant Professors of Research: J.P. Allem; J. Cho, K. Islam; M. Kirkpatrick; J. Millstein; R. Pang; S. Smiley; J. Wang

Adjunct Professors: L. Mascola; K. Berhane; J. Miles; D.J.M. Tarantola; H.F. Tseng; J. Samet

Adjunct Associate Professors: C. Lane; L. Park; A. Xiang

Adjunct Assistant Professors: T. Alderate; T. Salam; C. Toledo-Corral

Emeritus Professors: S.P. Azen (Biokinesiology and Physical Therapy, Ophthalmology, Occupational Science); L. Bernstein; C-P Chou; J. Casagrande; S.Groshen; A. Hricko; B. Langholz; M.C. Pike; J. Richardson; R. Sposto

The Department of Preventive Medicine is responsible for training medical, graduate and undergraduate students in the areas of biostatistics, epidemiology, health behavior research, public health and preventive medicine. Faculty from the statistical genetics and molecular epidemiology department also perform research in the areas of biostatistics, epidemiology of acute and chronic diseases, and environmental health.

The undergraduate and graduate programs offered by the department are noteworthy for the extensive opportunities offered to the students for involvement in faculty research. It is not uncommon for students to begin working closely with faculty members on research projects as early as their first or second year of study.

Undergraduate Degrees

Progressive Degree Programs in Preventive Medicine

The Master of Public Health, the Master of Science in Biostatistics, the Master of Science in Applied Biostatistics/Epidemiology and the Master of Science in Molecular Epidemiology programs admit a limited number of undergraduate students to a progressive degree program, which allows them to pursue a master’s level degree while completing the bachelor’s degree. Applicants to the program must have completed 64 units of course work and must submit their applications prior to the completion of 96 units of course work. Applicants need not submit GRE scores, but are expected to have a minimum GPA of 3.0 at the time of application. The application for admission to a progressive degree program must be accompanied by an approved course plan proposal and two letters of recommendation. The requirements for both the BS and the master’s degrees must be satisfied, including a minimum of 128 undergraduate units. For further details on progressive degree programs, see the Requirements for Graduation page.

Graduate Programs

Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology (Clinical)/Master of Public Health (Health Promotion)

The PhD/MPH dual degree combines knowledge of clinical psychology research and practice with an understanding of health from a population perspective. The student enrolls primarily in the clinical psychology doctoral program and may apply to the MPH program during the first year. During the second and subsequent years, course work is taken in both programs. The dissertation is undertaken through the Department of Psychology .

PharmD/Master of Public Health

The School of Pharmacy and the Master of Public Health program, in recognition of the rapidly changing health care environment and in response to the growing demand for pharmacists who are knowledgeable in both pharmacy and population-based health care issues, have developed a dual degree program. The joint PharmD/MPH degree will enable graduates to be more responsive to today’s health care needs and will provide training for pharmacists who seek to be agents of change within the profession and to assume leadership roles in the pharmacy field and in public health at the local, state and national levels.

The Doctor of Pharmacy/Master of Public Health (PharmD/MPH) program spans five years (four years of pharmacy school courses and one year of public health courses). Students begin the core MPH courses following the successful completion of the first year of pharmacy school. The last three years of the program are devoted to the clinical rotations of the School of Pharmacy and to the completion of the elective courses and practicum (field experience) of the MPH program.

All students in the PharmD/MPH program must meet course requirements, grade point average requirements and program residency requirements of both programs. Students must have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 in the PharmD curriculum and a 3.0 in the MPH curriculum to meet graduation requirements.

The PharmD and the MPH degrees are awarded simultaneously upon completion of the School of Pharmacy and the Master of Public Health requirements.

Application and Admissions Requirements

Students may apply to the dual PharmD/MPH degree program in two ways. First, they may apply at the time they submit their PharmD application by concurrently submitting applications to both programs. Students who elect this approach must identify themselves on both applications as potential dual degree students. Students admitted to both programs will be offered admission to the PharmD and will be offered admission to the dual degree program contingent on passing all courses in their first year of the PharmD with a minimum 3.0 GPA. Students who are accepted only by one program may choose to attend that program but will not be eligible for the dual degree. Second, students can apply to the dual degree by submitting an application to the MPH program during their first year of enrollment in the PharmD prior to the MPH published application deadline. Students who elect this approach must apply through the School of Pharmacy. Students admitted to the MPH program using this approach will be offered admission to the dual degree contingent on passing all courses in their first year of the PharmD with a minimum 3.0 GPA. Students accepted to the dual degree program must maintain a minimum 3.0 GPA in Public Health and PharmD courses.

MD/Master of Public Health

The joint MD/MPH program at the Keck School of Medicine is designed for individuals who envision a medical career that combines public health and medical disciplines. For further information about the joint program, refer to the program page.