Our Mission
The Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the University of Western Ontario is dedicated to the expert application and teaching of epidemiological and health services research methods, and to the discovery of new research methods, to improve population health.
Our Vision
As a community of scholars, our vision for the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics is to grow in strength and numbers as we continue to be recognized for prominence in research, innovation in teaching and excellence in graduate education.
Our Activities & Expertise
The Department offers a graduate program in Epidemiology and Biostatistics, which is one of the oldest in Canada, having awarded its first MSc in 1947 and its first PhD in 1950. The number of graduate degree students has increased to a current enrolment of 55-60 graduate students. An innovative graduate certificate in clinical epidemiology was introduced in 1995. The faculty is also committed to excellence in teaching in the M.D. program and in the Bachelor of Medical Sciences (BMSc) program.
Our dominant areas of historical strength are population health and biostatistics. Emerging areas of interest include health services research, knowledge translation, and personalized medicine.
Areas of methodological expertise include:
- cluster randomization methods
- measuring inter-observer agreement
- measurement of the determinants of health
- survey methods including complex survey designs
- therapeutic and preventative clinical trials and field trials
- health economics methods including cost-effectiveness analysis
- community based research in vulnerable populations
- health technology assessment (decision making analysis)
- scale development and evaluation
- systematic reviews and meta-analysis
- program evaluation
- administrative data
- genetic epidemiology
In addition to 12 "base complement" faculty for whom Epidemiology & Biostatistics is their "home" department, there are 50 cross-appointed faculty from clinical and basic departments and research institutes who play an integral role in the research, teaching and service mandates of the department.
Our Shared Department Values
Underlying our ultimate goals and our proposed strategies for achieving them is a set of core values shared by members of the Department. As a Department we value:
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excellence in independent programs of research and in teaching that contributes to the community through discovery, imparting and applying knowledge
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collaborative research that contributes to shared excellence in our academic community
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support of our peers in the form of mentorship to faculty members, respect for one another's time and support for one another's research
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recruitment and retention of faculty through a variety of mechanisms including partnerships with other departments and institutions
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availability of faculty to colleagues, students and staff
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open and shared communication