Testimonials
"I was an aspiring PhD student with a medical background when it was suggested to
me to attend the Summer Session of Epidemiology at the University of Michigan School
of Public Health. The fact that such a diversified program was available every summer
at the School of Public Health was advantageous, but I was uncertain how the program
would contribute to my career development as I was exploring ways to fuse my academic
and scientific aspirations. In May of 2024, I registered for the program and took
two classes, EPID 709 Fundamentals of Epidemiology, taught by Dr. Mondul, and EPID
701 Fundamentals of Biostatistics, taught by Dr. Zhou, and I am grateful that I did
so. Indeed, the course materials review key concepts on determinants of health, study
design, epidemiologic assessments, and the basics in data analysis and statistical
considerations, which are essential for any Epidemiology related work, but also provide
a strong foundation for those planning to take classes in advanced Statistics and
Epidemiology in a graduate program. Another added advantage was the interactive nature
of the classes, which helped to crystallize those key concepts through the sharing
of experience and what was learned from the lectures and the study materials. Therefore,
I recommend the Summer Session of Epidemiology as I will also explore myself, as a
current graduate student, for opportunities to attend future classes for personal
growth."
Alain Mukwege, MD, MSc
University of Michigan School of Public Health
1st Year Doctoral Student in Epidemiological Science
2024 Participant.
"I enjoyed the Summer Session in Epidemiology so much that I attended two years in
a row. The faculty were superb and I enjoyed connecting with classmates in different
public health and medical fields. The Summer Session course format let me focus on
specific areas where I wanted to enhance my knowledge, and I continue to refer to
the resources from these classes. As a PhD student at another institution, it was
also helpful to have the option to take these courses for credit."
Kathryn Crary, MPA
UTHealth Houston School of Public Health
3rd year PhD Candidate in Healthcare Policy and Health Services Research
2024 Participant
"The Summer Session in Epidemiology has been indispensable to my epidemiologic training.
During my tenure as a master's and doctoral student in the Department of Epidemiology,
I attended the summer session every summer. It provided a unique opportunity to learn
from leading scholars in the field. The program offers an incredible range of classes—from
causal inference to modeling to mixed methods and clinical epidemiology. In addition
to the breadth of the program, each course was taught with great care and depth. Some
classes have been instrumental to my dissertation work, including Dr. Linda Valeri's
EPID 720 which covers causal meditation, and Dr. Jay Kaufman's EPID 787 which covers
analysis on clustered, multilevel data. The program also exposed me to topics not
otherwise available during the school year including scientific writing and sensitivity
analysis. I am very grateful to have had the opportunity to participate in the Summer
Session in Epidemiology and would highly recommend it to any looking to advance their
epidemiologic knowledge."
Mia Zhu, MPH
University of Michigan
3rd Year Doctoral Student in Epidemiologic Sciences
2024 Participant