Departmental Divisions and Programs
The Department of Community Medicine and Health Care is
organized into divisions and programs. Click on available links below
to learn more about teaching, research and service activities.
The Epidemiology and Biostatistics Division conducts research,
provides education, and furnishes methodological and statistical
support to the University of Connecticut Health Center to
improve clinical and translational research. Epidemiology
advances the knowledge of disease causation and natural history
using rigorous and systematic study design and methods,
illuminating the impact of biomedical, environmental, behavioral
and social forces on the health of populations. Biostatistics
ensures excellence in the application of statistical principles
to public health research and in the training of health
professionals. Key faculty include Richard Stevens, Helen Swede,
David Gregorio (cancer epidemiology) and Jamie Grady
(biostatistics).
The medical humanities, which include the arts, literature, medical ethics, history of medicine and health law are an important component of the educational and research programs at the School of Medicine. This division advances knowledge about legal and ethical issues and the humanities that are relevant to health care professionals, patients, and the community.
Key faculty include Professor Audrey Chapman and Associate
Professor Zita Lazzarini.
The Health Services Research Unit with five faculty members, is the largest division within the department in terms of extramural grants and contracts received and full-time personnel. It studies the organization, delivery, and financing of health care services.
Projects include several international and domestic studies on screening and brief intervention for alcohol and smoking and numerous contracts with State agencies, particularly the Departments of Children and Families and Addition and Mental Health Services, to evaluate substance abuse treatment and prevention services. The unit's activities are supported entirely by extramural research grants and contracts.
Health Services Initiatives with their own websites:
Behavioral Medicine Division
Behavioral Medicine refers to the study of psychological and behavioral processes involved in the prevention, etiology, diagnosis and treatment of illness and health promotion through the integration of biomedical and psychological sciences. Dr.
Howard Tennen, who leads the program has a long tradition of research concerning coping with chronic illness and studies of daily life among individuals with chronic pain and other health conditions.
Key faculty include Susan Kiene.
The Graduate Program in Public Health offers an integrated theory-practice curriculum leading the
Master of Public Health (MPH) degree. The program is nationally accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health. With a convenient schedule of evening
as well as daytime courses, over 110 students are enrolled in full or part-time study.
In 2010,
doctoral training was added in two areas of
concentration: social and behavioral health sciences and
environmental and occupational health.
Established in 1985, the Center is committed to improving
the lives of individuals with disabilities and their families.
The Center employs interdisciplinary staff representing a
variety of experiential, training, and multicultural
perspectives. In 2011, the Center was transferred to the
Department of Community Medicine. The Center provides
model programs in innovative disability related research,
training and technical assistance. All activities of the Center are guided by the belief in
individualized supports, inclusion, self-determination, natural
supports and collaboration with organizations to address policy
issues and systems change. The goal of the Center is to
develop, implement, and disseminate a coordinated group of
applied research, demonstration and training projects directed
at meeting the needs of persons with disabilities and their
families in community based settings. Key faculty include
Center Director Professor Mary Beth Bruder.
For over 30 years, the Center for International Community Health Studies directed by Dr.
Stephen Schensul has been providing training experiences to health professionals from developing countries, educating medical, dental, and public health students at the UConn Health Center in international health, and conducting research on international health particularly in the areas of sexual risk, HIV/AIDS and reproductive health.
The UConn Chemical Innovations Institute
(CII) was created by the
legislature in 2010 through Public Act 10-164 to “(1) foster
green job growth and safer workplaces through encouraging clean
technology innovation and utilization of green chemistry, and
(2) provide assistance to businesses, state agencies and
nonprofit organizations that seek to utilize alternatives to
chemicals that are harmful to public health and the
environment.”. The CII is currently directed by
Nicholas Leadbeater, Ph.D. an Associate Professor in the Chemistry
Department at UConn Storrs who is a leader in Green Chemistry. The
CII has been informally organized across the Dept. of Community
Medicine and the Occupational and Environmental Health group
within the Dept.of Medicine.
Using a community oriented primary care approach that incorporates community needs assessment, population based planning and intervention, community participation and evaluation, the Community Based-Education Program provides Medical Students with experiential service learning experiences outside the classroom. Currently, medical students work with more than 300 community programs located in 61 Connecticut towns. The Program is
directed by
Assistant Professor Stacey Brown.
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