Social Medicine
Who We Are
Making a local and global impact
The Department of Social Medicine is an interdisciplinary department comprised of social scientists, humanities scholars and physicians. We study the dynamic interplay of people, culture, the environment and its impact on health care delivery and health outcomes. Our teaching, research and service inform medical students, health professionals and the public about factors affecting clinical decision making, the social responsibilities of health care providers, the social determinants of health and illness and health policy and politics.
Our Expertise
Our department has active research and teaching expertise in the following areas:
- Clinical prevention and population health
- Biostatistics
- Evidence-based medicine
- Medical decision making
- Medical Ethics
- Cultural competence and health care
- International health and medicine
- Health policy
- Gerontology and geriatrics
- Maternal and child health
- Reproductive health
- Stress, nutrition and aging
- Epidemiology of diabetes and cardiovascular disease
- Health in Appalachia
- Medical education Sustainability and urban evnrionments
- Global warming, climate change and health
Our Disciplines
Our faculty's disciplines include:
- Biological Anthropology
- Biostatistics
- Epidemiology
- Experimental Psychology
- Family Studies
- Health Psychology
- History of Medicine
- Interpersonal Communication
- Pediatrics
- Social Psychology
Global Health Initiative

Care beyond all borders
Students, faculty and staff experience impactful research, education and outreach activities abroad andin immigrant communities in the U.S. to truly understand global health issues and increase multicultural awareness.
Health Policy Fellowship

Shaping health policy
With our Health Policy Fellowship, you'll learn to analyze and implement health policy at local, state and national levels.
Areas of Research

Make discovery personal
Discover the diverse research topics and current projects conducted by our faculty.
Social Medicine

Resources
From our mission to teaching topics to employment opportunities, you’ll find it all here.