The Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics (DEB) is committed to strengthening the quality, relevance, and impact of research to improve population health. Our mission includes rigorous inquiry into variations in health outcomes, access to care, and effectiveness of interventions across settings and communities.
As both researchers and educators, we play a central role in training the next generation of scientists committed to advancing evidence-based approaches in public health. We recognize that meaningful progress requires not only scientific excellence but also institutional environments that enable full participation and support professional advancement. Guided by UCSF PRIDE values and Principles of Community, we assess and work towards improving internal systems to ensure transparency, accountability, and access to opportunity for all members of the department.
The Committee on Opportunity and Engagement (COE)
The Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics Committee on Opportunity and Engagement (COE) works to strengthen collaboration, communication and participation across the department. Since its founding in 2016, the committee has supported departmental engagement and opportunity. Its membership represents a range of roles, experience levels, and areas of expertise, including education, research, and clinical care. represents a range of roles, experience levels and areas of expertise, including education, research and clinical care.
Vision: To actively advance the department’s capacity for impactful, methodologically rigorous research and training by strengthening systems, practices, and structures that enable full participation and engagement across the academic community.
Mission: To provide opportunities that elevate engagement, amplify diverse perspectives, and strengthen connections across the department. The initiative promotes evidence-based strategies to foster opportunity, academic productivity, and research effectiveness. Through transformative action and knowledge-sharing, we aim to build institutional capacity for high-impact, collaborative, and inclusive scientific work aligned with the department’s research and training mission.
2025-2030 Goals:
- Broaden participation in research careers: Develop strategies to improve outreach, recruitment, and retention of researchers, particularly those from educationally, economically, or medically disadvantaged backgrounds.
- Enhance Mentorship and Career Development: Strengthen mentoring systems and professional development programs to support career progression of trainees, staff, and faculty.
- Promote Visibility of Research Scholarship: Increase access to speaking engagements, seminars, and leadership development opportunities for departmental researchers.
- Strengthen Research Communication and Engagement: Invite seminar speakers with varied research perspectives and translational approaches to foster intellectual breadth.
- Advance Interpersonal and Leadership Skills: Provide development opportunities that build communication, collaboration, and team leadership capacities.
- Improve Institutional Transparency in Advancement: Analyze and improve access to paid leadership roles and promotion pathways for all departmental members.
- Support Research Addressing Disparities in Health Outcomes: Foster high-quality, methodologically rigorous research that investigates and addresses differential access to care or variations in health outcomes across populations.
- Measure and Report Institutional Progress: Assess the department’s progress toward improving operational systems and enhancing engagement via self-assessments surveys.