Health Promotion and Disease Prevention

We believe that health is a human right, essential to the ability of individuals to function and flourish in society.

Cancer, heart disease, diabetes, dementia, mental health, and substance use disorders are leading causes of death and disability in the United States.

As populations age, acute and chronic diseases create social, medical, and economic burdens.

In addition, racial and ethnic minoritized groups are at disproportionate risk of experiencing negative health outcomes from preventable and treatable conditions.

Faculty expertise contributes to all three levels of disease prevention.

Many focus on primary prevention to avoid the occurrence of disease or injury.

Faculty address the impact of social and economic determinants of health (e.g., work-family policies, health care reforms, behavioral and mental health services, school physical education policies) and promote healthy and safe behaviors (e.g., nutritious eating, physical activity, cancer screenings, smoking and substance use cessation, vaccine uptake).

Others focus on secondary and tertiary prevention to reduce the progression and effects of disease and injury and to manage health problems and injuries (e.g., osteoporosis, fall prevention, cognitive decline and dementia, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes).

Faculty are uniquely positioned to integrate environmental and biological information with social, policy, and behavioral data to promote health, prevent disease, and improve quality of life and life expectancy.