Welcome to the Department of Population and Quantitative Health Sciences
The vision of the Department of Population and Quantitative Health Sciences (PQHS) is the best health and well-being for all through science, community-engagement, and education.
Our mission is to advance science and improve population health. We will grow a learning community of scientists and practitioners and collaborate with others (in our institution, our community and beyond) to:
- create health relevant knowledge;
- invent methods, interventions and technologies; and
- evaluate strategies for implementing, sustaining, and disseminating proven approaches.
History and Future
The Department was founded by Catarina Kiefe, MD, PhD, Chair and Jeroan Allison, MD, MScEpi, Vice Chair. They arrived on the UMass Chan campus in June 2009. As of June 2019, Dr. Kiefe transitioned to Professor and Chief Scientific Officer and Dr. Allison stepped into the Chair role. Dr. Sharina Person, PhD serves as Vice Chair. Currently (Winter 2024), PQHS currently has a total of 41 primary faculty members plus 9 primary with other salary sources. Faculty ranks at PQHS include assistant professors (19), associate professors (9), and full professors (22) and represent a mix of tenured, tenure-track, and non-tenure-track. We are also comprised of adjunct (21) and affiliate (28) faculty.
PQHS faculty are independent investigators, collaborative methodologists, or both. PQHS primary faculty are currently principal investigators on 88 active extramural grants and contracts amounting to a total funding of over $53 million. These include 3 federally funded research centers. During the academic year 2023/24, PQHS primary faculty published over 200 peer-reviewed manuscripts. The Quantitative Methods Core, a service unit for methodological research support and data management, is housed in PQHS. Since its founding in 2010, QMC faculty and staff have conducted over 3,750 consultations, contributed to more than 200 grant applications, and published over 500 articles in collaboration with investigators from 26 (all) Departments and 18 Divisions across the UMass Chan campus. The QMC is especially committed to assisting junior investigators in the design and implementation of research studies, helping to secure funding and produce high-quality research outputs.
The doctoral program in Population Health Sciences (PHS) is housed in PQHS, as is the Masters of Science in Clinical Investigation (MSCI). These two programs are part of the Morningside Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at UMass Chan; about 80 faculty across UMass Chan are affiliated with these teaching programs.
The Department of Population and Quantitative Health Sciences is currently housed in the Albert Sherman Center. The center is an interdisciplinary state-of-the-art research and education facility that fosters interaction and collaboration among scientists across the entire spectrum of biomedical research.
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