Global Health Epidemiology

Front of school bus

Sara Adar's research informs the EPA and helps safeguard kids

‘Changing the world because of my science’

Sara Adar jokes that her kids have grown tired of her antics—as she puts it, they are “very much over me.” Although her 14-year-old twins still call her “Science Mom,” they no longer participate when she stops the car at a moment’s notice to go play in traffic, testing some level of environmental disturbance. Fortunately for the rest of us, Adar is still “playing in traffic.”

Dr. Larry Brilliant in Bangladesh in 1977

Larry Brilliant: A lifelong pursuit of public health, 'the most rewarding field in the world'

Dr. Larry Brilliant, MPH ’77, arrived at the University of Michigan School of Public Health in the 1970s with perhaps the most impressive résumé for a prospective student. He and his wife, Girija, had just returned from India after helping eradicate smallpox. Of course, the physician and medical epidemiologist has gone on to have a world-class career in public health and in the technology industry.

Arnold Monto is his lab

Salute to a flu fighter

World-renowned epidemiologist Arnold Monto has devoted his 60-year career to combating influenza and other respiratory viruses

Reflecting on his 60-year career in public health, Michigan Public Health’s Dr. Arnold Monto said his success has hinged on his ability to address the laboratory, population and policy concerns that impact public health measures to halt the spread and reduce the severity of influenza epidemics and pandemics. By doing so, he has helped to save countless lives, prevent untold suffering and provide future generations with the tools to stem the threat of severe respiratory illnesses.