Epidemiology of Aging
This concentration provides students with the fundamental knowledge and skills required to conduct studies on the health and well-being of older populations. Required concentration-specific course are offered through the Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine and include offerings courses in epidemiological concepts, study design and methods, as well as a series of courses in biostatistics and biostatistical computing. An introduction to the epidemiology of aging also is required as one of the core course of the gerontology doctoral program, as are courses on specific diseases and conditions that are prevalent in the older population. Students selecting this concentration should have strong quantitative and analytical capabilities and interest in understanding and studying the causes and consequences of diseases, disability and health care issues. Students completing the doctoral program with this concentration will be prepared to address questions on: the incidence and prevalence of disease and disability and the use of health and long-term care services in older persons; the causes and consequences of these diseases, disabilities and use of services; and the identification and evaluation of strategies for preventing disease and disability, and maximizing appropriate use of health and health care services. [more]

Policy for the Elderly
The Policy track provides students with an understanding of the policy making process and the forces affecting it; the tools and concepts for analyzing policies; and an understanding of how to conduct research designed to inform policy. Students learn to apply this body of knowledge to policy issues in aging, including health and long term care, economic security, work and retirement, and housing. [more]

Social, Cultural, and Behavioral Sciences
Human aging occurs in a sociocultural context that defines aging and the stages of life, giving them meaning. Within the sociocultural context, life is organized through socially constructed and culturally transmitted ideas about aging and the life course that shape our perceptions and behaviors, e.g., our responses to health problems or normative life events. While focusing on the sociocultural/behavioral dimensions of aging, students in this specialty develop a biopsychosocial perspective that views human actions and the group, structures and social norms for aging from an integrated, interdisciplinary perspective linking research from the macro-societal level, through behavioral and psychological levels, to underlying biological and physiological phenomenon. [more]