Population Health
Population health is an important interface between basic science, medical diagnosis and treatment, and the public.
Epidemiological research identifies how commonly specific health problems and diseases occur in the population and which environmental and genetic factors may increase the risk of developing these conditions. Epidemiological studies also evaluate possible interventions and improvement of health services so that the impact of the diseases on the community and individuals is reduced. For example studies of the occurrence of disease include studies of asthma in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, and the occurrence of osteoarthritis in ageing twins. Other projects are aimed at finding the physical, biological, social, and/or behavioural factors that might be modified to prevent diseases like melanoma and ovarian cancer. Another branch of epidemiological research focuses on the genetic causes of common but complex diseases such as asthma and endometriosis. The ultimate aim is to apply our knowledge of causative factors to research into prevention and treatment, for example a recent field trial tested how effective sunscreen and/or beta-carotene supplements might be in preventing skin cancer.
Major research programs in population health include: