Epidemiology in Public Health Practice

The data side of public health work

Johns Hopkins built this specialization for people working in, or aiming for, public health roles — and it leans specifically into the data and mapping tools that turn raw health data into decisions. It's practice-oriented rather than purely theoretical epidemiology.

What's covered

• Core epidemiology and statistical methods, including risk analysis
• Geographic information systems (GIS) and geospatial mapping of health data
• Data and statistical visualization for communicating findings
• Public health policy and disease-prevention frameworks

Set at the beginner level, it's designed to be accessible to people entering the field, not just current epidemiologists. With nearly 55,000 learners, it's a substantial community — and the GIS and mapping focus in particular is a differentiator from more general public health courses that skip spatial analysis entirely.