Overview
Epidemiology is the study of disease and injury causation and prevention and a foundational science of public health. Occupational epidemiology applies these principles to workplace health and safety.
Occupational epidemiologists work in government, academia, industry, and consulting. They provide scientific evidence to assess health and safety risks associated with workplace exposures, investigate disease outbreaks, inform regulations, and guide the control of chemical and physical hazards. Increasingly, their work extends beyond the workplace to address community health concerns related to occupational exposures.
A career in occupational health and safety (OHS) offers opportunities across health promotion, management, policy, global health, wellness, and related disciplines. OHS professionals play a critical role in preventing work-related illness and injury, protecting workers’ lives, and improving the health and well-being of their families and communities.
How to Apply
Prospective students should apply to the appropriate degree program within the Department of Epidemiology. Information about program applications, admission requirements and application deadlines is available online.
For More Information
Jenil R. Patel, MBBS, MPH, PhD
Assistant Professor and Program Director
Southwest Center for Occupational and Environmental Health
UTHealth School of Public Health
Dallas Campus
Phone: (972) 546-2957
E-Mail: [email protected]
Curriculum
The interdisciplinary curriculum includes acquiring an understanding of the principles of both epidemiology and occupational health, as well as their integration. The curriculum includes biostatistics, environmental and occupational health, epidemiology, as well as electives offered within the School of Public Health.
The most updated curriculum is available here:
Fall 2026 to Summer 2027 PhD Epidemiology Degree Planner
Faculty
Jenil Patel, PhD
Jenil Patel is the Director of the Pilot Projects Research Training Program at Southwest Center for Occupational and Environmental Health. He led the first virtual joint Southwest Centers Occupational Health Research Symposium in June 2021. He received his PhD in Epidemiology from the University of Texas School of Public Health at Houston. Dr. Patel is a trained physician from India and received his Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery (MBBS) degree from Smt. B. K. Shah Medical Institute and Research Center, Gujarat University. He holds an MPH in health education from Western Kentucky University. Dr. Patel is also a UW Collaborative Center for Health Equity’s HELI program Scholar.
George Delclos, MD, MPH, PhD
George Delclos, MD, MPH, PhD, is Professor in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences at the UTHealth School of Public Health in Houston, Texas and Senior Researcher in the Center for Occupational Health Research at the Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona, Spain. He obtained his medical degree from the University of Barcelona in 1981 and completed residency training in internal medicine and pulmonary diseases at the Baylor College of Medicine. He has an M.P.H. degree from the University of Texas School of Public Health, a Ph.D. in Health and Life Sciences from Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona, and is board-certified in internal medicine, pulmonary diseases and occupational medicine. At UTSPH, he is past Principal Investigator of the Southwest Center of Occupational and Environmental Health (1997-2006), Director of the Division of Environmental and Occupational Health Science (2004-2008) and Director of the Occupational Medicine Residency Program (1993-1998, 2008-2020).
Dr. Delclos remains active in clinical practice, which he combines with teaching and research. In 2015 he received the University of Texas Regents’ Outstanding Teaching Award and was inducted in 2016 into The University of Texas Kenneth I. Shine, MD Academy of Health Science Education. With over 200 peer-reviewed publications, his research presently focuses on 3 areas: a) occupational and environmental asthma, b) national surveys of working conditions and health, mainly conducted in emerging countries and c) determinants of sickness absence and disability at an international level. Dr. Delclos’ research is conducted mainly in Texas, Spain and Latin America (Colombia and Central America). Dr. Delclos' research publications are available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/myncbi/1FWc9gTMiMm5l/bibliography/public/?sortby=pubDate&sdirection=ascending
Occupational Epidemiology Trainees
Aro Choi, MS
SWCOEH Trainee
Aro Choi, MS, is a fourth-year PhD student in Epidemiology at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) School of Public Health. She earned a Master of Science in Biostatistics at Duke University. She has been working as a statistician in the division of infectious disease at UTHealth San Antonio. Aro has extensive experience of data analytics from her previous roles at Duke Clinical Research Institute, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), NC Department of Health and Human Services (NC DHHS), and the Center for Research to Advance Community Health (ReACH). Her research interest is to develop measurement for occupational determinants of health.
Alvin Estacio, MS
SWCOEH Trainee
Alvin Estacio, MS, is a fourth-year PhD student in Epidemiology at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) School of Public Health in San Antonio. He earned his Master of Science in Epidemiology also at UTHealth in 2019 and earned his Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering at the Florida Institute of Technology in 2016. His research interests include improving vaccination coverages in vulnerable populations, identifying occupational health inequities and preventing work-related disease incidence and injuries.
Anna Holdiman, MA
SWCOEH Trainee
Anna Holdiman, MA, CCC-SLP, is a fourth-year PhD student specializing in Epidemiology at the UTHealth School of Public Health Austin Campus. Drawing upon her background as a medical speech-language pathologist and clinical researcher, Anna's research interests center around maternal child health, opioid use disorder, workplace violence amongst healthcare workers, and environmental and occupational exposures. Presently, Anna works as a research specialist for Texas Health and Human Services.
The Southwest Center for Occupational and Environmental Health is part of the UTHealth Houston School of Public Health