Laboratory of Epidemiology & Population Sciences

Michele K. Evans , M.D., Acting Chief

The goal of the research conducted in the Laboratory of Epidemiology and Population Sciences (LEPS) is to identify and to test etiologic and predictive hypotheses about health conditions and aging in diverse populations. LEPS builds this science into large population-based studies, with the overall goals to:

  • Study long-term exposures and subclinical disease indicators that increase the susceptibility to poor aging-prevalent outcomes, such as loss of cognitive and physical function.
  • Identify life periods when exposures initiate or accelerate pathologies that increase the risk for age-prevalent conditions.
  • Develop translational research to understand the pathophysiology of, or to develop interventions to, modulate aging processes.
  • Investigate the biology of health disparities in the context of aging.
  • Disentangle the interaction between socioeconomic status and race in the development of age-associated health disparities.
  • Discover new etiologic or predictive biomarkers and use or develop advanced statistical methods to address issues related to aging processes.

LEPS’s mission also includes mentoring the next generation of leaders in the epidemiology of aging, health disparities and behavior. LEPS reaches these goals through research in the Neuroepidemiology Section (Lead Dr. Lenore J. Launer), Health Disparities Research Section (Lead Michele K. Evans), and Immunoepidemiology Unit (Lead Minkyo Song).

Resources and Initiatives

List of active COHORT Resources

HANDLS study of health disparities and interactions among social and biologic determinants of health

AGES-RS study of the interaction of genetic and environmental pathways towards the burden of and resilience to poor aging outcomes

CARDIA Brain MRI sub-study of longitudinal trajectories of brain health and risk factors.

Health ABC study of aging and body composition and related health outcomes

List of Portfolio/Research Areas

  • Epidemiology
  • Health Disparities
  • Molecular epidemiology
  • Neuro-epidemiology
  • Biology of aging in diverse populations
  • Multi-dimensional biomarkers
  • Cognitive function
  • Physical function
  • Biologic risk factors for disease
  • Socio-economic risk factors for disease
  • Life course of disease
  • Multi-system bio-imaging
  • Biostatistics of aging
  • Gene-environment interactions

Findings and Publications

Sections and Units

Health Disparities Research Section
Neuroepidemiology Section
Immunoepidemiology Unit (IEU)
Brain Health Equity (BHE) Unit