Michigan State University Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics

What Michigan State University Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics does

The Michigan State University Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics is an academic unit within the College of Human Medicine that trains graduate students (MS and PhD in Epidemiology and Biostatistics, plus an undergraduate minor, certificate, and dual-degree pathway) and conducts population health research. Founded as a Program in Epidemiology in 1989 and formally established as a department on July 1, 1997, the unit renamed itself to include Biostatistics in January 2012. The department operates across four Michigan locations (East Lansing as headquarters, with additional presence in Grand Rapids, Flint, and Traverse City) and serves a community drawn from over 30 countries.

Faculty expertise spans drug dependence, mental health, cardiovascular, reproductive/perinatal, pediatric, environmental, neurodevelopment, and infectious disease epidemiology, alongside advanced biostatistical methods (Bayesian regression, statistical genetics, causal inference, clinical trials, cost-effectiveness analysis, high-dimensional data analysis, longitudinal analysis, structural equation modeling). The QuantGen group develops and distributes proprietary R packages (BGLR, BGData, MOSS, MTM, PedigreeTools, pleiotest) on CRAN and GitHub for large-scale genomic and multi-omic data analysis. Faculty leverage access to NIH-funded longitudinal cohort datasets including the Sister Study, Health ABC, ARIC, and Agricultural Health Study.

The department's revenue is derived primarily from external research grants secured by principal investigators from federal agencies (NIH, CDC, AHRQ, PCORI), supplemented by graduate tuition, the Corewell Health-MSU Alliance (up to $2 million per year per side since 2007, over $27 million cumulative), MSU Research Foundation grants, and internal MSU graduate fellowships. Annual external funding has grown from approximately $4 million in 2021 to $17.4 million in 2025, with 8-15 new grants awarded per year. Customer segments include graduate students, state and local health departments, healthcare systems (notably Henry Ford Health / Corewell Health), and medical professionals, with delivery through traditional academic channels plus internships and clinical collaborations.

Name

Michigan State University Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics

Legal name

Michigan State University Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics

Website

https://epibio.msu.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at Michigan State University is an academic unit within the College of Human Medicine offering MS and PhD programs plus research in population health, statistical genetics, and advanced biostatistical methods, funded primarily by federal grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education and Public Health Research

NAICS

Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (61131)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Biostatistics, Statistical Computing & Clinical Programming (SAS/R/Pipelines) (HLACAOAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Bioinformatics, Multi-Omics Data Analysis & Interpretation Services (HLAGANAI), Data Linkage, Registries & Longitudinal Cohort Surveillance (HLAJANAM), Data Management, Biostatistics & Statistical Programming FSP (HLAGAOAB)

Keywords

• Epidemiology graduate education
• Biostatistics graduate programs
• Public health research
• Statistical genetics software
• Population health studies

Headquarters

HQ city

East Lansing

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. External Research Funding: Department principal investigators secure external funding from NIH, CDC, AHRQ, PCORI, and other national agencies to support research and trainee programs
2. Graduate Education: Tuition-based graduate programs (MS and PhD in Epidemiology and Biostatistics) and dual degree programs
3. Partnership Funding: Corewell Health-MSU Alliance provides up to $2 million annually for joint clinical and basic science research
4. Foundation Grants: MSU Research Foundation and other foundation funding for faculty research projects

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Department offers graduate degree programs (MS and PhD in Epidemiology and in Biostatistics), an undergraduate minor in Global Public Health and Epidemiology, a graduate Certificate in Epidemiology, a dual-degree pathway, and the EQ-BEST undergraduate research internship, combined with externally funded population health research in environmental, neurodegenerative, perinatal, cancer, mental health, infectious disease, and statistical genetics areas. It also develops and distributes open-source R packages for high-dimensional genomic and multi-omic data analysis.

Product overview

The Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at Michigan State University is an academic department within the College of Human Medicine offering graduate-level educational programs and conducting public health research. The department provides a unified portfolio of academic products centered on MS and PhD degrees in Epidemiology and Biostatistics, complemented by an undergraduate minor, a certificate program, and a dual-degree pathway. Research software products including BGLR, BGData, and related R packages developed by faculty are offered to the broader scientific community. The EQ-BEST internship program extends the academic offerings by providing undergraduate research training. The department's strategic priorities focus on advancing population health through education, research in environmental health, neuroepidemiology, cancer, mental health, and infectious diseases, and collaborations with Henry Ford Health.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• PhD in Epidemiology Doctoral program emphasizing development of epidemiologic and biostatistical skills required for scholarship, investigation, and leadership in public health; students complete investigator-initiated research projects and compete for NIH-supported grants.
• MS in Epidemiology Master's degree program providing epidemiologic and biostatistical skills essential for clinical and population-based research, training students in disease cause and prevention methods for government and NGO public health activities.
• PhD in Biostatistics Doctoral program providing statistical and analytic skills for development and evaluation of novel methods for analysis of modern biomedical data, with three concentration areas: Design and Analysis of Medical Studies, Big Data and Statistical Genetics, and Biometry.
• MS in Biostatistics Master's program providing quantitative training for public health and biomedical research, preparing students to design experimental studies and analyze data in clinical and biomedical investigations.
• Undergraduate Minor in Global Public Health and Epidemiology 16-credit undergraduate minor preparing students for Master's programs in Epidemiology or Public Health; designed for students across all majors and offered as a cohort beginning Fall semester.
• Certificate in Epidemiology 16-credit certificate program providing skills in clinical and epidemiologic research for professionals not pursuing a full master's degree; can be completed in 3-6 semesters with up to 9 credits transferable to the MS program.
• Dual Degree Program (Undergraduate / MS) Combined undergraduate and graduate program allowing academically motivated students to enroll in graduate courses during their bachelor's degree, completing both degrees in five years.
• EQ-BEST Undergraduate Internship Program Paid part-time undergraduate internship (8-10 hours/week) providing research mentorship with faculty experts in Biostatistics or Epidemiology, including literature review, study documentation, data entry/management, and research coordination activities.
• BGLR R Package R software for high-dimensional Bayesian regression implementing various shrinkage and variable selection methods, optimized for very large genomic data sets analysis.
• BGData R Package Suite Suite of R-packages for handling extremely large genomic data sets (millions of samples and millions of features), implementing memory mapping, linked arrays, kinship computation, and GWAS functions.
• QuantGen Methods and Software Collection of methods and software packages for large-scale genomic analysis including BGLR, BGData, MTM, PedigreeTools, pleiotest, and MOSS packages developed by Drs. de los Campos and Vazquez.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $17.4 million annual external funding secured by department faculty (2025)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, secondary and minor.

• Corewell HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Corewell Health-MSU Alliance Grant provides collaborative funding for joint clinical and basic science research. Recent recipients include Dr. Honglei Chen, Dr. Allison Kuipers, and Dr. Xiaoyu Liang. The alliance invests over $27 million total since 2007 to fund exploratory medical research, commercialize innovations, and recruit top-tier scientific talent to West Michigan.
• Henry Ford Health SystemcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2007The College of Human Medicine has a formal partnership with Henry Ford Health extending collaboration with investigators in Detroit. The alliance provides up to $2 million annually from each institution to support joint clinical and basic science research. The partnership involves faculty appointments, student internships, and thesis projects, with particularly strong collaboration between epidemiology, biostatistics, and biomedical informatics departments. Total investment since 2007 exceeds $27 million.
• National Institutes of Health (NIH)coreOthersPrimary external funding source supporting faculty research and graduate trainee programs. Funding includes R01 grants, K99/R00 awards, F31/F32 fellowships, and NIH Research Supplements to Promote Diversity. Major NIH-funded projects include studies on Parkinson's disease, pesticides and neurodegeneration, and child health outcomes.
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)secondaryOthersFederal agency providing external funding for epidemiology research and outbreak investigation work. Faculty engage in studies examining CDC capacity and public health functions.
• Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerState health department partnership supporting state health initiatives and programs integrated with department programs. Faculty collaborate on needs assessments, program evaluations, and outreach activities for Michigan communities.
• Patient-Centered Outcome Research Institute (PCORI)secondaryOthersFederal agency providing external funding for comparative effectiveness research and patient-centered outcomes studies.
• Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)secondaryOthersFederal agency providing external funding for healthcare research, quality improvement, and health services research.
• Enigma Consortium - ORIGINS Working GroupsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe QuantGen group contributes statistical and genetic expertise to the ORIGINs working group focusing on early brain development genetic factors and predictive models for cognitive ability.
• International Research Partners (Africa and Latin America)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational outreach through collaborations with colleagues and organizations in Africa and Latin America, particularly in support of global health initiatives.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Department of Epidemiology: Elite epidemiology department with analogous graduate programs and large NIH-funded longitudinal cohort research; competes for top faculty hires and serves as a ceiling benchmark for ranking and extramural funding.
• Emory University Rollins School of Public Health, Department of Epidemiology: Top-tier public-health school with comparable MS/PhD programs and major NIH-funded infectious-disease and chronic-disease epidemiology research; competes in the same applicant pool and NIH funding rankings.
• UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, Department of Epidemiology: Top-20 public-health school with MS/PhD epidemiology programs and significant NIH funding; analogous structure combining epidemiology with biostatistical methods, competing for top applicants and federal dollars.
• University of Minnesota School of Public Health, Division of Epidemiology and Community Health: Midwest peer with MS/PhD epidemiology programs and similar cohort-research profile (including agricultural health studies, similar to MSU's footprint); competes for regional applicants and NIH funding in overlapping topics.
• Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, Department of Epidemiology: Comparable peer with MS/PhD epidemiology programs and significant NIH-funded chronic disease and genetic epidemiology research; competes in the same applicant pool and for the same federal study sections.
• University of Washington School of Public Health, Department of Epidemiology: Public-health school with MS/PhD epidemiology programs and substantial NIH funding; comparable methods core and similar role in training the next generation of epidemiologists, competing for federal dollars and junior faculty.
• University of North Carolina Gillings School of Global Public Health, Department of Epidemiology: Top-5 public health school with MS/PhD programs in epidemiology and biostatistics; comparable NIH funding scale and similar integration of biostatistics methods, making it a direct applicant-pool and grant-share competitor.
• Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Department of Epidemiology: The top-ranked epidemiology department in the U.S.; offers the same MS/PhD degrees with substantially larger extramural funding. Sets the methodological and curriculum benchmark MSU's program competes against for top applicants and study-section credibility.
• University of Michigan School of Public Health, Department of Epidemiology: Same in-state peer offering MS/PhD in Epidemiology and Biostatistics with substantially larger NIH funding base; most direct competitor for Michigan-resident applicants, faculty recruits, and Corewell/Henry Ford collaborative projects.

Emerging players

• Mayo Clinic Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences — Clinical and Translational Science track: Adjacent clinical-research training program with biostatistics and epidemiology components; competes for NIH-funded trainees and translational research partnerships, though anchored in clinical rather than population health.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/msuepibio
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@msuepibio
• Facebookfacebook.com/epidemiology.msu
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/department-of-epidemiology-and-biostatistics
• Instagraminstagram.com/msuepibio

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Michigan State University Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics