Skip to main content

Research and Practice

Building on more than 75 years of groundbreaking achievements that shape policy, education and services around the world.

At Berkeley Public Health, knowledge developed from rigorous transdisciplinary research is translated into strategies that improve population health locally and globally. Our research focuses on some of our time’s most pressing issues, such as the determinants and consequences of global changes, pandemic outbreaks and preparedness, chronic diseases, and social inequality.

The School of Public Health is consistently rated among the best in the nation, with recent rankings placing multiple programs at the top of their fields. The UC Berkeley School of Public Health is ranked 9th in the country by US News & World Report.

Our Mission:

Within the School of Public Health and among our colleagues across the Berkeley campus and collaborators around the world, we seek to foster collective research efforts that generate the most effective and far-reaching impacts on population health. This fundamentally requires studying health equity for the most vulnerable in our communities and accounting for global change.

Our Process:

We lead methodological research by integrating cutting-edge tools like machine learning, causal inference, and high-dimensional biology. We invest in these tools to make quantum advances in public health interventions that account for the unique circumstances of individuals, families, and their communities.

Our Purpose:

We conduct research that emphasizes the social determinants of health and how to use this knowledge to help communities implement changes that foster equality and social justice.

Research Highlights

Research Highlights

How the tobacco industry drove the rise of ultra-processed foods

July 1, 2025
Research Highlights

Study finds addictive screen use, not total screen time, linked to youth suicide risk

June 19, 2025
Research Highlights

Researchers consider innovative, inclusive ways to develop and scale computational health

May 8, 2025
See More Research Highlights

Research Centers

Our diverse array of centers and programs address a wide variety of issues, including health and societal problems like alcohol abuse, population and family planning, health technology, STD prevention, infectious diseases, emergency preparedness, healthcare markets, traffic safety, and more.

©2025 UC Regents; all rights reserved