In our post-graduate master, your research focus defines your major. Each major provides deep expertise in a specific area of the health sciences and equips you with the skills to conduct high quality, impactful research.
A key component of the programme is your research project. Under the guidance of an experienced supervisor, you will develop and carry out your own study, which forms the basis of your thesis and may even lead to a publication in an international scientific journal.
Alongside this, you will gain essential training in clinical, epidemiological, and public health research methods, before diving into your chosen major to explore cutting edge questions and contribute to real world solutions.
Majors and Research Focus Area
Clinical epidemiology is a discipline that emphasizes empirical research and patient-focused inquiry. It is uniquely positioned to integrate quantitative approaches into both clinical research and everyday medical practice. By applying rigorous methods to real-world clinical questions, it helps ensure that patient care is guided by the best available evidence.
There is a growing need for physicians who can not only understand and interpret research but also actively contribute to it. Clinical epidemiology is ideally suited to meet this need, as it equips healthcare professionals with the skills required to conduct and apply research that is directly relevant to patient outcomes. The field encompasses a broad range of studies—diagnostic, prognostic, preventive, and therapeutic—all grounded in quantitative research designs. A strong foundation in study design, data analysis, and interpretation is essential for producing high-quality clinical research.
The clinical epidemiology program is designed to prepare candidates for diverse roles within clinical medicine, pharmaceutical research, and healthcare decision-making. Graduates may pursue careers as investigators, advisors, or policy-makers, depending on their area of focus. The program emphasizes three core disciplines: epidemiology, clinical decision analysis, and biostatistics. These fields provide the analytical tools necessary to assess and solve complex medical problems using data-driven methods.
Throughout the program, the focus remains on practical application. Participants gain experience in developing research questions, selecting appropriate study designs, analyzing data, and interpreting results within a clinical context. The ultimate aim is to enable clinicians and researchers to make informed, evidence-based decisions that improve patient care and health system outcomes.
There is a growing need for physicians who can not only understand and interpret research but also actively contribute to it. Clinical epidemiology is ideally suited to meet this need, as it equips healthcare professionals with the skills required to conduct and apply research that is directly relevant to patient outcomes. The field encompasses a broad range of studies—diagnostic, prognostic, preventive, and therapeutic—all grounded in quantitative research designs. A strong foundation in study design, data analysis, and interpretation is essential for producing high-quality clinical research.
Epidemiology is the study of human health on the population level. It covers everything from the distribution of health conditions, to predicting whose health is at risk, to what causes health problems and how we can treat such problems. The epidemiology major can focus on any of these topics but what distinguishes it from other majors is an emphasis on methodology.
Epidemiology has a rich history of methodological innovation and an epidemiologist with strong knowledge of epidemiologic methods significantly broadens their potential career trajectories because this knowledge can be applied to many different fields within epidemiology, public health and even beyond. Their knowledge allows them to ask clear research questions, suggest the best way to address them and provide careful, nuanced answers.
This additional focus on methods takes the form of suggested electives targeted more at methodological topics and thesis projects that have a novel methodological aspect to them. This novel aspect most often is in the form of applying an existing method to a new research question.
Research within the Epidemiology major employ truly cutting-edge methods to provide clearer answers to important questions than traditional methods. Examples of previous projects in this major include:
- Using a family fixed-effects analysis to study whether moving house influences test scores
- A novel review of diabetes guidelines demonstrating the use of causal language in guidelines even when research does not necessarily support it
- Using a regression discontinuity design to study whether a community-level blood pressure screening program is effective
These projects either answered previously unanswered questions or approached them in a novel way providing new insight into old questions.
The major thrust of research in genomic & molecular epidemiology in the next ten years will be the identification of predisposing genes in complex diseases and the environmental factors. This may ultimately lead to a more targeted surveillance and improved clinical care.
Genomic & molecular epidemiology focuses on the uses of genetic, molecular and epidemiological research in identifying the possible familial and hereditary factors underlying the origins and manifestations of human disease. The cause of most chronic diseases -including cancer, coronary artery disease, diabetes, hypertension, and psychiatric disorders- may lie in the interactions between environmental factors and genetic susceptibility. Genomic & molecular epidemiology helps optimize etiological studies through an integrated approach that draws on the methodologies of epidemiology, biostatistics, genetics and molecular biology.
The objective of the genetic & molecular epidemiology programme is to prepare candidates for epidemiological research in the areas of genetic determinants of diseases and of genetic risk assessment and seeks to train candidates in these specific fields or to prepare them for an executive/advisory positions in the area of public health, or health-policy. The genomic & molecular epidemiology programme is a mix of general subjects, such as study design and statistical data-analysis, and subjects tailored with specific genomic & molecular epidemiology research and analytical methods.
The major Health Decision Sciences & Technology Assessment equips students with the theoretical foundations and applied tools to support evidence-informed decision-making in healthcare. Students are introduced to key disciplines such as health technology assessment (HTA), decision-analytic modelling, cost-effectiveness analysis, and health outcome measurement. These methods play a crucial role in guiding policy, reimbursement, and clinical decisions, ensuring that limited healthcare resources are used efficiently and equitably.
Research within this major focuses on the development and evaluation of methods to assess the value of healthcare interventions. Topics include economic evaluations of new treatments, measuring quality of life, preference elicitation, early HTA, and the societal impact of health interventions. There is particular attention to a wide type of health issues in (mental) health, youth care, chronic diseases, and public health.
Students can engage in a wide range of research projects, including those linked to ongoing national and international collaborations, policy-relevant studies, and methodological innovations. There are opportunities to work with real-world data, simulation models, and stakeholder input. Graduates of this major are well-prepared for careers in research, policy, consultancy, and industry.
Research within this major focuses on the development and evaluation of methods to assess the value of healthcare interventions. Topics include economic evaluations of new treatments, measuring quality of life, preference elicitation, early HTA, and the societal impact of health interventions. There is particular attention to a wide type of health issues in (mental) health, youth care, chronic diseases, and public health.
In recent years data that are collected in clinical research and public health have increased in volume and complexity. This enhanced even further by the scientific revolution in molecular biology and genetics, and its impact on health and the environment. In this context it is of paramount importance that data are analyzed with sound statistical techniques that respect their nature and adequately answer the scientific questions of interest. This has led to an increased need for well-trained biostatisticians capable of handling the data analysis challenges of the modern era.
The aim of this major in Biostatistics is to keep abreast of such evolutions and equip the future generation of researchers with modern and essential data science tools. This major will combine a solid study of modern statistical methodology with up-to-date information on topics such as study design, clinical trials, public health, longitudinal data analysis, survival analysis, causal inference, and tools for reproducible research. The courses are taught by an international faculty of world-renowned statisticians and epidemiologists from the Netherlands, Belgium and the United States. These include among others, past and current Editors of flagship biostatistics journals, and past presidents of major international biostatistics societies.
In the Biostatistics major, you will work on a thesis project utilizing advanced statistical and machine learning techniques, motivated by clinical, epidemiological, or public health case studies. Particular attention is given to respecting important features of the data that may complicate the analysis (e.g., complex study design, missing data, and selection bias). The primary research topics within the major are:
- longitudinal data analysis (mixed models, generalized estimating equations)
- time-to-event data analysis (clustered data, recurrent events, competing and multi-state models)
- causal inference methodology (heterogeneity of causal effects, causal interpretation in survival models)
- clinical trials methodology (real world data, rare diseases, adaptive trials)
- prediction models (machine learning techniques compared to statistical models)
Public health epidemiology is the art and science of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts of society.
Whereas clinicians and general practitioners provide care for individuals, public health interventions are directed at whole populations. Many improvements have resulted from successful public health initiatives: vaccination and other forms of infectious disease control, safer working environments, preventive mother and childcare, safer and healthier foods, family planning, improved traffic safety, and tobacco control. To achieve or preserve access to effective health care services in society, there is a considerable need for public health expertise.
The objective of the public health epidemiology programme is to prepare public health professionals to draw upon the knowledge and skills from a variety of disciplines in order to define, evaluate, and resolve public health problems. Participants will be prepared for research and for positions at staff and executive levels. Topics included in the programme will be health promotion and health intervention, international health, health policy and management, and occupational and environmental health.