Detectives in the classroom

The Epidemiology Education Movement, a grass roots effort to integrate epidemiology and other public health science into elementary and secondary schools, is based on two main ideas:

• If we define education as something that prepares people to live in their world, it should include giving people tools with which to make informed lifestyle and societal decisions that affect their health.
• If people with common interests in grade 6-12 epidemiology education are aware of each other’s activities, we will progress more quickly to critical mass and significant change.

To bring together common efforts to this end, we have created this website as a communications venue for teachers, public health professionals and organizations involved in the Movement. The goals include:

1. Infusing epidemiology into curricula in grades 6-12;
2. Increasing students’ scientific literacy; and
3. Increasing the number of students considering careers in public health.