Gregory Phillips II Named Director of Master of Science in Epidemiology Program
By Andrew Nellis
October 15, 2024
Gregory Phillips II, PhD, MS, associate professor of medical social sciences, has been named the new director of Northwestern University’s Master of Science in Epidemiology (MS Epi) program. He assumed the role previously held by Elizabeth Hibler, PhD, MPH, on September 1, 2024.
“Starting as Director in the first year of the program gives me the ability to shape the program and work with students in the inaugural class to learn what changes are needed in the future,” Phillips said. “I was thrilled when NU added the MS Epidemiology degree to their roster, and I am honored to have the responsibility of leading the program.”
An epidemiologist with over 15 years of research experience, Phillips has studied the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on sexual and gender minority (SGM) individuals, as well as how diverse youth and young adults responded to pandemic prevention measures. He is passionate about improving the collection of sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity (SSOGI) data to better understand the magnitude of health disparities, and in working directly with local community-based organizations to understand research priorities of racial/ethnic minority SGM Chicago residents.
Phillips has long been a central figure in public health education at Northwestern’s Feinberg School of medicine, having developed two new courses and revamped three existing classes during his last four years of teaching, and earning the Program in Public Health Teacher of the Year for the 2023-2024 academic year.
In addition to his new role, Phillips serves as co-director of the MPH Community Health Research and Evaluation Concentration and is a member of the Evaluation and Executive Committees. He is also director of the Evaluation, Data Integration, and Technical Assistance Program within the Institute for Sexual and Gender Minority Health and Wellbeing.
“I’m thrilled that Gregory will be leading our epidemiology master’s program,” said Neil Jordan, PhD, professor of psychiatry and director of the Institute for Public Health and Medicine’s Center for Education in Health Sciences. “His excellence as a researcher, along with his extensive experience as a teacher and advisor in our MPH program, make him extremely well suited to guiding our MS Epidemiology students.”
The Master of Science in Epidemiology provides rigorous, fast-paced training to prepare students for careers in public health and clinical epidemiological research. The program allows students to focus on epidemiological study design and analytic approaches, which culminates in a one-year thesis project grounded in real-world data. The emphasis on methodology is ideal for those eager to join the workforce as high-level analysts with the skills to navigate the complexities of large-scale studies.
Phillips believes epidemiologists should be proactive in anticipating data trends, rather than merely reactive to surveillance data reports. Further, in order to meet the need for equitable public health, he feels that social determinants of health and structural solutions need to be better integrated into the practice of epidemiology.
“Training in epidemiology is central to nearly all forms of public and population health science and practice,” said Ronald Ackermann, MD, MPH, director of the Institute for Public Health and Medicine, senior associate dean for Public Health, and professor of medicine. “Gregory’s leadership as director of the Master of Epidemiology program will ensure that Northwestern students continue to receive rigorous training in epidemiologic principles and methods needed to prepare them for impactful careers spanning numerous domains of population health science and healthcare or public health practice.”