The International Epidemiology Field Station (IEFS) is a group of Vanderbilt University Medical Center researchers with extensive expertise in the full range of epidemiologic research, from designing and implementing investigations to the evaluation and interpretation of study results.
At IEFS, our mission is to provide sound scientific research into the causes and means of prevention of cancer and other chronic diseases.
We are actively involved with running the Southern Community Cohort Study (SCCS), a NIH-funded prospective cohort study into the causes cancer in the U.S. and why there are higher rates of cancers or cancer deaths among some populations in the U.S. The SCCS is a collaboration between Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Meharry Medical College, the oldest historically African American medical school in the United States.
IEFS was created in 2016 when the staff from the International Epidemiology Institute’s (IEI) two locations in Rockville, Maryland and Jacksonville, FL became part of the Vanderbilt University Medical Center team. IEI and VUMC had been collaborators on the Southern Community Cohort Study and other epidemiologic research studies beginning in 2001, and a close working relationship had developed over the years. Joining VUMC has enabled IEFS researchers to access the extensive resources and research opportunities of this world-class research institution. In return, IEFS researchers are sharing their deep expertise in designing, running, and evaluating large epidemiologic studies.