The establishment of this Program at USU formally recognizes the breadth of disciplines spanned by Emerging Infectious Diseases and the extent to which advances in these areas can affect the current and future health of individuals within the United States and also in the global arena. This situation is particularly critical and important given the recent events of bioterrorism in this country. As part of the EID Program, courses on the agents and effects of bioterrorism are offered. To date, this Program is one of the only Graduate Programs in the country to offer formal training in this critical area.

The EID academic program has an interdisciplinary core curriculum which is taken by all students and three academic tracks which involve advanced graduate courses and areas of research specialization that include Microbiology and Immunology, Pathology, and Preventive Medicine/Parasitology. Our strong research programs are broadly-based and emphasize these academic areas. We are also lucky enough to be directly across the street from the National Institutes of Health. This proximity to some of the best basic science and clinical research in the United States enhances the academic experience of all our students (and faculty too!).