The Department of Preventive Medicine (DPM) was proud to celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2022. Originally founded in 1972, the department was then called the Department of Community Health and Preventive Medicine, and was led by Dr. Jeremiah Stamler. The studies that Dr. Stamler and his team completed in the early years created the fields of cardiovascular epidemiology and prevention, and defined the key causal risk factors for cardiovascular disease, including smoking, physical inactivity, unhealthy diet, overweight, and elevated cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood glucose. 

While DPM started as a small team of fewer than 10 individuals, it has grown considerably to include seven divisions with 285 faculty and staff. Our researchers continue to make broad and deep contributions to health promotion and disease prevention across the life course in nutrition, biomedical informatics, public health, behavioral medicine, biostatistics, epidemiology, and cancer prevention. As a testament to our influence, DPM is proud to have been ranked #1 in funding from the National Institutes of Health for the last several years.

DPM commissioned three short documentary-style videos and a book to commemorate the occasion, detailing the history of the department and its remarkable achievements over the past century.

Explore the visual aids below: