Epidemiologist Dr. Magdalena Cerdá joins YSPH as Chair of the Department of Chronic Disease Epidemiology

Dr. Magdalena Cerdá, DrPH, MPH ’99, has been appointed Chair of the Department of Chronic Disease Epidemiology (CDE) at the Yale School of Public Health, effective July 1, 2026.

“I am beyond thrilled to welcome Dr. Cerdá back to Yale School of Public Health," said Dean Megan L. Ranney, MD, MPH. "At a time when chronic disease and dropping U.S. life expectancy are in the headlines, it is an honor to have this distinguished scientist, mentor, and community-centered scholar lead our Department of Chronic Disease Epidemiology.”

Dr. Cerdá is widely recognized for her national leadership in social epidemiology, particularly for her groundbreaking work on intersecting epidemics involving substance use, violence, and other chronic diseases. Her research has shaped national conversations about how social and legislative environments drive chronic epidemics such as the current overdose crisis. Through innovative methodologies — including machine learning and advanced predictive modeling — she has helped build the evidence base that informs more effective, equitable public health monitoring and policy. Her recent work joining health policy tools, community-based research, and epidemiologic methods to identify effective approaches to prevent opioid use disorder and overdose exemplifies her interdisciplinary approach to the epidemiology of chronic disease.

Dr. Cerdá currently serves as director of the Division of Epidemiology, director of the Center for Opioid Epidemiology and Policy, and professor in the Department of Population Health at NYU Grossman School of Medicine. She earned her Master of Public Health from Yale, earned her doctorate from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and is a former Robert Wood Johnson Health & Society Scholar. Prior leadership roles include the Vice-Chancellor’s Endowed Chair on Violence Prevention at UC Davis School of Medicine and research associate director of its Violence Prevention Research Program. Her distinguished career includes multiple awards for mentorship and the American Psychopathological Association Robins/Guze Award. She is amongst the most cited scientists at NYU. She has also contributed significantly to the field through national service, including on the executive board of the Society for Epidemiologic Research and as president of the Interdisciplinary Association for Population Health Sciences.

The Department of Chronic Disease Epidemiology is central to YSPH’s vision: linking science and society, making public health foundational to communities everywhere. CDE’s scholarship and education focuses on some of the globe’s most pressing public health challenges — including cancer, cardiovascular disease, nutrition, substance use disorders, injury, and violence. The chair plays a pivotal role in shaping the department’s scientific direction, nurturing its research strengths, cultivating future leaders and building partnerships across Yale and beyond.

As chair, Dr. Cerdá will build upon the department’s existing strengths in cancer, diabetes and nutrition, and cardiovascular disease, and expand its capabilities in strategically important areas centered on addressing some of the other leading global causes of death and chronic disability (such as injury) and methodological innovation needed to answer important questions about the drivers and solutions to chronic disease (such as artificial intelligence). She will foster the department’s extraordinarily collaborative environment that champions excellence in research, education, mentorship, and community engagement. She will guide faculty recruitment and development, help define the department’s strategic priorities, and expand its visibility and influence on national and global stages. And she is excited to work with collaborators across the university to maintain our reputation for rigorous research with real-world impact.

“Research, teaching, and practice in chronic disease epidemiology in the United States is more important than ever,” said Dr. Cerdá. “The decline in life expectancy in the United States is primarily driven by chronic diseases, including heart disease, substance use disorders, and mental illness, placing chronic diseases at the top of the national public health agenda. The Yale School of Public Health is leading the field in its commitment to transforming the future of public health research and practice in ways that are unique and inspiring. I welcome the opportunity to work with my colleagues to advance the Department of Chronic Disease Epidemiology’s legacy of research rigor, public health impact, and the training of future leaders in chronic disease epidemiology,” Dr. Cerdá said.

Dr. Cerdá's "extraordinary commitment to consequential chronic disease epidemiology will strengthen our school’s impact at a time when this work has never been more essential," Ranney said. "I would also like to extend my sincere gratitude to the search committee, led by Dr. Melinda Irwin, and to Professors Xiaomei Ma and Irwin for their superb interim leadership of the department."