Overview

The Global Health Laboratory aims to promote a healthier and more sustainable global society through rigorous scientific approaches. The lab utilizes advanced epidemiological methods and statistical analyses to model disease burden across and within countries.
A major focus is on the fundamental social determinants affecting health outcomes in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The lab also evaluates the effectiveness of global health policies and programs to inform evidence-based decision-making.

Main Research Areas

• Maternal and Child Health in LMICs
• Early Childhood Development
• Social Determinants of Health and Health inequalities
• Sustainable Development Goals
• Multilevel Modeling

Overview

Health Sociology and Demography is a field that provides new insights into pressing health challenges by examining social factors and meanings behind demographic changes such as ultra-low fertility, shifts in family structure, and population aging.
The Health Sociology and Demography Laboratory focuses on how various socio-demographic factors influence individual health and health inequalities at the societal level. Based on rigorous causal inference methodologies (including experimental and quasi-experimental designs) and sociodemographic theories, the lab conducts research covering diverse population groups such as children and adolescents, youth, the elderly, women, and multicultural families, both domestically and internationally.
Through this work, the lab aims to provide scientific evidence to guide policies for improving population health and reducing health inequalities.

Main Research Areas

The Health Social Demography Research Lab aims to contribute to improving individual and societal health and quality of life by examining the health effects of various sociodemographic factors from multiple perspectives. The main research areas are as follows.

• Family Relationships and Health : Effects of family conflict, violence, bereavement, isolation, and marital satisfaction on health
• School Life, Health, and Education : Impact of peer networks, social comparison, and hierarchy on youth health and educational outcomes
• Life-Course Perspective : Long-term effects of early-life housing, health, and lifestyle on adult health and psychosocial well-being
• Demographic Changes and Health : Health implications of multicultural youth, marriage migrants, work–family balance, and workplace gender discrimination

Overview

This laboratory focuses on the fields of health statistics and oral health epidemiology, including artificial intelligence and machine learning. Based on scientific methodologies that align with real-world data structures and rationally evaluate the interactions between individuals and their social environments, the lab conducts various studies to assess the relationships between health and diverse social and environmental factors.

Main Research Areas

We aim to build prediction models for mental health, chronic diseases, and oral diseases using artificial intelligence and machine learning methods; conduct chronic disease research using large-scale health insurance data; perform survival analysis on long-term data for chronic and oral diseases; apply structural modeling to analyze health-related quality of life; and carry out multilevel analysis of public health data generated through complex sampling methods. Through these approaches, we seek to accurately evaluate the interactions between health and environmental factors and develop comprehensive, personalized health promotion models.

Overview

The primary goal of the Health Economics II Lab is to evaluate the current healthcare system in terms of cost, quality of care, and accessibility, identify areas for improvement, and propose better healthcare systems to enhance the health of the entire population. To achieve this, the lab utilizes various economic theories and methodologies. In Korea, rapid population aging is leading to rising healthcare expenditures, making it urgent to establish healthcare policies that improve efficiency. At the same time, widening income inequality is causing health disparities, increasing the need for policies that enhance equity. To address these issues, the lab conducts research aimed at improving both efficiency and equity simultaneously. Through data-driven analysis, it identifies current conditions and carries out evidence-based research to propose policy justifications and alternatives.

Main Research Areas

The Health Economics II Lab analyzes the healthcare system from various perspectives—including cost, quality, and accessibility—to promote public health and propose policy alternatives. The main research areas are as follows:

• Policy Evaluation : Empirically analyze the effects of healthcare systems and policies and suggest concrete measures for improvement
• Factor Analysis : Analyze various factors affecting cost, quality, and accessibility to propose tailored policies that contribute to health improvement
• Value-Based Healthcare : Compare costs and outcomes of medical services to assess their value and conduct research for building value-based healthcare systems
• International Comparison : Compare with healthcare systems in advanced countries to suggest directions for improving Korea’s healthcare system
• Big Data Analysis : Use advanced analytical techniques such as machine learning to analyze large-scale healthcare data and generate new knowledge

Overview

This laboratory focuses on the fields of chronic disease epidemiology and health promotion. It investigates the distribution and risk factors of major causes of death among Koreans such as cancer, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, and diabetes and studies how epidemiological findings can be applied to community health promotion and developed into public health programs.

Main Research Areas

Through cohort studies of Koreans and other populations, the lab examines lifestyle factors such as physical activity, obesity prevention, diet and nutrition, smoking cessation, and reduced alcohol consumption that influence the prevention and management of chronic diseases. It also explores the biological and physiological mechanisms of lifestyle behaviors through biomarker research. Finally, through cross-national comparisons, the lab identifies risk factors specific to Koreans and develops customized prediction models for chronic diseases that reflect these unique risks.

Overview

This laboratory, under the supervision of Professor Jong-Tae Lee of the Department of Health Policy and Management at Korea University, studies environmental epidemiology and health statistics and conducts related environmental health research. With the goal of improving national environmental health, the lab has conducted research on the development of environmental and food health indicators, assessment of health impacts of air pollution and climate change, prediction of future health impacts, and estimation of the burden of environmentally related diseases. Students interested in pursuing graduate studies or learning in this field are encouraged to visit.

Main Research Areas

• Health impact assessment and future prediction of climate change and allergic diseases - Examine the causal effects of climate change on asthma and allergic diseases and estimate the future health burden.
• Air pollution epidemiology research - Assess the relationship between exposure to air pollution (such as fine particulate matter) and health outcomes like mortality using time-series and survival analysis methods.
• Air pollution exposure assessment - Develop models to predict NO₂ and particulate matter concentrations using advanced exposure assessment methods such as land-use regression to more accurately estimate individual exposure levels.
• Methodological research on air pollution and climate change epidemiology - Study the spatial and temporal variability of relative risks from air pollution and climate change and develop methods for health impact assessment that incorporate these variations.
• Climate change projects in Africa - Identify populations vulnerable to climate change–related infectious diseases in Africa and conduct water and air pollution measurements along with environmental impact assessment training.

Overview

The Health and Social Policy Lab focuses on studying various factors that influence health and ill-health, particularly policy, institutional, and political determinants. To do this, the lab conducts research based on political sociology approaches, including welfare state theory and the political economy of health, primarily using macro-level comparative analysis. Since most health and social policies operate within complex social systems, the lab frequently employs triangulation techniques using mixed methods to generate precise evidence.

Main Research Areas

• To translate macro-level research outcomes into practical innovations in community healthcare systems, the lab conducts field-based research at the community level. It has also recently carried out research on smart healthy cities, integrating advances in smart technology into health promotion practices.
• Health is understood as a resource generated within the environment of our daily lives. From this perspective, the lab also continuously conducts research on early childhood development, which is crucial from a human developmental standpoint.

Overview

The Healthcare Management Lab explores health policies, administrative activities, and optimal management strategies for healthcare systems carried out by national and healthcare-related organizations, with the goal of improving public health and the quality of life of communities. Specifically, it focuses on areas such as healthcare organization management, healthcare human resource management, healthcare accounting and financial management, medical service marketing, and healthcare service quality management.

Main Research Areas

The Healthcare Management Lab conducts research centered on healthcare organization management, human resource management, accounting and financial management, medical service marketing, and healthcare service quality management.

Overview

The main research areas are Public Health Policy, Implementation Science, Infectious Disease Policy, and Health Equity. From a public health perspective, the lab examines health equity in infectious diseases and, through policy design and evaluation, generates actionable evidence within domestic and international healthcare systems and proposes strategies for translating this evidence into real-world policy.

Main Research Areas

• Research includes evaluating policy impacts using real-world data, applying public health intervention strategies in practice both domestically and internationally, and planning and assessing public health interventions.
• In particular, the lab focuses on generating evidence based on key public health concepts such as universal health coverage, strengthening primary care, and social protection and studying how to implement this evidence effectively in real-world settings.

Overview

The Health Policy Laboratory aims to analyze from multiple perspectives how “broad health policies” including not only healthcare services but also social, economic, and environmental factors that affect population health and health equity. To achieve this, (1) it empirically analyzes how factors such as individual socioeconomic status, household income, housing conditions, family structure, and community-level elements like healthcare accessibility, social capital, and public health infrastructure influence health outcomes. Through these analyses, the lab seeks to identify the main causes of health disparities and understand how structural factors impact individual health. Additionally, (2) it empirically examines the effects of various policy interventions that mediate these relationships, evaluating how not only healthcare policies but also housing and employment policies contribute to improving health equity. Based on this, the lab aims to provide evidence for designing sustainable health policies that reduce health inequalities and to contribute to the development of effective policy alternatives.

Main Research Areas

• Empirical research on the effects of individual- and household-level socioeconomic and environmental factors on health
• Empirical studies on the impact of broad health policies on health and comprehensive evaluation of existing evidence

Overview

This laboratory, under the supervision of Professor Lee Jong-tae of the Department of Health Policy and Management at Korea University, studies environmental epidemiology and health statistics and conducts related environmental health research. With the goal of advancing national environmental health, the lab has conducted research on developing environmental and food health indicators, assessing the health impacts of air pollution and climate change, predicting future health effects, and estimating the burden of environmentally related diseases. Students interested in pursuing graduate studies or studying in this field are encouraged to visit.

Main Research Areas

• Performance analysis of healthcare systems and public medical institutions, and strategies for optimizing their operations
• Research on elderly health and integrated care systems in response to an aging society
• Development of AI and big data–based models to improve healthcare accessibility and optimize resource allocation