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The Society for Epidemiologic Research (SER) is the oldest and largest general epidemiology society in North America, established to foster scientific innovation, methodological rigor, and professional development across population health sciences. Founded in 1968, SER serves as a central scientific forum connecting academic researchers, public health professionals, and graduate trainees. In modern epidemiology, SER is widely recognized as the primary academic home for foundational study design, causal inference methodology, and peer-reviewed dissemination through the American Journal of Epidemiology (AJE).
What the Society for Epidemiologic Research Is
The Society for Epidemiologic Research was established as an open academic platform uniting investigators across infectious diseases, chronic illnesses, and environmental health. Unlike clinical medical associations that focus on specialty patient care, SER emphasizes empirical research methodology, statistical design, and the biological and social determinants of disease distribution in human populations.
Historically conceived to bridge the gap between emerging graduate researchers and senior faculty, SER maintains a distinct student-centered culture. It operates as an intellectual incubator where novel analytical frameworks—ranging from modern directed acyclic graphs (DAGs) and target trial emulation to counterfactual causal models—are debated and refined before wide adoption across epidemiology and public health.
Who Runs It and What It Covers
SER is governed by an elected Executive Committee comprising a President, Past President, President-Elect, and Members at Large drawn from leading academic institutions and public health agencies. Trainee leadership is directly integrated through an active Student and Postdoc Committee (SPC), which organizes career development tracks, virtual roundtables, and dissertation critique workshops.
The historical roots of SER date back to 1967, when three prominent epidemiology department chairs—Dr. Abraham Lilienfeld of the Johns Hopkins University, Dr. Milton Terris of New York Medical College, and Dr. Brian MacMahon of Harvard University—proposed a new society to provide a regular meeting space for graduate students to present original empirical findings to senior colleagues. The first meeting convened in May 1968 in Washington, D.C., establishing a tradition of annual scientific gatherings.
The core scientific activities and resources of SER include:
- The Annual Meeting: Held each June in alternating North American cities, the multi-day conference features competitive oral presentations, late-breaking posters, and symposia addressing infectious disease transmission, environmental exposures, and social epidemiology.
- Pre-Meeting Methodological Workshops: Intensive half-day and full-day courses provide technical training in advanced quantitative techniques, bridging the gap between theoretical biostatistics and epidemiology. Typical workshop topics include causal machine learning, modern mediation analysis, quantitative bias analysis, and longitudinal cohort modeling.
- Sponsored Scholarly Journals: In partnership with Oxford University Press and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, SER officially sponsors the American Journal of Epidemiology (AJE), one of the field’s most prestigious peer-reviewed publication venues, alongside the synthesis journal Epidemiologic Reviews.
- Digital Education and Media: Through SERdigital, the society hosts virtual webinars, SERplaylists of recorded conference lectures, and the official SER podcast series, making cutting-edge methodological debates accessible to researchers worldwide.
- Competitive Honors and Awards: The society presents thirteen major annual honors, including the Abraham Lilienfeld Postdoctoral Prize Paper Award, the Tyroler Student Prize Paper Award, and prestigious career recognitions celebrating lifetime contributions to epidemiologic science.
How Researchers Participate and Access Resources
Academic faculty, postdoctoral fellows, graduate students, and applied health analysts engage with SER through several primary mechanisms:
- Society Membership: Investigators join SER as regular members, postdoctoral members, student members, or through reduced-rate international tiers for researchers residing in low- and middle-income countries. Membership provides discounted conference registration, access to online educational archives, and member subscription rates to AJE.
- Abstract Submission: Each winter, researchers submit original abstracts for presentation at the Annual Meeting. Submissions undergo blind peer review by thematic panels covering topics such as infectious disease surveillance, cancer epidemiology, cardiovascular health, and pharmacoepidemiology.
- Student Dissertation Workshops: Advanced doctoral candidates submit dissertation chapters for intensive, constructive critique by panels of senior methodologists during the Annual Meeting.
- Professional Networking and Committees: Members can serve on standing committees, including Communications, Diversity and Inclusion, Education, Mentoring, and Membership, helping shape conference programming and diversity initiatives.
Strengths and Limits
Assessing SER’s institutional strengths and operational boundaries helps investigators determine how to position their research within the society’s ecosystem.
Strengths:
- Methodological Leadership: SER is widely acknowledged as the premier forum for advancing epidemiologic methods and causal inference theory in North America.
- Commitment to Trainees: The society devotes substantial conference space, travel grants, and awards specifically to graduate students and postdoctoral fellows.
- Rigorous Scholarly Publishing: Close affiliation with the American Journal of Epidemiology provides direct integration between conference symposia and influential literature.
- Substantive Breadth: By bringing together infectious disease epidemiologists, cancer researchers, and social scientists, SER prevents methodological fragmentation across specialized clinical silos.
Limits:
- North American Focus: While international researchers regularly attend, conference venues and governance structures primarily reflect North American academic institutions, differing from international bodies like ESCMID or the International Epidemiological Association (IEA).
- Not a Policy-Lobbying Body: SER functions primarily as a scientific and educational platform; it does not draft legislative advocacy papers or clinical practice guidelines in the manner of professional medical specialty colleges.
- Methodological Density: The strong focus on high-level mathematical and causal modeling can present a steep learning curve for practitioners working in routine field operations or local health departments.
Alternatives to SER
Researchers in public health, infectious disease epidemiology, and medical research frequently participate in other scientific societies depending on their geographic and clinical focus:
| Organization | Primary Target Audience | Flagship Publication | Distinctive Focus vs. SER |
|---|---|---|---|
| SER (Society for Epidemiologic Research) | Academic and methodologic epidemiologists, students, postdocs | American Journal of Epidemiology (AJE) | Core epidemiologic methodology, causal inference, trainee development |
| IEA (International Epidemiological Association) | Global epidemiology researchers, particularly in developing regions | International Journal of Epidemiology (IJE) | Global health equity, World Congress of Epidemiology, regional workshops |
| ACE (American College of Epidemiology) | Practicing epidemiologists, credentialed fellows (FACE) | Annals of Epidemiology | Professional policy, credentialing, ethics, applied public health practice |
| APHA (Epidemiology Section) | Broad public health workforce, community health leaders | American Journal of Public Health (AJPH) | Public health advocacy, health policy, interdisciplinary program delivery |
| ESCMID | Clinical microbiologists and infectious disease specialists | Clinical Microbiology and Infection (CMI) | European clinical guidelines, EUCAST breakpoint standards, pathogen microbiology |
Frequently Asked Questions
Who founded the Society for Epidemiologic Research, and when?
The Society for Epidemiologic Research was proposed in 1967 by three academic leaders: Dr. Abraham Lilienfeld (Johns Hopkins University), Dr. Milton Terris (New York Medical College), and Dr. Brian MacMahon (Harvard University). The society convened its first official annual meeting in May 1968 in Washington, D.C.
What is the relationship between SER and the American Journal of Epidemiology?
SER officially sponsors the American Journal of Epidemiology (AJE), which is published by Oxford University Press in association with the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. AJE serves as a premier publishing venue for peer-reviewed research presented by society members.
Does SER offer funding or travel awards for students?
Yes. SER awards travel scholarships, conference registration waivers, and competitive prize paper honors—such as the Tyroler Student Prize Paper Award and the Student Dissertation Workshop—to support graduate students and early-career researchers attending the annual meeting.
How does SER differ from clinical societies like IDSA or ESCMID?
While clinical societies focus heavily on clinical diagnosis, patient management guidelines, and hospital microbial stewardship, SER focuses on quantitative epidemiologic methods, study design, statistical inference, and population-level health trends across both infectious and non-infectious conditions.
Sources
- Society for Epidemiologic Research — About Us and History — Founding history, mission, governance structure, and past leadership archive. Accessed 2026-11-07.
- Society for Epidemiologic Research — Annual Meeting Overview — Conference structure, call for submissions, and pre-meeting workshop curriculum. Accessed 2026-11-07.
- Society for Epidemiologic Research — Awards Programme — Official descriptions of the thirteen annual competitive honors, including Lilienfeld and Tyroler awards. Accessed 2026-11-07.
- Society for Epidemiologic Research — Membership Categories and Benefits — Member tiers, journal access details, and educational library services. Accessed 2026-11-07.
- American Journal of Epidemiology — Oxford Academic — Journal scope, editorial partnership with SER, and publication guidelines. Accessed 2026-11-07.
