Rita Popat

Dr. Rita Popat serves as Associate Professor of Epidemiology and Population Health at Stanford University, where she has established herself as an accomplished educator and researcher in clinical epidemiology. Her diverse academic background includes a PhD in Epidemiology from Stanford University, an MS in Biostatistics from the University of Massachusetts, and an MS in Physical Therapy from MGH Institute of Health Professions. In her current roles, she serves as Co-Director of the Clinical Research Scholarly Concentration Program and the MS program in Clinical Research & Epidemiology, while also maintaining active involvement in Stanford Medicine's Teaching and Mentoring Academy. Her research focuses on the epidemiology of neurodegenerative disorders, particularly Parkinson's disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, examining genetic and environmental factors in disease development. She has also made significant contributions to research methodology, including developing an expanded screening questionnaire for restless legs syndrome. Dr. Popat's excellence in teaching has been consistently recognized through multiple awards, including the Kaiser Foundation Award for Excellence in Preclinical Teaching and numerous Teaching Awards from the Division of Epidemiology. Her current work includes teaching essential courses in clinical trials design, epidemiologic research methods, and data management, while mentoring numerous graduate and undergraduate students in their research endeavors