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Letter From The
Current Editor
Dear Readers And Colleagues -
June
of 2022 will mark the 42nd birthday of The Epidemiology
Monitor which was launched at the Society for Epidemiologic
Research annual meeting
in Minneapolis in June of 1980. The
idea to create a newsletter for epidemiologists originated while
in graduate school. I noted that all doctoral students were facing
the same challenge of figuring out how to pay for their doctoral
research projects without the benefit of knowing about the
solutions which other similar students had managed to find. Thus,
I saw an opportunity to fill unmet information needs among
epidemiologists and have been providing information about
epidemiology and epidemiologists ever since.
The
work has been a labor of love or otherwise I could not have
sustained my involvement for so many years. It has brought me into
contact with more colleagues and issues than I would have
encountered without the responsibility for the newsletter. I am
very grateful for all those exchanges with colleagues and for all
that learning over the years. I will miss that regular
stimulation.
Also, I want to thank all the many partners and assistants I have
had over the years too numerous to name. The “EpiMonitor” has been
a team effort and I am very appreciative of all the help I have
had beginning with the support of my late wife Barbara during the
first decades of the EpiMonitor. Over the last 11 years the
Monitor has been published with the support and contributions of
Michele Gibson our director of digital marketing, and of my wife
Linda who has excelled at all of our customer relations and back
office operations.
It’s not for me to say what the value and
contributions of the newsletter to epidemiology and
epidemiologists have been over the years. What I can say is I
remember most fondly what one of our readers said on the occasion
of our 10th anniversary. Because epidemiologists are
spread out over multiple subspecialties, they may have less in
common with others in their field than most other professions
have. Our reader said the newsletter gave a sense of community
not found elsewhere. I like to think I have helped
epidemiologists to feel more connected and to have a sense of
belonging through the pages, articles, stories, job opportunities,
and humor found in the newsletter. Relationships are, after all,
so central to our success and happiness both professionally and
personally.
I am
excited to pass on the newsletter ownership with its editorial and
publishing responsibilities to Katelyn Jetelina, a young and
energetic epidemiologist who has already proven herself to be a
successful communicator with her blog during the height of the
COVID pandemic. She and her husband Chris are taking over the
reins held by our husband and wife team, and I have full
confidence that they have the skills, ambition, and determination
needed for taking The Epidemiology Monitor to new heights. We live
in what is proving to be both an exciting and challenging
communication environment. I hope that readers and employers will
continue to provide their loyal support to keep the newsletter
going at least until the SER meeting another 42 years from now in
2064!
A heartfelt thank you to all our loyal readers. It has been a
great ride together. Until our paths cross again, stay well!
Roger Bernier, PhD, MPH
Editor and Publisher
rogbernier@gmail.com
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Letter
From The Incoming Editor
EpiMonitor Universe-
I couldn’t be more excited or honored to build on
Roger’s legacy by continuing to provide a space of “epidemiology
for epidemiologists”. Roger and I met about a year ago after he
stumbled upon my newsletter called Your Local Epidemiologist.
After several conversations, it was clear that our ideals,
passion, and dedication to this community aligned. We started
writing together and the positive chemistry led to discussions of
growth and the future of EpiMonitor.
Now,
more than ever, epidemiologists need an informal and light space
to land. While we are a broad and often siloed field, an
encompassing community provides refuge, a space for critical
discussions, and opportunities for continued education and
training. I hope to continue building this at EpiMonitor with
fresh energy by leveraging social media, distilling and
summarizing the latest epidemiological news, providing a
comprehensive list of job opportunities and collaborations, and
announcing upcoming conferences and professional development
opportunities.
There is also a great and concurrent need to fill the gap between
epidemiology and the public. For the past two years, I’ve
attempted to close this through scientific “translation”, improved
accessibility and availability of our science, and a space to
build trust. I hope that we can find innovative ways to do this
together, as a field, at the EpiMonitor.
Epidemiologists have incredible momentum right now. I look forward
to elevating this field, our important work, the larger community,
and public health altogether.
If
you’re attending the SER conference in June, please stop by the
EpiMonitor booth! I would love to hear about your ideas and needs
for this tight-knit community.
I
look forward to embarking on this journey together!
Katelyn Jetelina
katelyn@epimonitor.net
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