EpiMonitor.Net - Epi Monday

EpiMonday

06/30/08

Excerpts From The June Issue Of The Epidemiology Monitor

Sherman James Gives SER Presidential Address on Epidemiologic Research and Societal Health

As outgoing SER President, Duke University epidemiologist Sherman James addressed the almost 800 epidemiologists in attendance at this year’s SER meeting in Chicago in late June 2008. After assuring the SER members that their Society is in “great shape” in terms of financial status, number of members, attendance at annual meetings, and the condition of the American Journal of Epidemiology, which he called “the very best in our field”, James outlined broadly the history of epidemiology and its primary concerns since World War II. James subtitled his presentation “A Retrospective/Prospective View” and began his overview by talking about the achievements of large research teams after WWII which identified cigarette smoking, physical inactivity, and diet as important risk factors for coronary heart disease. more...

David Williams Gives John Cassel Memorial Lecture Detailing The Dramatic Impact of Race/Social Environment On Health

Many could not recall any previous speaker at SER receiving a standing ovation for his or her lecture. But a standing ovation is indeed what David Williams; the Norman Professor of Public Health at Harvard received for his John Cassel Memorial Lecture at the annual SER meeting in Chicago. In an impressive, flawless presentation style in which he never missed a beat, Williams presented finding after finding and statistic after statistic detailing the dramatic impact that the social environment operating through race can have on health. more...

How Should Epidemiologists Respond To Critics?

In a very well attended symposium at SER entitled “Epidemiology Responds To Its Media Critics”, Harvard University’s Meir Stampfer, the University of Washington’s Noel Weiss, and the University of Pittsburgh’s Roberta Ness jointly tackled the challenging question of how epidemiologists can act collectively to forestall attacks on the field such as those by science journalist Gary Taubes. Epidemiologists are familiar with Taubes’ name and his pointed criticisms because of a 1995 Science article entitled “Epidemiology Faces Its Limits”, a critical New York Times Sunday magazine article entitled “Do We Really Know What Makes Us Healthy?”, and a recent book “Good Calories, Bad Calories”. The essence of Taubes’s criticism is that epidemiology produces too many false positive findings which leads to new policies or to people altering their behavior in ways that may cause more harm than good. more...

Barbara Kress (aka Barbara Bernier), Managing Editor of The Epidemiology Monitor, Dies At Age 63

Barbara Kress, aka Barbara Bernier, 63, of Roswell, Georgia died peacefully at home on June 8, 2008 after a long and courageous struggle with breast cancer. Barbara had multiple careers, including raising three children, psychological counseling, and serving as managing editor of the Epidemiology Monitor founded by her husband Roger Bernier, the current editor. more...

New Editor at Oxford University Press Describes The State Of Book Publishing In Epidemiology Today

Oxford University Press prides itself in being the largest publisher of epidemiology titles with a goal of publishing between 5-10 new titles every year, according to Bill Lamsback, the new editor who recently replaced Jeffrey House who served in that role for many years. According to Lamsback, Oxford currently has 100-150 titles in epidemiology and related topics and is the leading publisher in epidemiology. Although Epidemiology by Leon Gordis may be the best selling book in epidemiology and is published by a different company, Oxford has several brisk selling titles including Ken Rothman’s Introduction to Epidemiology, David Lilienfeld’s Foundations of Epidemiology, Lisa Berkman’s Social Epidemiology, Walter Willett’s Nutritional Epidemiology, and of course, the Dictionary of Epidemiology now edited by Miquel Porta. more...

Editor’s Picks

Selections from EpiMonday at www.epimonitor.net more...

Our 2008 calendar of events of interest to epidemiologists contains 162 listings, a decrease over the number of listings last year but still containing a wide variety of offerings both in the US and in other countries. If we have missed your upcoming event, please contact the newsletter offices and we will add your event to our online version of the calendar which is frequently updated throughout the year. Ongoing events and those to be scheduled later in 2008 are included at the end of the 2008 listing of already scheduled events.

The key epidemiology society or group meetings in 2008 are:

• American Epidemiological Society, March, Pittsburgh

• Epidemic Intelligence Service Conference, April, Atlanta

• Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America, April, Orlando

• Society for Clinical Trials, May, St. Louis

• Association For Professionals in Infection Control & Epidemiology, June, Denver

• Council of State and Territorial Health Epidemiologists, June, Denver

• Society for Epidemiologic Research, June, Chicago

• Society for Pediatric & Perinatal Epidemiological Research, June, Chicago

• International Society for Pharmacoepidemiology, August, Copenhagen

• American College of Epidemiology, September, Tucson

• International Genetic Epidemiology Society, September, St. Louis