It’s a throwaway line, an ice-breaker at parties: “What do you do?” But my answer, “I’m an epidemiologist,” inevitably leads to more questions.
To many people, epidemiology is a mystery. While they may have some vague notion of men and women in moon suits running around in a rain forest, epidemiologists are still an unknown factor.
The Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists-in town June 8-12 for our 2008 Annual Conference-would like to change that.
First an explanation: Epidemiologists-disease detectives-are the health community’s equivalent of a modern Sherlock Holmes: discovering patterns in occurrence of illness and injury; meticulously analyzing clues; and applying findings to solve medical mysteries and inform decisions that protect people’s health. In today’s terms, they might even be compared to crime scene investigators-except that these researchers delve into a body of knowledge to identify their often elusive quarry.
For instance, when dozens of people in Alamosa, Colorado began suffering symptoms of salmonella infection earlier this year, epidemiologists from the Colorado Department of Public Health conducted an intense investigation that traced the cause of illness to its source-the city’s public water supply-and led to immediate measures to protect the public from further exposure to the dangerous bacteria. In this instance, like many others, scientific rigor was coupled with shoe-leather investigation to identify the culprit and reduce its impact on public health.
The Alamosa outbreak is an example of how easily microbes can re-invent themselves to cause widespread illness. With global warming, rapid population growth, technology that allows travelers to move from one part of the world to another in a matter of hours, and intentional threats from bioterrorism, America’s disease detectives increasingly are at the forefront of the fight against pathogens and other serious health hazards.
In Denver this year, our conference theme is “Public Health Epidemiology: Adapting to a Changing World.” The theme-and much of the research to be presented-reflects the increasing challenges posed by emerging or evolving threats to our health.
As a showcase for the field of applied epidemiology, our conference also presents an opportunity to hang out a “help wanted” sign. As public health challenges increase, it is crucial that we create and train a core group of new epidemiologists, and strengthen capacity across the nation.
To accomplish that, the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists is actively recruiting young scientists. In collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Association of Schools of Public Health, CSTE has established a Fellowship program to train recent public health graduates and prepare them for long term career placement at the state and local level.
In addition, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and The College Board annually sponsor the Young Epidemiology Scholars (YES) Competition. The YES Competition awards up to 120 college scholarships each year to high school students who conduct outstanding research projects that apply epidemiological methods to a health-related issue. CSTE strongly encourages student scientists in Denver and throughout Colorado to enter the 2009 YES competition and showcase their talents.
CSTE is pleased that Colorado students representing the YES Competition and the Poudre High School Science Olympiad “Disease Detectives” team plan to attend our conference. We look forward to hosting this exceptional group of scholars in Denver and introducing them to our membership.
Why the focus on youth? It’s no mystery. We need to train a new generation of epidemiologists to help public health leaders learn why some people get sick and others don’t. The way these young people apply their knowledge ultimately will impact all our lives. So, thank you, Denver, for welcoming our group of disease detectives to your fair city. We’re glad to be here. And, we sincerely hope that some among you will consider joining us in a rewarding career!
Perry F. Smith, M.D., is CSTE’s president-elect. EDITOR’S NOTE: This online-only guest commentary has not been edited. Guest commentary submissions of up to 650 words may be sent to openforum@denverpost.com.
