|
Each new year, we review the top health stories of
the previous year in the mass media and select the most
interesting stories from an epidemiologist’s perspective. Our
selection this year is restricted to articles which have appeared
in the newsletter and not in the mass media. They are all of
potential or actual relevance for our epidemiology readers.
We welcome your nominations for the top
epidemiology stories of 2012 appearing in any publication or
outlet. These could be what you consider the most notable research
results, methods contributions, public health achievements, books
published, conferences held, policies adopted, or other
significant contributions. We will publish your nominations, and,
if we receive enough entries, will create a list of the Top
Epidemiology-Wide Stories of 2012. Send your nominations to
epimon@aol.com
Here are our most notable stories from The
Epidemiology Monitor.
1. Bill Foege,
Epidemiologist and Former CDC Director, Awarded Presidential Medal
Of Freedom
Bill Foege, an epidemiologist and former CDC
Director and global health advisor to the Bill and Melinda Gates
Foundation, was awarded the Presidential Medal of Honor in May
2012. President Obama called the medal “the highest civilian honor
this country can bestow”. (May 2012)
http://tinyurl.com/ajdz7eq
2. The Use Of
Epidemiologic Evidence For Public Health Is Doomed To Fail Without
Champions According To Tobacco Control Expert
It’s a paradox.
Smoking and lung cancer are the perfect example of the power of
epidemiologic evidence to bring about important social change, and
the perfect example of the inadequacy of data to bring about
important social change, according to Matthew Myers,
President of the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids. (June 2012)
http://tinyurl.com/b4drjwy
3. Epidemiology
Consortium Speaks Out On The Well-Established Dangers of Asbestos
Obviously,
reporting on the dangers of asbestos is not news, nor is it news
to document what control or prevention measures should be used.
What is eye-opening, however, is that the paper goes further than
a typical literature review and points out that unnecessary
obstacles to prevention have been raised.
“The use of
asbestos not only causes a human tragedy, but also an economic
disaster,” according to the Committee. (July-August 2012)
http://tinyurl.com/bj3dk63
4.
Institute Of Medicine Committee Says Need To
Address Upstream Causes of Ill-Health “Could Not Be More
Pronounced”
The status of the
United States as an outlier in health could not be presented more
dramatically than it is on the graph of health spending and life
expectancy prepared by the Organization for Economic Co-operation
and Development (OECD) showing the US ranks 28th in
life expectancy. Compared to the other OECD countries, the United
States at $7960 spends more than two times the average of OECD
countries and 3-7 more than some of the rapidly advancing
countries such as Poland and Czech Republic. According to the
Institute of Medicine Committee on Public Health Strategies,
“Debate over America’s place at the top of economic superpowers
aside, it is clear that it is not a superpower in health.” (April
2012) http://tinyurl.com/atjy22c
5. Science
Denialism Is Topic Of University of Wisconsin Science Writers
Conference On The Challenges Of Communicating Research Findings
Presentation Of The “Playbook” Used By
Science Deniers Is Well Received
Recently, a
conference and workshop were held at the University of Wisconsin
to dissect the causes of “science denial” and to apply the
insights gleaned to devising more effective communication. The
lessons learned and ideas for solutions may be of considerable
interest to epidemiologists. The arguments or “playbook” used by
science deniers includes: He said that he can now fit any argument
made against evolution or scientific topics into one of these six
categories. They are:
1. Doubt the
science
2. Question the
motives or integrity of the scientists.
3. Magnify the
disagreements by citing gadflies as authorities.
4. Exaggerate
potential harms even if the science is correct.
5. Appeal to
personal freedom
6. Acceptance
would repudiate a key philosophy or belief
(Sept 2012)
http://tinyurl.com/b5wylpc
6.
Ethics Guidelines Revised By
Environmental Epidemiologists To Take Better Account Of Emerging
Challenges In The Field
“Perhaps more than
most other applied sciences, the discipline of environmental
epidemiology faces significant ethical challenges because of the
involvement of powerful stakeholders whose influence may affect
all levels of research and policy formulation.” So write Shira
Kramer, Colin Soskolne, B. Adetune Mustapha, and
Wael K. Al-Delaimy, in the August issue of Environmental
Health Perspectives in introducing new revised ethics guidelines
for the International Society for Environmental Epidemiology. The
basic principles were judged by the authors to be broadly
applicable to the practice of epidemiology. (Sept 2012)
http://tinyurl.com/b4rcs3m
7.
Paper in Epidemiology Proposes Creation Of A
New Knowledge Translation Subspecialty
Writing in this
month’s issue of Epidemiology, David Dowdy and
Madhuhar Pai make a case for creating “Accountable Health
Advocates” (AHA’s), a new subspecialty of epidemiologists which
would focus more intentionally on the translation or use of
epidemiologic findings to improve public health.
Support for this
work would come from a reallocation of resources or creation of
new rewards and incentives for epidemiologists who chose this
career path. At present, the authors say there are many
disincentives for epidemiologists to advocate for the utilization
of established evidence, including “professional fallout” from a
perceived lack of objectivity and difficulty of publishing such
work in scientific journals. (Oct 2012)
http://tinyurl.com/adksace
8.
National Research Council Issues Report On Using
Science As Evidence In Public Policy
Despite the much touted evidence-based policy and
practice movement of recent years, a new National Research Council
report reaches the striking conclusion that “studies of knowledge
utilization have not advanced understanding of the use of evidence
in the policy process much beyond the decades-old National
Research Council (1978) report.” That report, entitled “Knowledge
and Policy: The Uncertain Connection” failed to find systematic
evidence that social science evidence was being used. The findings
from both reports are bleak and apply to all the sciences says the
NRC since knowledge from all sciences is potentially relevant to
policy choices. (Nov 2012)
http://tinyurl.com/bjqnkau
9.
Distracted Driving Called “Epidemic On America’s
Roadways”
Phones May Be A
Deadly, Addictive Risk Factor Like Smoking
“Every single time
you take your eyes off the road or talk on the phone while you’re
driving—even for just a few seconds—you put yourself and others in
danger,” according to Ray LaHood, US Secretary of
Transportation. According to LaHood, nearly 5,500 persons were
killed and 450,000 injured in distracted driving crashes in 2009.
That translates into nearly 15 people dying and 1,200 being
injured each day in the United States from distracted driving.
Among those killed or injured in 2009, nearly 1,000 deaths and
24,000 injuries included cell phone use as a major distraction,
according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
LaHood calls distracted driving “an epidemic on America’s
roadways.” (Feb 2012)
http://tinyurl.com/9wevjfj
10.
Surprise Decision Ends The Young Epidemiology
Scholars (YES) Program
“Devastated,
dismayed, and surprised” is how Kevin Xu described his
reaction and that of fellow alumni upon hearing the news about the
termination of the much praised and highly valued Young
Epidemiology Scholars (YES) program, a college scholarship
competition in epidemiology for high school students. The program
was sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) and
administered by the College Board.
The program was established in 2003 and eight
competitions were held over the life of the program. During this
time, approximately 5,000 students from all 50 states participated
in the program. YES awarded $3.7 million in scholarships to 976
students. The top winners received awards ranging from 15K to 50K.
(June 2012).
http://tinyurl.com/b9eexha
Reader
Comments:
Have a thought or comment
on this story ? Fill out the information below and we'll
post it on this page once it's been reviewed by our editors.
|