At this year’s Society for Epidemiologic Research (SER) 50th anniversary meeting in Seattle, Washington, Dr. Laura Rosella, recipient of the Brian MacMahon early Career Award, gave a brief presentation to the gathered researchers.
The theme of Dr. Rosella’s presentation was her career’s dual emphasis on methods and impact, and the contents of the talk were appropriately holistic, covering everything from emergent epidemiologic methods, to the way research has translated into impact, here in Toronto. Dr. Rosella spoke about the importance of population risk tools—a promising new enterprise to support health decision-making —and the methodological challenges they pose.
Dr. Rosella (left) with Career Accomplishment winner, Dr. Kenneth Rothman, and Distinguished Service to SER winner, Dr. Polly Marchbanks.
Epidemiology Today and Tomorrow
Dr. Rosella also acknowledged the perceived tension between epidemiologists who focus on methods versus those who focus on applied work. She then presented examples of her most rewarding experiences, which have been in the space where methods and impact intersect. She reminded us of Professor MacMahon’s first descriptions and that at its core, epidemiology is an applied discipline; however, she noted that the complex questions facing us in today’s world require the methodological innovation that epidemiologists excel at providing.
In closing, Dr. Rosella highlighted three forces that she feels carve and shape the current landscape of epidemiology:
(1) Desire for impact, which is strong enough to spur continuous creativity in methods
(2) Prioritization of population health needs, which is an essential part of pragmatic epidemiology
(3) Demands for methods, which actually increase when attempting to solve today’s most complex and pressing public health challenges.
SER’s 2018 conference will take place June 19-22 in Baltimore, Maryland.
To watch Dr. Rosella’s lecture, please click here.