February 2024 - The Epidemiology Monitor

Editor’s Note:

This month, we feature an article from Your Local Epidemiologist about Oppenheimer the movie and what it means today along with an article about artificial intelligence and moving towards causal inference. In addition, as we do each February, we’ve included detailed information about summer programs in epidemiology and biostatistics.

Please note the call for abstracts for WCE 2024 in Cape Town, South Africa next September! Also, don’t miss the (3) Dame Valerie Beral fellowships for attendance at WCE 2024- the application deadline is March 15th .

We continue to provide you with our popular monthly Notes on People, an overview of what we read from the public media, and a listing of upcoming epidemiology events. Finally, don't miss the Job Bank offerings this month. We have some fantastic opportunities advertised both here and on our website.

Did you miss last month’s issue? Read it here: http://tinyurl.com/ycyt94fk or here: http://tinyurl.com/b3u4c93c

Oppenheimer – What Does It Mean Today?

Author: Katelyn Jetelina, PhD, MPH

In view of the 96th Academy Awards approaching on March 10, and Oppenheimer’s remarkable 13 nominations, we thought it appropriate to revisit a post from Your Local Epidemiologist after a colloquium of leaders and scientists discussed the film’s meaning in today’s landscape. It’s a powerful film with outstanding performances, wrestling with themes highly relevant to the present day. You can view the trailer for the film here. We’ll be watching and cheering for this one on March 10!

July 25, 2023

Over the weekend, the Oppenheimer family invited me to San Francisco for the big film debut!

If you haven’t seen the movie, you should: It’s big. With big ideas. A portrayal of the challenges faced by humanity during a tumultuous period in history. I think it was particularly heavy because it was released in 2023: On the heels of a pandemic, in the face of AI discovery, gene editing, space exploration, and during ongoing conversations around power, trust, and responsibility.

Before the screening, I joined a colloquium of 150 physicists, government officials, and technology leaders discussing this movie's meaning in today’s landscape. I was certainly out of my element, but the conversations were eerily familiar to public health.

“It is not possible to be a scientist unless you believe it is good to learn. It is not good to be a scientist, and it is not possible, unless you think it is of the highest value to share your knowledge, to share it with anyone who is interested. It is not possible to be a scientist unless you believe that the knowledge of the world, and the power that this gives, is a thing which is of intrinsic value to humanity, and that you are using it to help in the spread of knowledge, and are willing to take the consequences.”

Dr. Oppenhiemer

November 2, 1945

Here are some themes I jotted down:

 It takes a crisis to perform in this nation. The spirit and power of institutions can be grand when we put our minds to it. But do we always have to be reactive? We can proactively move at the speed and scale, too.

 Complex vs. complicated problems. A car engine is complicated; traffic is complex. Each requires unique approaches. Big science problems are complex, complicated, or both.

- Oppenheimer cont'd on page 3

 Ethical dilemmas and moral responsibility in scientific advancements. Tread carefully. Ensure that our pursuit of innovation does not compromise our moral compass.

 What is public investment in science for? To improve human connectedness. To seek to inform, not control. This can conflict with private interests and politics.

 Big science includes international cooperation, knowledge sharing, and unity.

 What happens when a scientist changes their mind? It’s often villainized. But, typically, where one stands on a topic isn’t so black and white.

 Science and technology can create an opportunity to talk, just like the end of the pandemic. But followed by a frustrating pattern: Our institutions don’t match the conversations with systematic change.

Bottom line

The movie is a striking reminder of today’s challenges and how these problems have been with us for a long time. With great power comes great responsibility, and the intersection of science and technology is notwithstanding. ■

Artificial Intelligence, Epidemiology, and Moving Toward Causal Inference

Author: Madeline Roberts, PhD, MPH

The artificial intelligence zeitgeist continues, marked by proliferating capabilities and applications along with the race to develop guardrails to keep pace with growth. Some epidemiological and health applications for AI include:

 IBM Watson Health and the Explorys dataset: comprises anonymous data on 50 million patients, useful for evaluating disease history and progression in populations, among a multitude of other uses.

 HealthMap utilizes natural language processing (NLP) to sift through disparate data sources to produce a comprehensive disease and public health threat surveillance system in real-time

 The CDC has utilized AI and machine learning (ML) for tuberculosis surveillance in chest X-rays

 The CDC is also working toward employing AI for trend forecasting in opioid mortality, as well as using satellite imagery changes to target polio vaccine delivery in places like Nigeria.

AI is well-suited for powerful predictive modeling, however, it is not necessarily skilled in causal inference or differentiating between association and causality. A recent International Epidemiological Association article describes this difference well: “The key difference

between AI and classic epidemiology is that the latter builds models based on explicit assumptions about what matters and how, so that the results can be directly interpretable, whereas AI builds algorithms in essence for predictive models discovered from the data, without necessarily understanding why.”

Other epidemiological concerns include lack of specified a priori research questions or analytic plans, and bias and inequity stemming from data training sets which often underrepresent minority populations. Another related issue is data overfitting, which can lead to poor generalizability for populations or settings beyond the training dataset.

In 2019, a landmark study was published by Obermeyer et al, which identified that by using health costs as a proxy for health needs, a US commercial health algorithm miscalculated Black patients’ risk levels and need for additional health care. Because fewer health dollars are spent on Black patients compared to White patients at the same level of need, for equally sick patients the algorithm incorrectly found that Black patients were healthier than White patients.

Last year another influential study by Dr. Anirban Basu concluded that including a race correction feature in algorithms for clinical diagnostic purposes can help curb inequalities, but that including race race in models for resource allocation can in essence perpetuate inequality because it can be predicated on “differential efforts across groups.”

- AI cont'd on page 5

Bias built into healthcare algorithms as well as medical insurance decisions based solely or primarily on AI predictions can have devastating repercussions for the people subject to them. Investigations into Medicare Advantage, particularly in the area of post-acute care (i.e., after a stroke or a fall), have demonstrated patterns of Medicare Advantage insurers discontinuing payments for care based heavily or exclusively on algorithm conclusions, despite clinician notes documenting the need for continued care. The patient accounts of payment termination for prescribed care based on algorithm determinations are disturbing, even more so considering these patients are seniors. There is now a class action lawsuit against United Healthcare over Medicare Advantage denials.

These findings sparked bi-partisan ire in late 2023, and came up again earlier this month on February 8 at the Senate Committee on Finance Hearing over “AI and Healthcare: Promise and Pitfalls.” Dr. Ziad Obermeyer testified at this hearing (his written testimony here; recording of the Senate hearing here). Dr. Obermeyer’s written testimony is balanced, compelling, and well worth reading. While he remains optimistic that AI has the potential to improve health outcomes and reduce costs, he also warns:

“…without concerted effort from researchers, the private sector, and government, AI may be on a path to do more harm than good in health care…

AI learns from historical data, with all its

biases and inequities, and encodes those past practices in policy. So those underserved patients whose claims have been denied by humans in our past datasets often for unjust reasons will have their claims denied by AI at scale, forever, unless we can re-align AI with our society’s goals.”

Similar concerns were expressed by former Google CEO Eric Scmidt in a recent article titled “How We Can Control AI,” where he discussed the challenge of “encod[ing] human values” into AI models. As a potential solution to keeping AI in check, Schmidt described a proposal from a recent meeting of AI key players to develop competitive, innovative AI testing companies that are government-certified but whose developers and funding are from the private sector. AI model builders would pay to have their models tested and certified in keeping with safety standards.

Principled epidemiological approaches can both contribute to and benefit from responsible use of AI in population health studies and interventions. Some suggested methods toward causal inference include directed acyclic graphs (DAGs) and Mendelian randomization.

Epidemiology as a field exists to analyze disease distribution patterns and develop targeted interventions. Cross-disciplinary collaborations between epidemiologists and data informaticists are needed to continue making strides toward this end. ■

2024 Summer Programs in Epidemiology & Biostatistics

Note: Three programs traditionally on our list (Harvard, Rand, and BioStatEpi) indicate on their websites that they are on hiatus until 2025.

episummer@columbia

Columbia University – New York City

Name episummer@columbia

Sponsors

Department of Epidemiology, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health

Location Online and New York, NY

Program year 13th (over 500 participants each year)

Types and dates of

Courses All in June

Full course list: http://tinyurl.com/ya7cxeux

Dates June 1-30, 2024

Number of Courses 37

Language English

Number of faculty 24 Most are from Columbia

Target audience

Public health faculty and practitioners, clinician researchers, students (doctoral, master’s and undergraduate), research staff and industry

Cost For non-academic credit, ~$50 per hour of instruction

Deadline for registration May 1, 2023

Limit on participants No limits for most of the courses

Course directors

Thelma Mielenz

Contact information Gerald Govia, cuepisummer@columbia.edu

Comments

https://www.publichealth.columbia.edu/research/episummercolumbia

Columbia University's Department of Epidemiology has a summer institute every June called episummer@columbia that enables anyone anywhere in the world to engage in the world-class coursework and high-quality instruction offered at Columbia University. It provides opportunities to gain foundational knowledge and applied skills for advancing population health

Comments con’t research. episummer@columbia’s intensive short courses are offered in synchronous or asynchronous online learning formats. Registrants for episummer@columbia courses need access to high-speed internet. Specific information about online access is provided to registrants before the course begins.

episummer@columbia: synchronous learning

Our synchronous courses vary in length from 4 hours to 20 hours delivered in an online live, in-person or hybrid format. These courses are offered only on a specific date and time allowing registrants the ability to interact live with their episummer@columbia course instructor and other registrants.

episummer@columbia: asynchronous learning

Each asynchronous course, varying in length from 5 hours to 40 hours, contains lectures and course material presented online with materials released by the instructor accordingly. The flexible format will include video or audio recordings of lecture material, file sharing and topical discussion fora, self-assessment exercises, real-time electronic office hours and access to instructors for feedback during the course.

Newer courses:

Intensive R for Epidemiologists

Infectious Disease Modeling: A Brief Introduction

Introduction to Causal Inference with Longitudinal Data

Introduction to Machine Learning for Epidemiologists

Applied Growth Mixture Modeling

Epidemiology of Police Violence

Rethinking Criminal Justice as Public Health

Name

University of Michigan Summer Session in Epidemiology

Ann Arbor, MI

The University of Michigan Summer Session in Epidemiology

Sponsors UM School of Public Health

Location Ann Arbor, MI

Program year As of 2024 the program has been offered for 59 years.

Types and dates of

Courses

2024 courses are offered exclusively online

(23) One week morning or afternoon classes

(2) Full day classes

(2) Three week morning or afternoon classes

Number of Courses 27

Language

English

Number of faculty 30

Target audience

Cost

Public health and healthcare professionals, researchers, degree-seeking students and others who want to build a foundation in epidemiologic science.

One week course, non-credit = $650.00. Cost does vary depending on choice of graduate credit or non-credit status and number of courses.

Deadline for registration June 1st online application and registration

Limit on participants

Course directors

Contact

information

Comments

No limits, space permitting

Eduardo Villamor, MD, MPH, DrPH

Jody Gray, Program Administrator, jodygray@umich.edu

Mackenzie Smith, Program Coordinator, macksmi@umich.edu

https://sph.umich.edu/umsse/

The summer program at the University of Michigan is the longest-running summer program. Faculty are sought from UM, nationally and internationally, identifying experts in respective fields.

The UM SSE offers a Certification of Academic Competencies in Epidemiology that can be completed in two years or more.

- Summer cont'd on page 9

The Annual Summer Program in Population Health

Ohio State University, Columbus OH

Name The Annual Summer Program in Population Health

Sponsors

Center for Public Health Practice at The Ohio State University College of Public Health

Location Columbus, OH

Program year 2024 will be the 5th Annual Summer Program

Types and dates of

Courses May 28-31, In person

Two 2-day sessions

Number of Courses 8

Language English

Number of faculty

Target audience

8 presenting faculty with additional guest lecturers

Professionals working in public health, health care, local and state government, community health, health data analytics and academia.

Cost Prices for this year are still being finalized while we confirm the schedule and speakers. Early, regular, and student registrations will be available. Deadline for registration

Limit on participants

Early Registration Deadline: May 15, 2023

Regular Registration Deadline: June 16, 2023

No limits, space permitting

Course directors Dr. Andrew Wapner

Contact information

Comments

cph-practice@osu.edu

https://u.osu.edu/cphp/summer-program/

The Annual Summer Program in Population Health prepares public health practitioners and other professionals with the tools and best practices needed to address new challenges in keeping our communities healthy. Through courses taught by national renowned faculty, the Summer Program educates and trains practitioners, researchers and students in population health methods and builds their capacity to address emerging health priorities. The program is intended to appeal to a broad range of professionals who are interested in understanding and improving the health of communities.

Name

Aarhus University

Pharmacoepidemiology Summer School

Pharmacoepidemiology Summer School

Sponsors Aarhus University

Location Grenaa, Denmark

Program year 9th

Types and dates of Courses

One course: ‘Assessing risks and benefits of treatments: Methodological issues’

Number of Courses 1

Language English

Number of faculty 5 experienced university lecturers

Target audience PhD students, postdocs, statisticians, clinicians, and other professionals seeking to advance their skills and knowledge.

Cost DKK 8,750 incl. VAT for early-bird public sector participants.

The course fee includes full tuition, five-night hotel stay, breakfast and lunch, fruit + coffee/tea, a complimentary course dinner, and a social program.

Deadline for registration

Early-bird registration ends March 20. Regular registration ends April 23.

Limit on participants 30

Course directors

Contact information

Professor Vera Ehrenstein, Aarhus University

Sascha Vittrup Rasmussen Summer school coordinator

Phone: +45 8716 8115

Email: svr@clin.au.dk

Comments Basic training in epidemiology and biostatistics is assumed.

Erasmus Summer Programme

Name Erasmus Summer Programme

Sponsors

Location

Erasmus MC Graduate School

Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands

Program year 34

Types and dates of Courses

One-week morning and/or afternoon courses

Two week courses

Three week courses

Workshop

Number of Courses 22

Language

English

Number of faculty 30

Target audience

Cost

Deadline for registration

Limit on participants

Master students, researchers, executives, health professionals

See website below

Online registration – deadline TBC

Max per course – see the listing on the website for each course

Course directors Prof. Arfan Ikram, MD, PhD

Contact

information

graduateschool@erasmusmc.nl

https://erasmussummerprogramme.nl

Comments Fast Forward: Accelerate your scientific career

Taught by a world-renowed faculty, the Erasmus Summer Programme offers three weeks of à la carte research training in quantitative medical and health research. This specialized event, in English, will be held from August 5-23 August at the Erasmus MC Medical Center in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

Whether you are a student, researcher, health professional or executive in the health sciences, this state-of-the-art programme provides the flexibility to mix and match the courses to your own individual needs.

The Erasmus Summer Programme provides a wide range of fundamental to advanced courses in disciplines such as public health, epidemiology, genetic epidemiology, statistics, biostatistics, clinical research, prevention and more

- Summer cont'd on page 12

Johns Hopkins 43rd Graduate Summer Institute of

Epidemiology and Biostatistics

Name Johns Hopkins 43rd Graduate Summer Institute of Epidemiology and Biostatistics

Sponsors Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

Location Baltimore, Online, Hybrid

Program year 43

Types and dates of

Courses

All epi biostat summer institute courses will be offered online. Asynchronous on-line courses combine pre-recorded content and live interactive sessions. Virtual online courses will be taught on-line via Zoom, on the dates and times the course is scheduled. Hybrid courses have both a synchronous online section (and an in-person section .

Number of Courses 43

Language English

Number of faculty 50

Target audience

Health care professionals, public health and primary health care practitioners, physicians in training, and students.

Cost Academic credit tuition $1374 per credit ; Non- credit/professional development, $687 per course credit

Deadline for

registration June 10, 2024 or before the start of a course

Limit on participants

Course directors

Contact information

None

Moyses Szklo, MD, MPH, DrPH

Ayesha Khan, akhan6@jhu.edu, 410-955-7158

http://www.jhsph.edu/summerepi

Comments New courses offered this summer:

340.608 Using Big Data for Epidemiologic Research in Health Care June 11, 2024

340.769.89 Professional Epidemiology Methods June 10 - July 12, 2024

140.618

2024 Public Health Institute

University of Minnesota

Name 2023 Public Health Institute

Sponsors

University of Minnesota

Location Twin Cities / Minneapolis, MN plus some virtual courses

Types and dates of

Courses May 13-3, 2024

Number of Courses 28

Language English

Number of faculty 33

Target audience

Graduate students in public health, medicine, veterinary medicine, nursing, dentistry, public affairs, law, social work, pharmacy, public policy, global health, agricultural, food, and environmental sciences.

Practicing professionals in public health and other health and human service organizations; city, county, state, and federal government agencies; private-sector businesses and industry

Cost $1,132 per credit incl institute fee of $25 per credit

Course directors Meghan Taylor, Director

Contact information

Comments

Meghan Taylor, Director / tayl0427@umn.edu / 612-626-8434

phi@umn.edu

https://www.sph.umn.edu/academics/institutes/public-health-institute/

The Summer Public Health Institute offers courses for students and practicing professionals in public health and related fields. Participants can build or expand their professional expertise, learn best practices, broaden career options, network with other professionals, or explore a new area of interest.

The 2024 Public Health Institute will be returning in person on the University of Minnesota Twin Cities campus. The institute will feature over 20 course offerings with topics in:

 Policy Development and Program Planning

 Communications and Cultural Competence

 Analysis and Assessment

 Systems Thinking Skills and Leadership

Summer Program in Epidemiology

European Educational Programme in Epidemiology

Name Summer Program in Epidemiology

Sponsors European Educational Programme in Epidemiology (EEPE)

Location Florence, Italy

Program year 36th

Types and dates of

Courses

Number of Courses

June 17 – July 5, 2024

Additional specialized week beginning July 8th

The course offers in the first two weeks five general modules on epidemiological study design and statistical analysis of epidemiological data. In the third week several special modules cover topics of current relevance for health and advanced methodological issues.

Language English

Number of faculty

Target audience

Cost

Deadline for

registration

Limit on

participants

The courses are taught in English by lecturers mostly from European universities and research institutes and are held in residential form in the “Studium” centre on the hills close to Florence.

1,300 € - 3,500 € inclusive (non-residential and single occupancy options available at different prices)

Places are allocated on a first come, first serve basis

See above

Course directors Lorenzo Richiardi and Neil Pearce

Contact

information

Comments

https://www.eepe.org/

Participants have appreciated the opportunity of combining an intensive learning experience with the unique attraction for cultural and artistic enjoyment offered by Florence and Tuscany. We are proud to report a comment written by a participant in the evaluation form at the end of the course “Nowhere else such a high quality presentation of the key topics in modern epidemiology in such a short time”.

ESCMID Summer School

Utrecht, The Netherlands

Name ESCMID Summer School

Sponsors ESCMID

Location Utrecht, The Netherlands

Program year 22nd

Types and dates of

Courses June 29 – July 6, 2024

Number of Courses Preliminary program: http://tinyurl.com/57nnfufb

Language

Number of faculty 48

Target audience

The program will interest young MDs at the end of their specialty training as well as biologists, pharmacists, PhD students and postdoctoral fellows working in the infection field.

Cost 1,100 € - 1.600 €

Deadline for registration

Limit on participants

Course directors

Contact

information

Comments

Phone +41 61 508 01 54

Email courses[at]escmid.org

http://tinyurl.com/mrxm4py7

A one-week course dedicated to postgraduate and continuing medical education. The programme covers a broad range of topics in clinical microbiology and infectious diseases and will interest young MDs at the end of their specialty training as well as biologists, pharmacists, Ph.D. students, and postdoctoral fellows working in the infection field.

McGill Summer Institute In Infectious Diseases and Global Health

Name McGill Summer Institutes in Global Health

Sponsors McGill University

Location Montreal, Canada and Virtual

Program year 9th

Types and dates of

Courses May 21 – June 14, 2024

Number of Courses The 2024 McGill Summer Institutes in Global Health is offering 15 courses between May 21 and June 14, 2024. Course length varies 2-5 days.

Language

Number of faculty

Target audience

English

220 McGill faculty and guest lecturers

Varies by course, but generally health care professionals, researchers, and students.

Cost Varies by online/in-person. Discounted pricing for students, and participants from low- and middle-income countries.

Deadline for registration March 1, 2024: Registration deadline for those attendees wishing to travel to Montreal to participate in-person and who will be applying for a visa to travel to Canada.

May 3, 2024: Registration pricing increases by 10%. Registration closes when the course is full, or seven days before the course is scheduled to begin.

Limit on participants

Varies by course—see website

Course directors Dr. Madhukar Pai

Contact Information

Comments

Kristin Hendricks, summerinsitute.med@mcgill.ca 514-398-5345, https://www.mcgill.ca/summerinstitute-globalhealth/

We have a strong history in offering infectious disease courses and are offering the following in 2024: "Advanced TB Diagnostics", "Digital Health", "Engaging all health providers to End TB: Public-Private Mix", "Global Health Diagnostics, "Pandemic Preparedness", "Providing Health Care to Refugee, Immigrant and Migrant Populations", "Qualitative Methods in Global Infectious Diseases Research", "TB Research Methods", and "Nutrition and Tuberculosis". 2024 will also feature a variety of courses on peace, health, sustainability and global health equity.

-

-

10th Annual Summer Institute in Statistics for Clinical & Epidemiological Research (SISCER)

Name Annual Summer Institute in Statistics for Clinical & Epidemiological Research (SISCER)

Sponsors University of Washington

Location Virtual

Program year 11th

Types and dates of

Courses July 8 – August 2

Language English

Target audience

One of the goals of SISCER is to strengthen the statistical proficiency and career development of scholars from all backgrounds, especially those from groups historically underrepresented in STEM such as racial and ethnic minority groups, low income, first generation college students, veterans, individuals with disabilities, and 2SLGBTQ groups.

Cost $125-$800 per module / Early bird discounts available

Course directors Kathleen Kerr

Contact

Information siscer@uw.edu

Comments

http://tinyurl.com/3ku3evkr

The Summer Institute in Statistics for Clinical & Epidemiological Research (SISCER) offers introductory and advanced short courses in methods for clinical research and epidemiology. Participants will find learning opportunities for clinical trials, observational data, biomarker research, complex surveys, and Bayesian biostatistics. Kathleen Kerr is the Director of SISCER. One of the goals of SISCER is to strengthen the statistical proficiency and career development of scholars from all backgrounds, especially those from groups historically underrepresented in STEM such as racial and ethnic minority groups, low income, first generation college students, veterans, individuals with disabilities, and LGBTQ groups. - Summer

10th Annual Summer Institute for Statistics in Big Data (SISBID)

Name Annual Summer Institute for Statistics in Big Data

Sponsors University of Washington

Location Virtual

Program year 10th

Types and dates of

Courses See website (in contact information below)

Number of Courses

Language English

Number of faculty

Target audience

One of the goals of SISBID is to strengthen the statistical and data science proficiency of scholars from all backgrounds, especially those from groups historically underrepresented in STEM such as racial and ethnic minority groups, low income, first generation college students, veterans, individuals with disabilities, and 2SLGBTQ groups.

Cost $395 - $595

Course directors Ali Shojaie

Contact

Information

Comments

http://tinyurl.com/562r5ja6

The Summer Institute for Statistics in Big Data (SISBID) is designed to introduce biologists, quantitative scientists, and statisticians to modern statistical techniques for the analysis of biological big data. Ali Shojaie serves as the Director of SISBID.

The Summer Institute in Statistics & Modeling in Infectious Disease (SISMID) 2024

Name Annual Summer Institute in Statistics & Modeling in Infectious Disease 2024

Sponsors National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number R25 AI147391 and the CDC Outbreak Analytic and Disease Modeling Network grant to Emory University.

Location Atlanta, GA

Program year 2024

Types and dates of

Courses Modern methods of statistical analysis and mathematical modeling

Number of Courses 16

Language English

Number of faculty 34

Target audience Students, faculty, staff, government, industry individuals working in the field

Cost Pricing structure

Registration Early bird pricing March 4 – May 31, 2024

Course directors Dr. Ben Lopman and Dr. Natalie Dean

Contact

Information website sismid@emory.edu

Comments The Summer Institute in Statistics and Modeling in Infectious Diseases (SISMID) has moved to Atlanta for 2024.

Dr. Betz Halloran co-founded SISMID in 2009 and was the previous director of the Summer Institute in Statistics and Modeling in Infectious Diseases (SISMID). SISMID introduces infectious disease researchers to modern methods of statistical analysis and mathematical modeling and introduces statisticians and mathematical modelers to the statistical and dynamic problems posed by modern infectious disease data.

Dame Valerie Beral Fellowships - 2024

Following her passing in 2022, IEA established the Dame Valerie Beral Fellowships to honor the memory of IEA Past President (2014-2017), a preeminent breast cancer epidemiologist specialist and strong, lifelong advocate and mentor for women pursuing careers in epidemiology.

Three Dame Valerie Beral Fellowships will be awarded to female, early-career epidemiologists to enable their attendance at the World Congress of Epidemiology, 24-27 September 2024 in Cape Town, South Africa. Fellowship recipients are awarded World Congress of Epidemiology registration fees, travel expenses and housing expenses.

Applicants are judged on the following criteria: IEA membership, merit, and evidence of service to IEA, or willingness to serve IEA. Two of the recipients will be Early-Career Epidemiologist members from lowmiddle income countries and the third will be an Early-Career Epidemiologist member from a high-income country.

The deadline to apply for a Dame Valerie Beral Fellowship is 15 March 2024. Learn more and download the application here

What We're Reading This Month

Editor's Note: All of us are confronted with more material than we can possibly hope to digest each month. However, that doesn't mean that we should miss some of the articles that appear in the public media on topics of interest to the epi community. The EpiMonitor curates a monthly list of some of the best articles we've encountered in the past month. See something you think others would like to read? Please send us a link at info@epimonitor.net and we'll include it in the next month

Public Health Topics

♦ A man dies of Alaskapox – what to know (ABC News via AppleNews)

http://tinyurl.com/mtab8uns

♦ Growth Hormone Injections May Have ‘Seeded’ Alzheimer’s in Some People, Study Suggests (Scientific American via AppleNews)

http://tinyurl.com/4m4vxtmc

♦ Bubonic Plague found in Oregon (Forbes via AppleNews)

http://tinyurl.com/4hc9kmt9

♦ What’s fueling the deadly cholera outbreak in Southern Africa (Al Jazeera via AppleNews)

http://tinyurl.com/ytufeee5

♦ Rady Children’s Hospital Seeing Increase in Kawasaki disease cases. (San Diego Tribune via AppleNews)

http://tinyurl.com/yzpcj7d6

♦ A virus found in wastewater beat back a woman’s ‘Zombie’ bacteria (Wired via AppleNews)

http://tinyurl.com/4p7yb8w3

♦ Measles erupts in Florida school where 11% of the kids are unvaxcinated (ArsTechnica via AppleNews)

http://tinyurl.com/39mjp8a5

♦ How fringe anti-science views infiltrated mainstream politics and what it means for 2024 (CBS News)

http://tinyurl.com/4bfepubn

♦ Brazil has a Dengue emergency, portending a health crisis for the Americas (NY Times)

http://tinyurl.com/4u8tjb8m

♦ Phage therapy: Researchers sharpen another arrow in the quiver against antibiotic resistance (STAT News via Apple News)

http://tinyurl.com/2b5kt9mt

♦ Frightening maps show how deadly fungal diseases are surging across the US (Daily Mail)

http://tinyurl.com/3pd5w9k7

COVID-19

♦ How Risky Are Repeat COVID Infections (Scientific American via AppleNews)

http://tinyurl.com/mry5zetr

♦ New report raises concerns about long COVID in children (NY Times)

http://tinyurl.com/ynmur2yz

Do you have news about yourself, a colleague, or a student?

Please help The Epidemiology Monitor keep the community informed by sending relevant news to us at this address for inclusion in our next issue. people@epimonitor.net

Appointed: Tamara Dubowitz, ScD, MS, MSc, a senior policy researcher at the RAND Corporation in Pittsburgh, has been appointed professor and chair of the Department of Epidemiology at the University of Pittsburgh, effective April 15. A faculty member at the Pardee RAND Graduate School, Dubowitz is trained in social epidemiology. Her research interests focus on the role of place and geography in shaping the health and health behaviors of marginalized populations, particularly in view of policies affecting housing, urban planning and food security.

Appointed: Dr. Jaimie Gradus has been named the new PhD Program Director for the Boston University School of Public Health Department of Epidemiology. She received her BA in psychology from Stony Brook University, her MPH with a concentration in epidemiology and biostatistics and DSc in epidemiology at Boston University and her DMSc at Aarhus University. Dr. Gradus's research interests are in the epidemiology of trauma and traumarelated disorders, with a particular focus on suicide outcomes.

Appointed: Dr. James “Jamie” Mancuso, a retired Army physician with significant expertise in tropical medicine, preventive medicine, and occupational medicine, was selected to chair the Department of Preventive Medicine and Biostatistics (PMB) in the F. Edward Hebert School of Medicine at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU). This is Mancuso’s second appointment as PMB department chair.

Appointed: Anarina Murillo, Ph.D. Assistant Professor of Biostatistics at Brown University was appointed Associate Editor for the Journal of Statistics and Data Science Education. The journal is an open access peer-reviewed journal published by the American Statistical Association. The articles are aimed at improving data science and statistics education at all levels. In this AE role, Murillo will be responsible for handling up to four papers a year. She will also help out with the journal's social media outreach.

Notes on People continued from page 28

Do you have news about yourself, a colleague, or a student?

Please help The Epidemiology Monitor keep the community informed by sending relevant news to us at this address for inclusion in our next issue. people@epimonitor.net

Appointed: The University of Florida Health Cancer Center is pleased to announce that Ji-Hyun Lee, DrPH, has been elevated to a new role as associate director for cancer quantitative sciences. In this role, she will provide high-level strategic leadership and administrative direction for Cancer Center researchers. This support aims to ensure high-quality data, rigorous and reproducible analyses, and effective reporting, fostering collaborative teambased scientific endeavors. The appointment is part of the center’s continued development as a National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated cancer center.

Passed: Cameron Grace Estrich, MPH, PhD, 40, epidemiologist and suspected fae, passed away seven months after being diagnosed with metastatic lung cancer. Dr. Estrich worked for the ADASRI, studying policy implementation, dental professionals' occupational health, and trends in dental treatment in the U.S. civilian population. As a Public Health epidemiologist, Cameron also researched vaccine hesitancy, mental health issues, and sexual identity. Cameron's advocacy was instrumental in improving access to the HPV vaccine nationally. http://tinyurl.com/yc2atpzh

Passed: Dr. Adaora "Ada" Alise Adimora passed away at age 67 after a years long battle with cancer. As evidenced by her 37-page curriculum vitae, Adimora's career was long and far-reaching. In her 35-year career at UNC, Adimora was awarded the position of Sarah Graham Kenan Distinguished Professor of Medicine in the School of Medicine and served as a professor of epidemiology in the Gillings School of Global Public Health. As an associate professor in 2003, she became the first African American woman in UNC’s Department of Medicine to receive tenure. http://tinyurl.com/yux5hjer

Passed: Dr. Denise Simons-Morton, beloved wife, mother, and grandmother and accomplished physician epidemiologist, artist, and author, passed away on January 10, 2024. Denise was a passionate researcher whose career at the NIH advanced our understanding of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, hypertension, and chronic disease. In 2019, Denise published her Memoir Public Health / Private Disease about the intersection of her experience battling Parkinson's Disease and her commitment to advancing public health.

http://tinyurl.com/3ht932wu

Please

Do you have news about yourself, a colleague, or a student?

Passed: Harold W. (Bill) Kohl III, Professor of Epidemiology at the UTHealth Houston School of Public Health in Austin and Research Professor of Kinesiology and Health Education at the University of Texas at Austin, died on January 7, 2024. He was regarded as a luminary in public health, epidemiology, and physical activity research. An esteemed educator, mentor, and researcher, Kohl dedicated over four decades to advancing the scientific understanding of physical fitness and its impact on health and disease.

http://tinyurl.com/3s6kyyz5

Passed: Pranab K. Sen, PhD, professor emeritus at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, passed away in Chapel Hill on December 31, 2023, at age 86. He earned a doctorate in statistics and an honorary doctorate in science from the University of Calcutta. He taught at the University of Calcutta and the University of California at Berkeley, before joining the faculty of the School of Public Health at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In 2002, he won the Gottfried E. Noether Senior Scholar Award of the American Statistical Association (ASA). He was the 2010 recipient of the ASA’s Samuel Wilks Memorial Award for outstanding contributions to statistical research, especially in nonparametric statistics and biostatistics, and for exceptional service in mentoring doctoral students. http://tinyurl.com/22d56hmb

Passed: Stanley S. Schor, 100, formerly of Philadelphia, retired professor of statistics at the University of Pennsylvania and Temple University’s medical school, former executive director of clinical biostatistics and research data systems at Merck & Co., pioneer in the application of biostatistics, prolific clinical researcher, author, and veteran, died Monday, Dec. 26, at his home in Highland Beach, Fla. His reports elevated the role of statisticians in approving research, refined project policies, and updated everyday medical information for women, children, veterans, and the general public. Among other activities, he revamped questions on medical tests and research reviews, and introduced new methods to ensure safety, accurate product information, and the efficient distribution of effective drugs.

He taught statistics and research methodology at Penn from 1950 to 1964, was professor of biometrics and onetime department chair at Temple from 1966 to 1975, and worked at Merck from 1975 to 1991. http://tinyurl.com/ya2fdt8w

Near Term Epidemiology Event Calendar

Every December The Epidemiology Monitor dedicates that issue to a calendar of events for the upcoming year. However that often means we don't have full information for events later in the upcoming year. Thus an online copy exists on our website that is updated regularly.

To view the full year please go to: http://www.epimonitor.net/Events The events that we are aware of for the next month follow below.

March 2024

March 1-3

https://tinyurl.com/2k8nvnms

Conference : Global Conference on Public Health and Epidemiology / Globatl Conference Group / Vancouver, Canada

March 3-6

https://tinyurl.com/4r4rred5

Conference : 29th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) / Intl Antivirus Society-US / CROI / Denver, CO

March 4-8

http://tinyurl.com/wkhee8uy

Short Course : Implementation Science / Erasmus MC / Rotterdam, The Nehterlands

March 4-8

http://bit.ly/33XqJSJ

Short Course : Intensive Course in Applied Epidemiology / University of Aberdeen / Aberdeen, Scotland

March 4-8

http://tinyurl.com/2fkh6ejx

Short Course : Introduction to Linear and Logistic Regression Models / University of Bristol / Virtual

March 4-8

https://tinyurl.com/2bwca379

Conference : SER 2024 Mid-Year Meeting / Society for Epidemiologic Research / Toronto, Canada

March 4-8

https://bit.ly/3v2gRXS

Short Course: Introduction to the Analysis of the Next-generation Sequencing Data / Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands

March 4-13

http://tinyurl.com/yh8ce5ha

Short Course : Public Health Across the Life Course / Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, MC

March 7-10

https://tinyurl.com/4yxpzp3m

Conference: CUGH 15h Annual Global Health Conference / Consortium of Universities for Global Health / Los Angeles, CA

March 11-13

https://tinyurl.com/34x5tnn5

Conference: Teaching Prevention 2024 / Assn for Prevention Teaching & Research / Alexandria, VA

March 11-15

https://bit.ly/320OvlT

Short Course: Advanced Clinical Trials / Erasmus MC / Rotterdam, The Netherlands

March 11-15

http://tinyurl.com/4h6997jd

Short Course: Introduction to Network Meta-Analysis / University of Bristol / Virtual

March 17-19

https://tinyurl.com/mrxhrcy5

Conference: 47th Annual Conference - American Society of Preventive Oncology / ASPO / Chicago, IL

March 18-19

https://tinyurl.com/342wpz83

Conference: The Future of Preventive Medicine and Public Health / Peers Alley Conferences / Amsterdam, The Netherlands

March 18-22

https://bit.ly/3G3VhZr

Short Course : Advanced Decision Modeling / Erasmus MC / Rotterdam, The Netherlands

March 18-22

https://bit.ly/32uyVPE

Short Course : Causal Inference for Assessing Effectiveness in Real World Data and Clinical Trials / UMIT / Tirol, Austria

March 18-24

https://tinyurl.com/2p9fmtep

Conference : Epi Lifestyle Scientific Sessions – 2024 / American Heart Association / Chicago, IL

March 18-28

http://tinyurl.com/4kzuxcys

Short Course : Repeated Measurements / Erasmus MC / Rotterdam, The Netherlands

March 20-22

https://svepm2024.com

Conference : Annual Meeting - Society for Veterinary Epidemiology / SEVPM / Uppsala, Sweden

March 20-26

https://tinyurl.com/mryhh3w7

Short Course: Item Response Theory / EpidM / Virtual

March 21-23

http://tinyurl.com/2fkh6ejx

Conference: 2024 ASPPH Annual Meeting for Academic Public Health / Association of Schools & Programs of Public Health Arlington, VA

March 25

http://tinyurl.com/2yw6dpxy

Short Course: Introduction to Quantitative Bias Analysis / University of Bristol / Virtual

March 25-26

https://tinyurl.com/4esnxfvh

Conference: 2nd International Conference on Epidemiology and Public Health / Coalesce Research Group / London, England

March 28-29

https://tinyurl.com/57z9dr6j

Conference: 96th Annual Meeting - American Epidemiological Society / AES / Berkeley, CA

April 2024

April 2-4

https://bit.ly/3G1mAn4

Short Course : Mendelian Randomisation / Erasmus MC / Virtual

April 2-4

https://bit.ly/3HFdFJd

Conference : 2024 World Vaccine Congress / Multiple Sponsors / Washington, DC

April 3-5

https://tinyurl.com/pzyk3pp4

Meeting : 2024 Annual Oregon Epidemiologists' Meeting / Oregon Health Authority / Sunriver, OR

April 4

https://tinyurl.com/yckh6h9c

Meeting : 10th Annual NYC Epidemiology Forum / Multiple Sponsors / New York City, NY

April 5-10

https://tinyurl.com/mvjydryn

Conference : 2023 Annual Meeting - American Assn for Cancer Research / ACCR / San Diego, CA

April 10-12

April 2024 continued

https://tinyurl.com/5b4t8b8b

Short Course: Introduction to Bayesian Statistics / EpidM / Amsterdam, The Netherlands

April 14-16

https://tinyurl.com/bdzmtjmb

Conference: Annual Mid-Year ISPE Conference / ISPE / Orlando, FL

April 15-19

http://tinyurl.com/4kzuxcys

Short Course: Psychiatric Epidemiology / Erasmus MC / Virtual

April 16-19

https://bit.ly/3BHaIUI

Conference: SHEA (Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America) Spring 2022 / SHEA / Houston, TX

April 17-20

https://tinyurl.com/2wrxk9fr

Conference: 2024 Annual Conference - Population Association of America / PAA / Columbus, OH

April 18-21

https://tinyurl.com/3hkwat26

Conference: Preventive Medicine 2024 / American College of Preventive Medicine / Washington, DC

April 22-24

https://tinyurl.com/5hc6875d

Conference: 2nd International Conference on Vaccine Research & Development/ Pangea Global Events / Munich, Germany

April 22-24

https://tinyurl.com/6ka7wvuj

Conference: Joint Meeting ADAM / European Dermato-Epi Network / EDEN / Paris, France

April 22-26

http://tinyurl.com/3z8s2w4e

Short Course: Understanding Trusted Research Environments / University of Bristol / Virtual

April 23-24

https://tinyurl.com/bdddyss6

Conference: 2024 FETP International Nights (in conjunction with the EIS Conference) / CDC / Atlanta, GA

April 23-25

https://bit.ly/3WuSZrQ

Conference: Public Health 2024 / Canadian Public Health Association / Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

April 23-26

http://bit.ly/38nmB26

Conference: 71st Annual Epidemic Intelligence Service Conference / CDC / Atlanta, GA

April 24-26

https://bit.ly/3PBbiJv

Short Course: Competing Risks and Multi-State Models / Erasmus MC / Rotterdam, The Netherlands

April 25-27

http://bit.ly/3alftGJ

Conference: 2021 Global Conference on Health and Climate Change / ICCH / Montreal, Canada

April 25-28

https://bit.ly/3oLZ2Kz

Conference: NACCHO Preparedness Summit 2023 / Multiple Sponsors / Cleveland, OH

April 28-30

https://tinyurl.com/bddezfxu

Conference: Health Effects Institute Annual Conference 2024 / HEI / Philadelphia, PA

April TBD

http://tinyurl.com/5xnnsznd

Short Course: Science Communication / Erasmus MC / Rotterdam, The Netherlands

MULTIDISCIPLINARY TRAINING PROGRAM (T32) IN CARDIOVASCULAR EPIDEMIOLOGY

The Boston University Section of Preventive Medicine and Epidemiology is seeking postdoctoral candidates for its T32 Training Program in Cardiovascular Epidemiology awarded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Scholars will focus their training on the epidemiology of cardiovascular disease such as coronary heart disease, stroke, heart failure, and other forms of vascular disease, following one of the training pathways: statistical genetics and genomics, computational biology and bioinformatics, or clinical epidemiology. Please visit http://tinyurl.com/yecprrkm for additional program information. The successful candidate will participate in training activities including pathway-specific coursework and workshops, as well as individual professional development workshops, one-on-one professional counseling and career planning, grant writing workshops, research seminars, journal internships, and working on research projects with a Boston University senior investigator on longitudinal epidemiological studies such as the Framingham Heart Study, Long Life Family Study, Risk Underlying Rural Areas Longitudinal study, and other cohort studies. All trainees will be supervised by their assigned faculty mentor as well as by the program’s co-directors for progress evaluation.

Earliest Training Program Start Date: April 1, 2024

Required Qualifications:

1. US Citizen or green card holder

2. Ph.D. degree in Biostatistics, Epidemiology, Computational Biology, Bioinformatics, Genetics/Genomics or related field or M.D. degree

3. Programming skills (SAS and/or R) preferred

This position is a postdoctoral training opportunity which provides a bi-monthly stipend. The successful individual will be engaged in a 2-year period of mentored advanced training and professional development following completion of a doctoral degree program. Boston University provides benefits for employee postdocs (Postdoctoral Associate NRSA). Please visit the Professional Development & Postdoctoral Affairs website http://tinyurl.com/5xpy2wyr for details.

Interested candidates may apply by submitting the materials listed below.

 ► Cover letter indicating reason for applying to this training program

 ► Curriculum vitae

 ► 2 recommendation letters

Initiate an application at the following website: http://tinyurl.com/yjnp2djm

Please contact Dr. Vanessa Xanthakis, Principal Investigator for additional information. Vanessa Xanthakis, PhD FAHA

Associate Professor of Medicine and Biostatistics

Director of Research Training, Section of Preventive Medicine and Epidemiology e-mail: vanessax@bu.edu

Boston University is an equal opportunity employer. Under-represented groups are strongly encouraged to apply. Please contact Donna Gibson, Administrative Director (dgibson@bu.edu) for assistance with the application process.

Ramboll is currently seeking a senior-level environmental or occupational epidemiologist to join our Health Sciences team as a Principal. Applicants must have at least 15 years of experience in scientific consulting and demonstrated capability to develop new business. When you join us, you will provide technical and business leadership and will contribute to advanced solutions in the human health sciences with applications to the pharmaceutical, chemical, manufacturing, energy, government, and/or legal sectors.

Your new role

As our new Principal, you will focus on developing business that benefits from our technical expertise and global reputation. You must have experience in seeking and realizing opportunities and managing consulting assignments, enjoy and work effectively in multi-disciplinary teams, and be proficient in the analysis and communication of technical information. Your goal will be to work cooperatively with colleagues, agencies, and trade organizations to develop solutions that will guide risk-based decision-making. You must also demonstrate a commitment to mentoring and developing staff.

Your primary practice or specialty areas may include one or more of the following:

 Regulatory science

 Product safety and stewardship

 Occupational health

 Expert services supporting the legal sector

 Community health and human health risk assessment

Ramboll has adopted a hybrid model of work, with a combination of remote and in-person employee engagement. Regional, domestic, and international travel may be required for this position.

For full information click here: http://www.epimonitor.net/2024-3840-Epidemiology-Job-Opening.htm

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Advertising opportunities exist in this digital publication, on our website and Facebook page, and in our Epi-Gram emails.

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Michele Gibson / michele@epimonitor.net

Assistant / Associate Professor Tenure-Track

The Department of Epidemiology within the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, and the Dartmouth Cancer Center invites applications for a tenure-track position as Assistant or Associate Professor. We seek applicants to lead an independent, innovative research program in cancer epidemiology, including but not limited to cancer prevention, etiology, early detection, survivorship, health disparities, molecular epidemiology, environmental epidemiology, or lifestyle/behavioral research. Dartmouth Cancer Center offers a dynamic and interactive environment with a commitment to research excellence. The faculty appointment will be in the Department of Epidemiology, with membership in the Cancer Population Sciences research program.

Dartmouth is highly committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive population of students, faculty, and staff. We seek applicants who work effectively with individuals from all backgrounds, including but not limited to: racial and ethnic minorities, women, those who identify with LGBTQ+ communities, persons with disabilities, are from lowerincome backgrounds, veterans, and first-generation college graduates. Applicants should state in their cover letter how their teaching, research, service, and/or life experiences prepare them to advance Dartmouth’s commitments to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Qualifications

Candidates must have a Ph.D. and/or M.D. degree and relevant postdoctoral research experience.

Application Instructions

Applicants should upload a cover letter, a curriculum vitae (without impact factors), a description of proposed research (3 pages or less), a teaching statement, and a statement on how their teaching, research, service, and/or life experiences prepare them to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion at Dartmouth through this interfolio https://apply.interfolio.com/99545 link. Three referees should provide letters of recommendation. Consideration of applications will continue until the position is filled.

For further information check here: http://epimonitor.net/2023-3806-Epidemiology-Job-Opening.htm

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