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Epi Wit & Wisdom Letters
On
Subspecialties in Epi
Dear Sir:
In response to your request
for epidem- iologic subspecialties not listed in your July issue, I
offer the following additions: Philosophical epi, Theoretical epi,
Methodologic epi, Ethical epi, Creative epi, Didactic epi, and a
favorite of many “Partying epi.” Each of these has had precedents set
for it in the literature, except for the last. I can assure you,
nevertheless, that numerous precedents have indeed been set for
“partying”; they’re just not very well documented.
Douglas Weed,
MD, PHD
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Dear Sir:
I applaud your attempts to
poll the practitioners to assemble information on various topics. I
have a copy of your compiled list of “top ten texts” posted on my wall
and have used it to update our library.
I am writing to address your
call for support of an epi subspecialty in immunology. We here at
AFRIMS expend a major effort in studying the epidemiology of malaria
immunology. Depending on your definition, I suppose immuno-epi could
be combined with sero epi but the former involves cell-mediated
pathways as well, so goes beyond just serum antibody measurements. I
might also suggest another category--vector epi or entomo epi--the
study of the distribution and correlation of disease vectors (in our
case, anophelene mosquitoes) to disease prevalence and transmission.
It would also seem likely
that there are practitioners of historical epi using archeological and
historical data to compile information on the emergence, development
and transmission of diseases syphilis might be a good example.
Jerome J.
Karwacki, MD
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Dear Sir:
In response to your
invitation to readers “to continue making suggestions about
subspecialties” I would like to suggest that you consider adding “Pain
Epidemiology” to your list. This is a relatively new field of
interdisciplinary, epidemiologic study, and includes both community
and clinical studies of acute, chronic, and cancer pain syndromes.
If you need more information
about this emerging subspecialty of epidemiologic study, I would be
happy to share with you information about a number of projects which I
initiated at the National Center for Health Statistics, and I am now
attempting to extend at the National Institute of Dental Research.
Thomas F.
Drury, PHD
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Dear Sir:
Your list of subspecialties
might include the study of epizootology or the spread of diseases of
non-human animals. It would include the canine and feline epidemiology
subspecialties on your list of “doubtful” specialties.
Perhaps epizootology is
better considered a sister science to epidemiology, since both are
really subdivisions of ecology.
Richard A.
Edgren, PHD
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Dear Sir:
I am glad that my last
letter has initiated a new round of listings of different kinds of
epidemiologists.
In addition to the 15 kinds
of epidemiologists that I have identified from the Epi Job Bank, here
are three more: French epidemiologist, Tenure-track epidemiologist,
and Assistant research epidemiologist.
I think kinds of
epidemiologists refer to different positions that an organization is
looking for, or different titles that one can call oneself. Examples
of these different kinds of epidemiologists are best found in the
Notes on People or the Epi Job Bank sections of the Epi Monitor.
Therefore, I object to the inclusion of terms like “armchair
epidemiologist”, “shoe leather epidemiologist”, or “card-carrying
epidemiologist” on the list. An objection is that a university will
never place an ad to look for a shoe-leather epidemiologist. Another
example is that one will not introduce oneself to others as a
card-carrying epidemiologist.
Finally, I think the message
in a recent issue of the Epi Monitor is not clear. Are we looking for
the different kinds of epidemiologists, or are we looking for the
different ways of classifying epidemiologists? I think it is the
former that we are after.
Bernard
Choi, PHD
[Editor’s Note: As we
stated in our October issue, there are obviously as many different
kinds of epidemiologists as there are subspecialties, e.g. cancer
epidemiologist. However, that was not the point of our asking about
how many other terms there might be for referring to epidemiologists
since they can be referred to in numerous ways other than according to
their subspecialty, e.g. state epidemiologist. We wondered just how
many other terms there might be for referring to epidemiologists. We
particularly like “armchair”, “card-carrying”, and “shoe-leather”
epidemiolgist and wonder if readers can add any other such terms to
our list.]
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Dear Sir:
With respect to the October
1987 column “Readers Identify Over 50 Subspecialties in Epidemiology,”
I would suggest an additional and very important category: renal
disease epi or kidney disease epi.
The Epi Monitor has always
been a pleasure to read. I have particularly enjoyed the spirited
sense of humor throughout.
Stacey
FitzSimmons, PHD
Published February
1988
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