I’m always reluctant to tell people about what I study in graduate school, especially when I can sense they aren’t interested in a two-minute definition. Most people don’t know what epidemiology is - and it’s not their fault. Epidemiology is a long and complex term, with no obvious meaning. Even among university graduates, most people will never come across the term, unless they major in something related to health sciences. Epidemiology is not a major at most Canadian universities, and most epidemiology students don’t start building their expertise until they are at the graduate level.
In my first introductory epidemiology course, I was told to memorize the following definition of epidemiology:
“Epidemiology is the study of the determinants of health-related outcomes in populations, and the application of this study to control health problems.”
I am constantly impressed by the sheer scope of this definition. Epidemiologists dabble in geography, air, water, bacteria, viruses, lifestyle behaviours, psychology, physiology, food, blood, drugs-you name it and I can probably find an epidemiology paper on it. Epidemiology has an enormous scope because there are so many things that work together in many complex ways to affect our health and well-being (see list at the end of this post for links to some of the amazing and unique work epidemiologists do).
But, the most important work epidemiologists do is to help change health-related risk-factors in populations - the ultimate goal of any epidemiologic question.
One of the distinguishing features of epidemiologic work is that the study subjects are humans - not mice, monkeys, or cell cultures. “Basic science” research commonly uses small sample sizes and non-human test subjects to better understand how biological processes work, but epidemiologists get the challenge and privilege of studying humans. Ethics plays a huge role in epidemiologic work for this reason. Most of the time, it is unethical to assign individuals to the harmful exposures we are interested in, like smoking, or a fatty diet, so instead we observe individuals who report these exposures instead of assigning them to people. Of course, studying humans comes with a host of challenges, like finding appropriate control groups, and making sure that our comparison groups are as similar as possible except for the exposure we are interested in assessing.
My motivation for starting this blog is to highlight some of the challenges associated with epidemiologic research and contribute to the discussion of epidemiologic work. Most people come across a news article about epidemiology research without realizing it! The next time you read about potential benefits of the keto diet, harmful pesticides, a new cancer drug breakthrough, a satisfaction trial for a new anti-aging cream, or the importance of physical activity for health, you might find that the study conducted was an epidemiology study, and hopefully that brings you back to my blog to learn more!
Studies highlighting the scope of epidemiology*
Want to cut your risk of cancer? Try changing these behaviours
Good gut bacteria 'helps starving children'
Does Exposure to Green Spaces in Childhood Lead to Better Mental Health?
New head and neck cancer drug could help patients live longer
Treating Acne: Two Different Acid Peels Are Both Effective, Study Finds
Ebola just spread into Uganda. It may soon become an emergency.
New research reveals benefits of a vegetarian diet
Genomic data from 2000 human brains could reveal roots of schizophrenia, autism, and other neurological disorders
*These studies do not represent my area of expertise, and are not endorsed by me. This list was put together to showcase the scope of epidemiology.