Public Health Assignment

In this homework assignment, you will be reading an article by Milton Terris, who was a renowned American public health physician and epidemiologist. Although the article is a few years old, it is still pertinent today.

After reading the article you will need to answer ten (10) questions.  Please be brief and concise in your answers.

Based on Milton Terris’ address in the American Journal of Epidemiology, October 15, 1992, entitled “The Society for Epidemiologic Research (SER) and the future of Epidemiology, pages 909-915, answer the following questions:

1.    When did the shift in focus occur from infectious disease epidemiology to non-infectious disease epidemiology?

2.    What are “social diseases”, and are they basically preventable?

3.    What drove the development of epidemiologic research in the United States?

4.    The name originally given to the federal agency we now know as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) was?

5.    What set of studies was identified as “the most important investigation ever carried out in the field of cardiovascular epidemiology”?

6.    When was the first study published linking tobacco use to cancer (as listed in the article)?

7.    In your own words, summarize the four functions of epidemiology.

8.    What is the author’s view on the role of statistical approaches in epidemiology?

9.    What areas offer opportunities for future epidemiologic research?

10.What does the author believe is “highest priority for health policy in the United States”?