Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2015 Jun;25(6):458-65.
doi: 10.1016/j.annepidem.2015.03.002. Epub 2015 Mar 14.

Charting a future for epidemiologic training

Affiliations

Charting a future for epidemiologic training

Ross C Brownson et al. Ann Epidemiol. 2015 Jun.

Abstract

Purpose: To identify macro-level trends that are changing the needs of epidemiologic research and practice and to develop and disseminate a set of competencies and recommendations for epidemiologic training that will be responsive to these changing needs.

Methods: There were three stages to the project: (1) assembling of a working group of senior epidemiologists from multiple sectors, (2) identifying relevant literature, and (3) conducting key informant interviews with 15 experienced epidemiologists.

Results: Twelve macro trends were identified along with associated actions for the field and educational competencies. The macro trends include the following: (1) "Big Data" or informatics, (2) the changing health communication environment, (3) the Affordable Care Act or health care system reform, (4) shifting demographics, (5) globalization, (6) emerging high-throughput technologies (omics), (7) a greater focus on accountability, (8) privacy changes, (9) a greater focus on "upstream" causes of disease, (10) the emergence of translational sciences, (11) the growing centrality of team and transdisciplinary science, and (12) the evolving funding environment.

Conclusions: Addressing these issues through curricular change is needed to allow the field of epidemiology to more fully reach and sustain its full potential to benefit population health and remain a scientific discipline that makes critical contributions toward ensuring clinical, social, and population health.

Keywords: Epidemiology; Genomics; Globalization; Medicine; Public health; Translational research.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Hax AC, Majluf NS. The Corporate Strategic Planning Process. Interfaces. 1984;14(1):47–60.
    1. Samet J, Brownson R. Epidemiology in a changing world. Am J Prev Med. 2014;47(5 suppl 3):S383–S5. - PubMed
    1. Keyes KM, Galea S. Current practices in teaching introductory epidemiology: how we got here, where to go. Am J Epidemiol. 2014 Oct 1;180(7):661–8. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Lengerich EJ, Siedlecki JC, Brownson R, Aldrich TE, Hedberg K, Remington P, et al. Mentorship and competencies for applied chronic disease epidemiology. J Public Health Manag Pract. 2003 Jul-Aug;9(4):275–83. - PubMed
    1. Lichtveld M, Boulton M, Lemmings J, Gale J. From competencies to capacity: assessing the national epidemiology workforce. Public Health Rep. 2008;123(Suppl 1):128–35. - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources