Interviews
The choice of which interviews to include in this
book was made simpler by the fact that we carried out very few
interviews over the years and each one was considered a special event.
It was an easy leap from seeing the interview as a special event to a
judgement that the interview was worth preserving in Epidemiology Wit
& Wisdom - The Best of The Epidemiology Monitor.
Why were the interviews special
events?
The interview with Brian
MacMahon took place in the middle of the controversy created
by his and his colleagues’ report of a possible association between
coffee consumption and pancreatic cancer. This report garnered
unprecedented publicity for an epidemiology report at the time and is
remembered by every epidemiologist who was alive at the time.
The interview with
Jonathan Mann is reprinted because of the giant role that Jon
Mann came to play in the AIDS community. This interview is an
opportunity to see how he conceived of the challenge during the very
earliest days.
Pat Koslowe was
interviewed back in 1988 because she was among the first to seek her
fame and fortune by doing epidemiology as a private consultant. This
was a new phenomenon in the 1980’s and there was much interest in
getting a behind the scenes look at what it was like to undertake such
a career.(See Robert Morgan’s piece in the Resources
chapter for another insider’s view about private practice). Likewise
Gary Spivey was interviewed to catch a glimpse at
what the unique features of life in an industry setting might be like.
The breast implant controversy
was fraught with implications for epidemiology and we got a candid
portrait of life in the midst of that battle from Ralph Cook
and his colleagues at Dow Corning. As a special feature following this
interview, Dr. Cook has added a postscript from his vantage point
today.
Another group interview, the
largest we have ever done, was carried out at the time the Supreme
Court handed down its Daubert decision on what types of evidence are
admissible in court. Since epidemiologic evidence had been at the
heart of this controversy, and epidemiologists watched this decision
closely, even submitting amicus briefs to the court.
Perhaps the most notorious
interview we have conducted over the years is that of Gary
Taubes, the Science reporter who wrote the 1995 article about
epidemiology facing its limits. The article provoked much discussion
and introspection in the field.
Finally, an interview we did
with Kenneth Rothman this year is included in this
volume because of its unique perspectives. Many epidemiologists active
at the time remember the commentary Rothman wrote in the NEJM back in
1980 predicting the fall of epidemiology by 2000 because of all the
bureaucratic redtape that was beginning to enmesh the field. Our 20th
anniversary in 2000 coincided with the year Rothman had predicted for
the fall of epidemiology, so we thought it would be valuable to ask
Ken to revisit and comment on his failed “prediction”. His assessment
about the state of the discipline over these past twenty years and
view about the future is timely.
| |
|
|
| Brian
MacMahon |
 |
Coffee and
Pancreatic Cancer |
|
| Jonathan
Mann |
|
Global
AIDS Epidemic |
|
| Pat
KosLowe, PhD |
|
The
Private Practice of Epidemiology |
|
| Gary
Spivey |
|
Epidemiology in Private Industry |
|
| Ralph Cook, Myron
Harrison, MD & Robert LeVier, PhD |
|
The Breast Implant
Controversy |
|
| R.Morgan, R.Neutra,
J.Robins, S.Rose, K.Rothman, S.Stellman, S.Swan & N.Weiss |
|
The Impact of the
Supreme Court Decision in Merrell Dow vs. Daubert |
|
| Gary
Taubes |
|
Science
Reporting on Epidemiology |
|
| Kenneth
Rothman |
|
Epidemiology “After the Fall” |
|
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|
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