Dean's Office, Colorado School of Public Health, Aurora, Colorado.
School of Population Health, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
Am J Epidemiol. 2019 May 1;188(5):818-824. doi: 10.1093/aje/kwy279.
This commentary addresses being an epidemiologist at a time when the field of epidemiology again faces a paradigm shift as the tools for research on human health draw increasingly on emerging technologies-various omics and new methods for collecting individual data at high intensity-and on new methods for carrying out research through administrative and health care data bases linked to biobanks. At the same time, epidemiologists in public health practice continue to face the usual array of challenges, but with the threat of global issues as well. The profession of epidemiologist is not monolithic; it embraces a broad range of activities and professional venues, reflecting the many contexts where epidemiologists do their work, the nature of the problems addressed, and the span and application of their findings. Obtaining data from people and populations comes with serious ethical obligations related to privacy and confidentiality of individuals and respect for the populations studied. Beyond generating and analyzing data, epidemiologists engage in guiding action through the evidence they have created with the ultimate goal of advancing health. This commentary addresses "mega-trends" that will affect the profession in the decades to come.
这篇评论探讨了在流行病学领域再次面临范式转变的时代，作为一名流行病学家的角色。随着研究人类健康的工具越来越多地利用新兴技术——各种组学和高强度收集个体数据的新方法，以及通过与生物库相关联的行政和医疗保健数据库进行研究的新方法，流行病学领域正在发生变化。与此同时，公共卫生实践中的流行病学家继续面临着一系列常见的挑战，但也面临着全球问题的威胁。流行病学家的职业并非单一不变的；它涵盖了广泛的活动和专业场所，反映了流行病学家开展工作的众多背景、所解决问题的性质以及他们研究结果的广度和应用。从个人和人群中获取数据伴随着与个人隐私和保密性以及对所研究人群的尊重相关的严重伦理义务。除了生成和分析数据外，流行病学家还通过他们所创造的证据来指导行动，最终目标是促进健康。本评论探讨了未来几十年将影响该专业的“大趋势”。
