Causal Inference Seminar Series
Holiday Brunch
The Epidemiology Department invites Epi faculty, staff and students to a Holiday Brunch. The brunch will occur Friday, December 18 from 10am to noon in the Countway Library's Lahey Room on the 5th floor. Paper invitations will be sent in the mail. If you plan on attending, please RSVP by December 11 to epidept@hsph.harvard.edu
Zavras to Columbia
Associate Professor Thanos Zavras has an exciting change coming up: He will be heading south to Columbia University to join the faculty in a joint appointment at the Mailman school of Public Health and the College of Dental Medicine. The official title of the position is Associate Professor in the tenure track and Head of the Division of Oral Epidemiology and Biostatistics. EPItome talked with Thanos about his new position.
Congratulations on the new position. Can you tell us what research do you plan on doing at Columbia?
A consistent theme of our work at HSPH has been the exploration of gene environment interactions, especially in the context of oral cancer development, and the application of novel genetic methods in prevention, screening and early detection.
I hope to continue and expand my research in oral cancer epidemiology and in the pharmacogenetics of bisphosphonate-induced osteonecrosis of the jaw.
Do you plan on being involved in any other institutions there?
I plan to be a member of the Irving Cancer Center
What was your favorite part of being in the Epi Department here at HSPH?
Where should I start? In the past 17 years I had the distinct honor and pleasure to collaborate with a number of colleagues who are true worldwide leaders in Epidemiology, and it was those collaborations and exchanges that helped me advance both as a scientist and human being. To name a few (and with apologies to all who are not mentioned) I have worked with Walter Willett, David Hunter, Ed Giovannucci, Sue Hankinson, Doug Dockery, Petros Koutrakis, Kaumudi Joshipura, Bernard Rosner, Hans Olov Adami, Alec Walker, Chet Douglass and Demetri Trichopoulos. Every one of those exchanges and working sessions, without exception, was characterized by methodological rigor, high intelligence, attention to detail, humility, a spirit of free academic sharing, and a passion for the pursuit of truth. Advising doctoral students was a lot of fun and a great, rewarding experience; in fact advising doctoral students must qualify for "continuous education", a source of continuous epidemiologic learning for any mentor. I also enjoyed directing the cancer research portfolio at the Cyprus Harvard International Institute for the Environment and Public Health, traveling overseas for various Epi-related projects, and making life-long friends.
What sorts of activities will you still be doing in relation to the Epi Department here?
We have still major research questions to explore and we plan to continue pursuing hypotheses around genetics and differential risk of oral cancer among men and women. We also wish to explore what constitutes optimal bone health for osteoporotic women on long term bisphosphonate therapy, and questions of increased adverse outcomes. In addition to research, I hope to continue teaching in the Oral Epidemiology course, create collaborative links between the Department and epidemiologists at the Mailman School of Public Health, and to maintain an active advising role for any brilliant Epi student with an interest in Oral Epidemiology.
Will you miss Boston?
Moving to NYC requires some adjustment; for example I found it difficult to criticize openly the New York Yankees in uptown Manhattan. However, with ongoing research in Massachusetts funded by ARRA, with a spouse who has an active academic career at Tufts, and with two boys who are very reluctant to change soccer teams, I have decided to commute between Boston and New York weekly. While commuting has several drawbacks, it affords me the luxury of maintaining my residence in Dover and visiting Boston and HSPH at least once a week.
Appointment
Kunjal Patel has been appointed as a Research Scientist. She’s working on PHACS and IMPAACT studies looking at the effects of antiretroviral therapy among HIV-infected children and pregnant women.
Causal Inference Seminar Series
A monthly seminar series on causal inference will be starting in the months ahead, possibly as early as the spring semester. The seminar series will be co-sponsored by the Departments of Epidemiology and Biostatistics. Speakers will be drawn from the health sciences, social sciences and statistics, from faculty in the Boston area and more broadly. The series will include both more theoretical sessions oriented towards methods development and more applied sessions which examine and critically evaluate what methods from causal inference contribute to science. Questions or suggestions can be directed to Tyler VanderWeele (tvanderw@hsph.harvard.edu).
New Epi Program
An interdisciplinary Program in Obesity Epidemiology and Prevention was recently approved by the HSPH faculty. The mission of this program is to provide training on the theoretical, methodological, and applied knowledge and skills necessary to prepare students to conduct obesity related epidemiologic and prevention research in the US and globally. It includes three participating departments (epi, nutrition, and SHDH) right now but we hope to expand the concentration to other departments in the future. Frank Hu and Steve Gortmaker are co-directors for this program. The program will have regular seminars and informal gatherings for the students and faculty affiliated with the program in the future. Learn more at http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/obesity-program/