Epi News in Brief
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Cutter Lecture
On April 29, the Epi Department hosted the annual springCutter Lecture on Preventative Medicine. This year's lecture was dedicated toBrian MacMahon (left), the former chair and designated father of HSPH's epidemiologydepartment, who passed away last December. Dr. MacMahon's family members joined members of HSPH and of the nationaland international epidemiology community at the lecture, where friends sharedmemories and anecdotes about Dr. MacMahon. Dr. Alexander Walker, one of Dr. MacMahon's colleagues, gave one of the tributes, which can be read HERE. The entire lecture was recorded and can be viewed HERE. After the lecture, the guests enjoyeda cocktail party at local restaurant The Mission.
The WinterCutter Lecture is December 3 and will feature lecturer Chien-Jen Chen. Dr. Chen (right)received his Doctor ofScience degree in epidemiology from JohnsHopkins Universityin 1983 and has become an internationally- renowned public health researcher andeducator based on his work in Taiwan.He has served in many major academic and public positions in Taiwan, including Minister of Health, during2003-2005 at the peak of the SARS epidemic and afterward, and professor anddean of the School of Public Health, National TaiwanUniversity. He is amember of the Academia Sinica, serving as the Distinguished Academician at its Genomic Research Center.He chairs Taiwan'sinter-ministerial Avian and Pandemic Influenza Control Committee. He iscurrently Minister of the National Science Council overseeing the funding ofthe majority of government-sponsored scientific research in Taiwan. He haspublished more than 400 original research papers. Major areas of his research includeadverse health outcomes of arsenic in drinking water and etiology of endemiccancers in Taiwan(liver cancer, nasopharyngeal carcinoma, stomach cancer, bladder cancer, andothers).
Professor Awarded
Professor Jamie Robins recently received the Annual HochAward from the American Psychopathological Association. The Hoch Award was established in 1990 in honor of Dr. Paul Hoch, who was the 1949President of the AmericanPsychopathological Association. The Association is one of theoldest research organizations in psychopathology in the world. Jamie received the awardfor leadership in developingcausal thinking within epidemiological contexts, for careful and systematicanalysis of causal reasoning in all contexts, and for the practical introductionof techniques for making causal inferences from experimental and observationaldata.
You can see the previous Hoch Awardees at http://www.appassn.org/awards.htm. Several Harvard faculty have received the award in the past, including Ron Kessler,Ming Tsuang, and Jane Murphy.
New Hire
The Epi Department welcomes Felisa Nobles, whowill be the new Project Coordinator of the ID EPI Program.
A Departure
Jamie Johnson-Riley, epi's academic guru (otherwise known asthe Assistant Director of Graduate Studies) will be leaving the department inmid-May after six wonderful years here. Jamie will be taking a position asAssistant Registrar at the HarvardDivinity School.While we know Jamie will be a great asset to the Divinity School,the entire department will greatly miss her. Good luck Jamie!
New Baby
A big congratulation goes out to EduardoVillamor and his wife Ana! On April 13, they gave birth to a son, NicolasVillamor.
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