An Introduction to Epidemiology for Health Professionals (Springer Series on Epidemiology and Public Health)

Who gets sick? What factors---genetic, environmental, social---contribute to their illness?

Easy enough to ask, but the answers are becoming increasingly complicated. Today, the public worries about emerging diseases and rapid changes in the frequency of well known diseases like autism, diabetes and obesity making the word epidemic part of the general discussion. Epidemiology should therefore be a basic component of medical training, yet often it is undertaught or even neglected. Concise and readable while also rigorous and thorough, An Introduction to Epidemiology for Health Professionals goes beyond standard textbook content to ground the reader in scientific methods most relevant to the current health landscape and the evolution of evidence-based medicine---valuable keys to better understanding of disease process, effective prevention, and targeted treatment.

In addition to its usefulness for graduate students in public health and medical students in clinical epidemiology, An Introduction to Epidemiology for Health Professionals is a timely reference for practitioners needing a refresher in this important discipline.

Jørn Olsen is Professor and Chair of the Department of Epidemiology at the UCLA School of Public Health.