Application of technology to push epidemiology forward

Excerpt

The main strategy employed in the science of epidemiology is to evaluate associations (i.e., who, what, where, and when) with disease occurrence in an attempt to identify links with potentially preventable causes. When such associations are identified, they are pursued at increasingly finer levels of resolution in order to get at the underlying mechanisms that may be responsible. The improved resolution that is needed is frequently obtained by applying novel methodologies to the problem. This effort is often hindered, however, by the fact that epidemiologists are almost always trained as generalists. They thereby command a systematic approach to public health problems but rarely are they knowledgeable about the new technologies emerging in more specialized scientific areas. One of the few individuals in the osteoporosis field who has been able to personally bridge this gap is Pierre Delmas. By combining his clinical and laboratory training with a keen interest in population health, he has been able to foster major innovations in the epidemiologic approach to fracture risk prediction, one of the fundamental issues facing clinicians who hope to exploit advances in osteoporosis treatment to improve the care of their patients. Two examples that are particularly impressive with respect to their impact on the field are the application to risk assessment of biochemical markers of bone turnover and high-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography (HRpQCT). …