On Progress in Epidemiologic Academia

Professor Hofman, in his capacity as the Editor-in-Chief of this journal of “epidemiology,” invited me to write an essay for it, given that I’ve been immersed in epidemiologic academia for a good half-century already. He thought that I likely would have something noteworthy to say, based on my personal experience, about the evolution of “epidemiology” in those decades past, and perhaps also in decades yet to come. In this response to Hofman’s invitation I naturally focus on my experience with the research-and-teaching (R & T) that are the core business of epidemiologic academia. The big picture of this experience of mine is, alas, one of confusion about the fundamentals of our R & T, all the way to the present. And just as regrettably, I don’t foresee any dramatic dissipation of this confusion in the near-term future, except for the possibility that this essay together with the discussion of it in this journal will prompt the called-for reformation of the culture of epidemiologic academia.