ACE President-Elect

Statement: If elected, I would focus my efforts on two objectives from the 2001 Strategic Plan. My first objective would be to continue to advocate policies and actions that enhance the science and practice of epidemiology. My long-standing enthusiasm for epidemiologic research, clinical responsibilities in an urban emergency department, and strong interest in health policy place me in an excellent position to promote our specialty to outside groups. In recent years, I have testified on epidemiologic topics to the US Congress and other government groups; local efforts include leadership roles in community-based programs, multidisciplinary “quality improvement” initiatives, and more traditional academic activities (e.g., teaching graduate students). I would welcome the opportunity to dedicate myself to the much broader legislative/policy issues that affect our profession (e.g., proposed regulations on medical records and patient privacy, the role of institutional review boards). I am particularly interested in creating a mechanism for providing expert epidemiologic opinion on public health issues through ad hoc scientific review panels. My second objective would be to develop and maintain a vital membership base representative of all aspects of epidemiology. I believe that my organizational and fund-raising skills would be of service to the College. I am interested in promoting links with other organizations to not only increase the ACE membership and generate funds, but to more effectively disseminate policies of importance to epidemiologists. Furthermore, I am committed to increasing the number of qualified minorities who are active in the College. If elected, I would dedicate myself to creating new and more attractive opportunities for all members to work with the College in promoting the science and practice of epidemiology.

Statement: I have been serving on the Policy committee of the College, focused on the impact of how health policies impact the field of epidemiology. I have assisted with preparing statements on behalf of the committee and the College on NIH guidelines on data sharing and the restructuring of NIH study section panels. As a board member I will continue to be involved in policy issues with a view to helping the ACE promote not only the professionalism but also prestige of epidemiology so that it can reach its full potential as a positive force in research and public health.

As I have in my research, I would favor collaborative approaches in scientific and professional endeavors. I would serve as an advocate for epidemiologists to establish coalitions for promotion of funding and government policies favorable to research, science, scientific education, and professional training.

MARTHA S. LINET, M.D., M.P.H. is Chief of the Population Studies Section, Radiation Epidemiology Branch, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute. She also holds a position of Senior Associate in the Department of Epidemiology of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Dr. Linet is a longstanding Fellow of the College.

Statement: Epidemiologists are in the best position to interpret the preventive and policy implications of their research. The American College of Epidemiology and the College-sponsored Annals of Epidemiology offer important platforms for discussing, debating, and translating epidemiological study results into preventive measures and policy statements. During the past 3 years I have served on the Board of Directors of the College and have chaired the Publications Committee. The Committee assisted the Board in selecting the present editor for the College-sponsored Annals of Epidemiology, and has worked closely with the editor to upgrade the number and quality of submissions to the journal. The Committee and editor have co-sponsored breakfast roundtables at the 2000 Annual Scientific Meeting and at the 2001 Congress to discuss the rapidly evolving changes in scientific publication with the advent of electronic submission, review, and publication of peer-reviewed papers. For the first time, the Committee reviewed all abstracts submitted for the 2002 Annual Scientific Meeting of the College, edited the abstracts for publication in the Annals, and developed new guidelines for standardized review of abstracts for future meetings. I hope to continue serving the College for an additional 3 years as a Board member, focusing on College–sponsored scientific communication organs. I also plan to work closely with the Membership Committee to increase the number of Fellows, Members, and Associate Members joining the College, and to add my energy to programmatic aspects of the Annual Scientific Meeting. My goal is to develop new and better strategies for communicating the scientific, public health, and policy messages of epidemiological research through a strong, central, and growing organization represented by the College.

NANCY KREIGER, M.P.H., Ph.D., is Senior Scientist in the Division of Preventive Oncology, Cancer Care Ontario, and Professor of Epidemiology, Departments of Public Health Sciences and Nutritional Sciences, University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine.

Statement: The ACE has long provided a forum and a focus for advancing both the research and policy agendas of those in practice in epidemiology and public health. It is unusual among epidemiology organizations in its emphasis on creating social change. While taking a leadership role in evolving and influencing public policy, the College can benefit from increased impact, which might result from stronger linkages with the other epidemiology organizations in North America. Such linkages will enhance the constituency base, and extend policy development across borders. The College also would serve the public well by developing a larger role in the translation of research results into public policy, and in helping to guide the public to a greater understanding of research findings.

ZUO-FENG ZHANG, M.D., Ph.D. is a Professor of Epidemiology, and Director of UCLA-USC Molecular Epidemiology Training Program at University of California, Los Angeles. Dr. Zhang has been a Fellow of the American College of Epidemiology (ACE) since 1999.

Statement: Epidemiology is an important scientific field for studying disease processes and for improving health status of the general population. Epidemiology can utilize the knowledge of advanced basic sciences such as human genetics, molecular biology and medicine and methodology, to further advance our understanding of disease processes and to take advantages of these new developments. (1) In order to advocate for policies and actions that enhance the science and practice of epidemiology, ACE should promote the practice of multidisciplinary approaches, which encourage epidemiologists to work together with researchers from other scientific fields. Furthermore, we should support the translational studies from basic sciences to epidemiology, from laboratory bench to population, and from etiologic approaches to disease prevention. (2) To promote the professional development of epidemiologists, ACE should prepare epidemiologists to face challenges with continued professional education, such as workshops on the applications of molecular genetic approaches in epidemiology. (3) To develop and maintain a vital membership base of both Fellows and Members representing all aspects of epidemiology; ACE should focus on young and junior epidemiologists as well as graduate students in epidemiology. ACE should also continue to create and increase opportunities for them by conducting workshops on grant application and career advancement. (4) If elected, I would be the only Board Member on the West Coast. As such, I would promote ACE activities for epidemiologists in the region. I am looking forward to contributing my time, energy, and perspectives to achieving these goals.