Harvard School of Public Health - Yearbook (Cambridge, MA)

Page 18 text:

Standing —Dr. Marx. Seated, left to right —Dr. Glass, Dr. West, Dr. Worcester, Dr. Harper, Dr. Prahlad, Dr. Masse, Dr. Sotoodeh, Dr. Flahault, Dr. Velasco, Dr. Fodnes, Col. Caldwell, Dr. MacMahon, Dr. Taylor, Dr. Wilson, Dr. Jerath, Dr. Thieu, Dr. Sen Gupta, Dr. Kannel, Dr. Udomsakdi, Dr. Sample, Dr. Khaw. DEPARTMENT OF EPIDEMIOLOGY Brian MacMahon, M.D., Ph.D., D.P.H., S. M. in Hyg., Professor of Epidemiology and Head of the Department John E. Gordon, S.B., Ph.D., M.D., A.M. (hon.), F.R.C.P. (Lond.), Professor of Preventive Medicine and Epidemiology, Emeritus A. Daniel Rubenstein, A.B., M.D., M.P.H., Associate Clinical Professor of Epi¬ demiology Thomas F. Pugh, M.D., M.P.H., A ssistant Professor of Epidemiology Carl E. Taylor, S.B., M.D., F.R.C.P. (Canada), Dr.P.H., Assistant Professor of Preventive Medicine and Epidemiology F. Randolf Philbrook, S.B., M.D., M.P.H., Associate in Epidemiology Conrad Wesselhoeft, M.D., Visiting Lecturer on Infections Diseases John C. Ayres, S.B., M.D., M.P.H., Instructor in Epidemiology John B. Wyon, B.A., M.B., B.Ch., M.R.C.P., Instructor in Epidemiology Nicholas J. Fiumara, A.B., M.D., M.P.H., Instructor in Epidemiology Louis Weinstein, S.M., Ph.D., M.D., Lecturer on Infectious Diseases 14

Page 17 text:

Mr. Flahault plugging away. LL students must, at one time or another, take (and pass) a course in Biosta- tistics to meet the requirements for a degree from Harvard School of Public Health. This became almost a catastrophe in some cases and a cause for much anxiety in all cases. To paraphrase Churchill, Never have so few had so little (background, inclination) to fight so many (new concepts)—and it was a battle!’’ Yet the Depart¬ ment of Biostatistics gets the students’ unanimous vote as the most helpful, and in spite of us, we learned some basic principles of biostatistics. The methods of instruction were a little unique. After a lecture (which was crystal clear to the staff) filled with algebraic manipulations, probability theory and occa¬ sionally elementary calculus, groups would huddle and a common comment could be heard: Wha’d he say?” Then the queues formed in front of the various offices in the department for personalized instruction.” It was here and in the patient and laborious work on the lab” problems that biostatistics was learned. The analogy of a family is no better typified than in this department—Dr. Muench, the benevolent, but somewhat awesome, father; Dr. Worcester, ever present and help¬ ful as the mother-type should be (but not motherly); Marge, the big sister who never seemed bored with answering the same questions over and over again; Dan and Ray, the brothers who explained and explained, and in doing so, often got into erudite discussions between themselves, complete with blackboard filled with long derivations; Dr. Reed, the uncle who visited once in a while just to throw the opposition into confusion; Dr. Bartholomay, the distant cousin who doesn’t even speak the same language as we poor mortals; and lastly, we students—rebellious at times, grateful for any morsels of help and affection and, growing slightly in statistical maturity, thankful for the family association.” 13

Page 19 text:

In the epidemiologic jungle. STUDENTS MAJORING IN EPIDEMIOLOGY Col. Samuel Caldwell, Dr. Earl Catcott, Dr. Winifred Danaraj, Dr. Daniel Flahault, Dr. Jon Fodnes, Dr. Robert Glass, Dr. George Elarper, Dr. William Kanncl, Dr. Martin Marx, Dr. Donald Sample, Dr. Otoniel Velasco, Dr. Raymond West. T HE recent appointment of Dr. MacMahon as Head of the Department of Epidemi¬ ology has brought about a new orientation of the department. With great progress in the control of infectious diseases has come a shift of emphasis in epidemiology. Chronic and non-infectious diseases such as coronary heart disease, mental illness, and cancer, are receiving more attention because of their high prevalence and the magnitude of the resultant disability. Government and foundation support for such research has increased to the point that there exists a serious shortage of investigators trained and experienced in epidemiologic methods suitable for the investigation of non-communicable disease. Goals of the department include: providing a sound comprehensive course in general epidemiologic method for the MPH curriculum, providing the opportunity for specialists in epidemiology to obtain training in those epidemiologic methods appro¬ priate to the investigation of the non-infectious diseases, and the establishment of research programs in the same area. 15