Three Disciplines' Views and Approaches to Cancer Research
Public Health Sciences
What is the focus of research in public health sciences?
- Study of human populations and their risk of developing cancer
- Studies of methods and effectiveness of screening and prevention
- Development of methods of design and analysis
The Causes of Cancer: An Epidemiologist's View
adapted from a seminar given by John Potter, M.D., Ph.D. 1-97Epidemiology, the discipline central to public health research, involves the assessment of host factors (genetics, metabolism, and behavior) and environmental factors (including air, water, diet, workplace, etc.) in cancer risk. As an epidemiologist, Dr. Potter described issues that epidemiologists face in designing and interpreting studies, the types of studies or approaches that epidemiologists use in determining cancer risk factors, and areas where there is or could be significant interchange between public health sciences and clinical and basic research.
