DENVER, June 6 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The top epidemiologists in the nation and U.S. territories are set to gather in Denver, Colorado June 8-12 for the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE) 2008 Annual Conference.
This year’s conference theme is “Public Health Epidemiology: Adapting to a Changing World.” The theme -- and much of the research to be presented during the conference -- reflects the increasing challenges to public health posed by emerging threats or by familiar risks that have evolved to become more pervasive and persistent.
“The recent outbreak of salmonella infection in Alamosa, Colorado caused by contamination of the public water supply is an example of how easily microbes can re-invent themselves to cause widespread illness,” CSTE President-elect Perry Smith, M.D. said. “With global warming, rapid population growth, technology that allows travelers to move from one part of the world to another in a matter of hours, and intentional threats from bioterrorism, America’s disease detectives increasingly are at the forefront of the fight against pathogens, environmental health hazards, and preventable injuries.”
The job of an epidemiologist is to understand what causes people to get sick and to find ways to reduce illness, injury and death from preventable causes. “CSTE members are devoted to detecting patterns in occurrence of illness and injury; meticulously analyzing clues; and applying findings to solve medical mysteries and inform decisions that protect people’s health,” Smith said. “The Annual Conference offers the opportunity for members to share their research, broaden their knowledge, and -- together -- improve the science and practice of applied epidemiology.”
CSTE is a professional association of over 1,050 public health epidemiologists working in states, local health agencies, and territories. CSTE works to establish more effective relationships among state and other health agencies. It also provides technical advice and assistance to partner organizations, such as the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO), and to federal public health agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). CSTE members have surveillance and epidemiology expertise in a broad range of areas including occupational health, infectious diseases, immunization, environmental health, chronic diseases, injury control, and maternal and child health. CSTE’s work is an important step in ensuring a well-prepared and competent public health workforce.
Highlights of the 2008 CSTE Annual Conference include:
CONTACT: Lakesha Robinson of Council of State and Territorial
Epidemiologists, Cell: +1-678-656-9052, lrobinson@cste.org
Web site: http://www.cste.org/
