Dr. Root opened her discussion on paradigm shifts in the epidemiological field by telling how John Snow was able to map the cholera outbreak in London, earning him the title of the “Father of Modern Epidemiology.” During his time, the miasmatists held the prevailing theory that illness was caused by poisonous vapor. Snow helped to change this by believing “animacuoles” in water caused that cholera outbreak. This contributed to the shift towards germ theory. Dr. Root also emphasized an aspect of Snow’s work that gets overlooked: how he calculated numbers and rates of cholera which provided systematic and quantitative evidence. He also tied geography to demographic and social context of those who contracted cholera. This relates to Dr. Root, as her research focuses on novel applications of geography to fields such as epidemiology.
I was very interested in Dr. Root’s research on vaccine efficacy. Utilizing GIS technology to examine the effects of locational and ecological differences on vaccine efficacy estimates led her team to a small-scale paradigm shift towards geographically randomized vaccine trials. This impacts the design and interpretation of all vaccine studies, and brings environmental, social, and structural factors into consideration. I also enjoyed learning about the emerging field of landscape genetics and how spatial variation in genetics could imply ways landscape affect evolution. As someone with career goals in the public health, I greatly valued Dr. Root sharing her presentation with us, demonstrating the intersection of geography and health.
Yes, Devon, I can imagine if public health were your field of interest, how this talk would be meaningful to you…I really appreciate how Dr. Root was able to tie the past events (like Dr. Snow) to the current state of technology, culture, and progress. In my estimation, this is really what this course and travel is about.