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WELCOME

Epidemiology is the study of the frequency, distribution, and determinants of disease in human populations. The mission of the Department is to provide rigorous training in the fundamentals and practice of epidemiology, to contribute to the understanding of the etiology and prevention of disease, and to improve the health of the public through excellence in research.

Congratulations to the 2012 Award Winners!
	Departmental awards:
	Outstanding Student Awards: Jennifer Balkus (PhD) and Thomas Odeny (MPH)
	Staff Award: Bev Winter-Eben
	SPH Awards:
	Teaching Award: Beth Mueller, DPH, MPH
	Outstanding Mentor: Scott McClelland, MD, MPH
		Alison Silvis Rustagi, PhD Candidate in the Department of Epidemiology was awarded the UW Retirement Association's Graduate Fellowship. The award is given to two graduate students from across the University each year, and supports one quarter of research on aging-related projects. She plans to use the fellowship to continue her dissertation research on the efficacy of cervical cancer screening among older women.

In the news

Vitamin D Blood Level for Reducing Major Medical Risks in Older Adults Identified (Science Daily)

To help resolve this debate, University of Washington researchers conducted an observational study. They wanted to learn how much vitamin D must be circulating in the blood to lower the risk of a major medical event. This category included heart attack, hip fracture, diagnosis of cancer, or death.

Their findings are reported May 1, in the Annals of Internal Medicine. Dr. Ian de Boer, Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of Nephrology and Adjunct Assistant Professor of Epidemiology, UW School of Public Health.

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Study finds a link between injectable contraceptive use and increased risk of breast cancer in young women (FHCRC)

The first large-scale U.S.-based study to evaluate the link between an injectable form of progestin-only birth control and breast cancer risk in young women has found that recent use of a year or more doubles the risk. The results of the study, led by breast cancer epidemiologist Christopher I. Li, M.D., Ph.D., of Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and Research Professor of Epidemiology at the University of Washington, are published online ahead of the April 15 print issue of Cancer Research.

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