When I registered for this course I honestly did not think much about it. It was on my list of required classes to graduate so I made sure it fit into my schedule. I really did not know if I would find the class interesting and had no clue what a whole semester of epidemiology would entail. After I attended the first class, my questions were basically answered. I guess I just never thought about how important epidemiology is to every day health. Also, I never thought about how many cultures and different populations can be studied in this field. I have loved the two anthropology courses I have taken at JMU and see how it can be related to epidemiology.
I had learned about epidemiology briefly in my community health and disease courses. I remember learning a little about the history and how Hippoocrates may have been the first epidemiologist. It was practiced throughout history including during ancient egyptian times. John Snow is another name I remember. He is considered the father of epidemiology for mapping out a cholera outbreak to find the source. I also remember calculating population rates and incidence rates of diseases.
Thinking about it now, the whole perspective of health changes because of epidemiology. It is key to prevention and establishing effective treatments. It also gives insight into which populations are at higher risk for certain diseases. So really, the field of epidemiology shapes modern health practices. Also, when I googled images of epidemiology, I found this comic that I thought was applicable to this post.
 |
| Photo Source |
I am looking forward to hearing about the work Dr. Wallis has done and believe that her experiences will help make this class relatable. This course is one that I think will be interesting and very applicable to myself as a future health care professional.
KR
No comments:
Post a Comment