Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery

Public Health and Epidemology

Epidemiology is the study of the causes, statistics and health effects of disease conditions in a particular population. Epidemiology shapes policy decisions and proof-based actions through identification of risk factors for disease and targets for preventive health. Epidemiology helps to develop methodology to be used in clinical research studies, and, to a lesser extent, basic research in the biological sciences. Epidemiological studies involve an introduction, entire historical background, surveillance data sources, laboratory diagnosis, the biological characteristics of the organism, mechanisms and routes of transmission, pathogenesis and immunity, host response, and finally prevention, control and treatment. Emerging molecular methods are vast for future efforts. Traditional case control and cohort studies will be needed to define the action of such pathogens in disease causality.