• Criteria for developing community interventions;
  assesing the epidemiologic evidence, feasibility,
  and potential public health impact.
• Special needs for studies of unique populations
  defined by geographic location, gender, age, ethnicity,
  and/or occupation
• Developing and maintaining partnerships with
  health agencies and community organizations
• Designing randomized trials in community settings
• Incorporating methods and research strategies from
  other disciplines (e.g. the social and behavioral
  sciences, city and regional planning, and
  environmental design)
• Translating results from community interventions into public health policy

• Basic background in molecular genetics - DNA structure, replication,
  transcription, and translation, as well as metabolic pathways for
  environmental exposures;
• Familiarity with terms and concepts that appear in published molecular
  epidemiologic studies and ability to evaluate the literature
• Guidelines for and examples of application of molecular biomarkers to
  epidemiologic studies.

It is becoming increasingly clear thant the tools of biochemistry and molecular
genetics can facilitate the identification of both risk factors and populations
at risk for a number of diseases. This workshop is designed to provide a
background in some of the basics of genetics and biochemistry as they may be
applied to epidemiologic studies. This course will provide provide an overview
of concepts in molecular epidemiology and fundamentals of molecular biology.
Issues related to proper study design and interpretation will be discussed as
will practical and ethical considerations for biological sample collection and
genetic testing. While material covered will necessarily be broad and
not-in-depth, the workshop will provide a basic background for established
researchers as well as graduate students who would like to have a clearer
understanding of concepts in molecular epidemiology. For those who are
interested in directing their careers towards this type of research, it should
provide a base from which to begin studies and hopefully, fuel an excitement for
molecular epidemiologic research.


Workshop 2 - Epidemiology and the Media:
How to Interact and Communicate Effectively 

Susan Olivera, Sc.D., Sloane-Kettering Cancer Center

Dolly Katz, Ph.D., Department of Epidemiology and Public Health,
University of Miami School of Medicine

Holly G. Atkinson, M.D., Editor, "HealthNews" from The Massachusetts
Medical Society and President and CEO, Reuters Health Information Inc.

Ellan Cates, Media and Presentation Consultant

Sheryl Meredith, Public Relations Consultant, former Vice President,
Edelman Medical

Edward P. Davis, Esq., Media Law, Partner, The Genesis Law Group

At the conclusion of this workshop, participants will:

• Understand the role of broadcasters and journalistss in disseminating
  study findings and how this differs from that of the epidemiologist: thus, why
  epidemiologists and journalists often "seem to speak different languages";
• Develop the skills to take charge of an interview and present
  information in a way that is easily understood and less likely to be
  misunderstood or misquoted:
• Learn the fundametals of speaking to and presenting scientific
  information to the media, including the legal apsects of what is "on the
  record";
• Be aware of how a "press release" attracts media attention and be
  familiar with the role the epidemiologist can play in writing or reviewing
  the press release.

Results of epidemiologid studies are increasingly visible in the print and
electronic media. Epidemiologists often play a crucial role in communicating
study findings directly and indirectly to the general public. Epidemiologic
data may be subject to misrepresentation or misinterpretation in the press;
this may lead to confusion and mistriust of epidemiologic research. The
epidemiologist can be instrumental in helping the media understand and translate
important medical research and can play a more active and effective role in
interactions with the media if equipped with skills for effective communication.
Understanding the needs of journalists and having the necessary tools to
appropriately interact with journalists and news broadcasters will help ensure
that epidemiologic data are appropriately interpreted and reported. This
workshop will provide an opportunity to understand the role of the media in
reporting scientific findings, to learn effective communications tools in
working with the media, and to participate in hands-on media training.


Workshop 3 - Qualitative Approaches to Data Collection
for Epidemiologic Research 

Richard B. Warnecke, Ph.D., Director, Survey Research Laboratory,
School of Public Health, University of Illinois

Diane O'Rourke, M.Ed., Coordinator of Research Programs,
Survey Research Laboratory, School of Public Health, University of Illinois

The purpose of this workshop is to present an introduction to qualitative
methods for assessing the validity of survey questions.

This workshop will focus on the processes by which people approach survey
questions including interpretation of the meaning of questions, recalling
information pertinent to the meaning, formation of judgements about information,
and the editing of responses. The approaches that will be described include:

• cognitive think-aloud techniques;
• focus groups;
• monitoring interviewer and interviewee contact;
• coding interactions;
• the standard pre-test;
• how the above relate to one another.

Discussion will also include: 

• inclusion rules for ordinary conversation;
• effects of order (item placement in questionnaires);
• the relationship between event recall and the 
  time that events took place;
• recall of event frequency.

Examples will be provided from a wide range of range. Participants are
encouraged to bring survey questions for discussion on overheads.

• Where have we been: The overview, Robert Hiatt,
  M.D., Ph.D.
• The Changing demographics of "the community":
  Implications for epidemiological research, Raynard
  Kington, M.D., Ph.D.
• Population-based interventions: Smoking trials as an 
  example, Judith K. Ockene, Ph.D.
• Targeted interventions: More bang for your buck
  Eliseo Perez - Stable, M.D.
• Policy interventions: Contributions and challenges, 
  John P. Pierce, Ph.D.
• The need for comprehensive, integrated approaches:
  Next generation of studies, Marilyn Winkleby, Ph.D.

12:00pm - 2:00pm - 
Lunch/Workshop: Working in
the Community: Strategies for Effective Communication 
Brenda Eskenazi, Ph.D., Chair 

Guest Speaker:
"When Epidemiology Breeds Fear: Implications for Risk 
Perception and Risk Communication", Paul Slovic, Ph.D.,
President Decision Research, and Professor of
Psychology, University of Oregon.

• Community collaborations: The agony and the 
  ecstasy of setting the research agenda, Robert
  Fulilove, Ed.D.
• Establishment and maintanence of community
  partnerships, Diane Rowley, M.D., M.P.H.
• Forging collaborations for community research:
  The Bay View Hunter's Point Project, Kevin
  Grumbach, M.D.
• Community consent: Getting beyond paternalism
  in intervention research, Robert E McKeown, Ph.D.
• Collecting biological specimens: Logistics, 
  precautions, and responsibilities, Beth Newman, Ph.D.

4:30pm - 5:30pm - 
Buisness Meeting 
For ACE Members

5:30pm - 7:30pm - 
Poster Session and Reception 

7:30pm - 10:00pm
Dinner On Your Own 
(Posters remain up)

• The need for multidisciplinary collaborations in
  community research, Rena Pasick, Dr.P.H.,
  Joyce Bird, Ph.D., and Regina Otero-Sabogal, Ph.D.
• How can we bring diversity into the profession?,
  Victor Schoenbach, Ph.D. and William Jenkins, 
  Ph.D., M.P.H.
• Developing community partnerships, Arthur Chen,
  M.D., Barbara Green-Ajufo, Dr. P.H., and 
  Diane Rowley, M.D.,M.P.H.
• Environmental justice: Balancing the need for 
  advocacy and science, Raquel Morello-Frosch, 
  Ph.D. and Robin Baker, M.P.H.
• Recruiting ethnic minority groups and increasing
  response rates in community-based studies, 
  Beth Newman, Ph.D.
• Establishing research partnerships in the gay
  and lesbian communities, Marj Plumb, M.N.A.
  and Peter Sawires

7:30am - 9:0am - 
ACE Task Force on Doctoral 
Education: Open Meeting 
Jonathan Samet, M.D., Chair 

9:15am - 11:30am - 
Morning Session: Design and
analysis of Community Intervention Trials
Sylvia B. Green, M.D., Chair 

• Research Strategies in community based studies:
  An overview, Ira B. Tager, M.D., M.P.H.
• Need for randomized trials versus observational
  studies, Sylvan B. Green, M.D.
• Groups as units of randomization, Allan Donner, Ph.D.
• Outcome measures in community-randomized
  trials, Henry A. Feldman, Ph.D.
• Issues in process evaluation, Beti Thompson, Ph.D.

11:30am - 12:00pm - 
Student Prize Paper 
A Study of Smoking, p53 Tumor 
Suppressor Gene Alterations and Non-small 
Cell Lung Cancer, Martin Tammemagi,
University of Toronto 

12:00pm - 2:00pm - 
Banquet Lunch and 
Lilenfeld Award Address
Epidemiology at a Crossroads:
Population-Based Basic and Clinical Science,
Frank E. Speizer, M.D.,
Harvard Medical School, 1998 Lilenfeld Awardee 

2:00pm - 3:30pm - 
Panel Discussion: How to fund
community-based research
Robert A Hiatt, M.D. Ph.D., Chair

Panelists:
Sherry Mills, M.D., Division of Cancer Control
- and Population Sciences, National Cancer Institute
Diane Rawley, M.D., M.P.H., Office of the Director,
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 
Additional panelists to be announced 

• Randomized trial of estrogen plus progestin
  for secondary prevention of coronary heart disease
  in postmenopausal women: The Heart and Estrogen/Progestin Replacement Study (HERS),
  Stephen B. Hully, M.D., M.P.H.
• Do community-based interventions work? Results of
  the FoCaS Project, Electra D. Paskett, Ph.D.
• Access and culture: Why don't Latinas return for 
  cancer screening?, Regina R. Otero-Sabogal, Ph.D.
• Evaluation of a community intervention trial to 
  improve immunization in Norfolk, VA, J. Rosenthal, Ph.D., M.P.H.

3:30pm - 5:00pm
Plenary Debate 
Motion: "Our official approach to the 
AIDS Epidemic ignores historical
lessons from epidemiology and public
health 

Moderator: G. Marie Swanson, Ph.D. 

Affirmative Position:
Warren Winkelstein, M.D., M.P.H., Professor
Emeritus of Epidemiology, Division of Public Health Biology
and Epidemiology, School of Public Health, 
University of California at Berkeley

Donald P. Francis, M.D., D.Sc., President, VaxGen,
and former CDC Advisor to the California
Department of Health and the Mayor of
San Francisco 

Negative Position:
James W. Curran, M.D., M.P.H., Professor and Dean, 
Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University 

June Osborn, M.D., President, Josiah Macy, Jr. 
Foundation


The importance of public health measures (rather than specific medical therapies and vaccines) to the decline of infectious diseases in the twentieth century is now undisputed. While the relative contribution of medical measures to modern-era declines in chronic diseases may be greater, public health interventions remain overwhelmingly important. Such knowledge raises important policy questions for the biomedical and public health establishments. In the context of necessarily finite resources, what proportion of national effort should go to public health interventions and/or the search for a biomedical magic bullet (either a treatment or a vaccine)? Presently, most resources go to biomedical science and individual-level treatments, leaving relatively little for the public health measures that have proven so important in the control of earlier pandemics. As we move towards a new century, should we continue on our present course, hoping for a breakthrough discovery to help conquer AIDS? Or, are there lessons from health's historic contributions which suggest that greatly increased emphasis on public health measures may produce greater value for the money in the federal strategy against AIDS? 

End of Sessions

• Brenda Eskenazi, PhD
  University of California, Berkeley
• William Satariano, PhD
  University of California, Berkely

Committee Members

• Barbera Green-Aifo, Dr.P.H.
  California Medical Review Inc.
• Mark Alexander, Ph.D
  University of California, San Francisco
• Sylvan B. Green, M.D.
  Case Western Reserve University
• Robert A. Hiatt, M.D., Ph.D.
  National Cancer Institute
• Rena J. Pasick, Dr.P.H.
  Northern California Cancer Center
• Dale P Sandler, Ph.D.
  National Institute of Environmental Health services
• Marilyn Winkleby, Ph.D.
  Stanford Unicersity