PRESENTATION
Twenty years ago, the merging
of traditional epidemiology, statistics and human genetics gave birth
to a new discipline, called Genetic Epidemiology. This new field investigates
the role of genetic factors and their interaction with the environment
in causing diseases in human populations.
Over the past decade, geneticists
have constructed detailed maps of the human genome, and have cloned
scores of Mendelian disease genes. In few years the entire genome will
be sequenced.
The unprecedented insights into
human diseases offered by human genome mapping and sequencing could
transform medicine and agriculture. For example, for conditions like
cancer, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes mellitus and autoimmune diseases,
it will be possible to assess and predict inherited risks directly by
examining specific gene mutations. Such a fundamental change in medical
perspective depends vitally on the joint development of the requisite
methods by statisticians, probabilists and epidemiologists. These methods
can be successfully applied in other fields then medicine like agriculture
and zootechnics.
The aim of the School is to
illustrate these methods and to develop expertise in the planning, analysis
and interpretation of epidemiological and experimental genetic studies.
This expertise is highly valued in research institutions, health services,
health international organizations and agencies for epidemiological
surveillance and pharmaceutical companies.
The University of Pavia is an
outstanding site for this kind of school. It is one of the oldest and
best known Italian Universities. It runs several post-Degree courses
in the field of Medicine, Biology and Economics. In particular, the
Advanced Schools of Medical Statistics, Applied Genetics and Human Cytogenetics
are wellknown throughout Italy.
The Master Course in Genetic
Epidemiology is organized by the Department of Scienze Sanitarie Applicate
e Psicocomportamentali. This Department has substantial experience in
the training of epidemiologists and medical statisticians. Previous
initiatives include an advanced school of Medical Statistics, and a
series of international courses and seminars on advanced statistical
methods and their applications to biomedical and epidemiological data.
Prof. Luisa Bernardinelli
Director of the Master