CCCSN - Devon Brewer 

 The Cambridge Colloquium on Complexity and Social Networks is sponsoring a talk tomorrow that may be of some interest to readers of this blog.  Details below: 

 "Taking Person, Place, and Time Seriously in Infectious Disease Epidemiology and 
Diffusion Research" 

 Devon D. Brewer, University of Washington 

 Thursday, April 5, 2007 
12:00 - 1:30 p.m. 
CGIS North, 1737 Cambridge Street, Room N262 

 Abstract: Social scientists and field epidemiologists have long appreciated the role of social networks in diffusion processes. The cardinal goal of descriptive epidemiology is to examine "person, place, and time" in relation to the occurrence of disease or other health events. In the last 20 years, most infectious disease epidemiologist have moved away from the field epidemiologistÿÿs understanding of transmission as embedded in contact structures and shaped by temporal and locational factors. Instead, infectious disease epidemiologists have employed research designs that are best suited to studying non-infectious chronic diseases but unable to provide meaningful insight on transmission processes. A comprehensive and contextualized infectious disease epidemiology requires assessment of person (contact structure and individual characteristics), place, and time, together with measurement of specific behaviors, physical settings/fomites, and the molecular biology of pathogens, infected persons, and susceptible persons. In this presentation, I highlight examples of research that include multiple elements of this standard. From this overview, I show in particular how the main routes of HIV transmission in poor countries remain unknown as a consequence of inappropriate design in epidemiologic research. In addition, these examples highlight how diffusion research in the social sciences might be improved with greater attention to temporal and locational factors. 


 Devon D. Brewer, Ph.D., Director, has broad training and experience in thesocial and health sciences. Much of his past research has focused onsocial networks, research methods and design, memory and cognition, drug abuse, violence, crime, sexual behavior, and infectious disease (including sexually transmitted diseases, HIV, and hepatitis C). He earned his 
bachelor's degree in anthropology from the University of Washington and his doctorate in social science from the University of California, Irvine. Prior to founding Interdisciplinary Scientific Research, Dr. Brewer held research positions at the University of Washington, an administrative position with Public Health-Seattle and King County, and teaching positions at the University of Washington, Pacific Lutheran University, and Tulane University. He has been a principal investigator on federal research grants and authored/co-authored more than 60 scientific publications.