Скачать или смотреть CSEB Webinar: "Eco-Epidemiology: Connecting Ecosystem Health to Human Health"

"Eco-Epidemiology: Connecting Ecosystem Health to Human Health" by Dr. Colin Soskolne

Please direct questions to Dr. Colin Soskolne: [email protected]

A WEBINAR presented through the Canadian Society for Epidemiology and Biostatistics (CSEB). This WEBINAR was first delivered on November 29, 2010; it was then updated and recorded from the University of Canberra, Australia, on December 4, 2012.

Designed to introduce the sub-specialty of eco-epidemiology, this 1.5-hour webinar will familiarize classically-trained epidemiologists, as well as those in other disciplines, with the indicators that point to declining trends in everything that supports life.

Led by Colin Soskolne of the School of Public Health, University of Alberta, and CSEB immediate past-President -- come and explore why these trends are underway. With life-sustaining ecosystems in decline, the fabric of civilization is being eroded. If the primary purpose of epidemiology is to prevent harms to populations, what more important role could we play than to recognize the need for Primordial Prevention to avert disastrous outcomes from the collapse of global life-supporting ecosystems?

Epidemiology's role is to inform policy -- in this webinar, Colin discusses what attempts have been made to measure risk through correlation studies linking indicators of the dynamics of ecosystem change with health outcomes. By demonstrating a connection between the two through the application of methods specific to eco-epidemiological inquiry, the public and policy-makers might be more inclined to consider introducing policies better formulated to protect the health and well-being of both present and future generations.

The webinar concludes with the identification of eight hopeful initiatives; individually and collectively, we can use our training and experience to contribute to steering a path from collapse to one of sustainability.


By the end of the session, participants will be able to:

Understand the link between ecological systems and human health by examining indicators that point to declines in ecological integrity, locally and globally


Identify ways in which eco-epidemiology can be applied for understanding the dynamics between ecosystem change and human health


Recognize the strengths and limitations of the eco-epidemiological approach for informing policy at the primordial prevention level by opening our minds


Speaker Bio:

Colin L. Soskolne, PhD

Professor, School of Public Health
University of Alberta, Edmonton


Visiting Fellow, University of Canberra, Australia

Colin Soskolne was born and raised in South Africa and has been with the University of Alberta since 1985. Educated at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, he trained initially in applied mathematics. He first worked as a statistician in education research, and then moved into biostatistics, focusing on occupational cancer, both in toxicological and human studies.

After his PhD in epidemiology from the University of Pennsylvania in 1982, he moved to Canada. His research interests soon expanded from the occupational environment to include the broader environment, as well as infectious diseases and ethics. He is currently concerned about expanding the methods of epidemiology to measure health impacts from global change to better inform policy for the sustainability of life on Earth. Having contributed over 350 published works, he is most recently senior editor of the interdisciplinary book Sustaining Life on Earth: Environmental and Human Health through Global Governance (Lexington Books, MD, 2008). For details, please go to www.colinsoskolne.com.



"I derived both information and enjoyment from the Eco-Epidemiology workshop. The presentation covered an impressively wide range of subject matter and did a good job of demonstrating the links between ecological changes and population health concerns. The subject matter was stimulating and thought-provoking and the session shed new light on an often neglected area in the struggle to improve personal and planetary health."
David Daughton --
Co-operative Enterprise Council of New Brunswick

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