Epidemiology

Why Epidemiology?

Epidemiology contributes to the health of the population. It researches the distribution of diseases, their precursors and consequences as well as factors that influence this distribution (Kreienbrock et al., Epidemiological Methods, 2012; p. 1). This includes research into the occurrence and risk factors of diseases and the factors influencing prognosis (prognostic factors).

Why Epidemiology in the GMDS?

In the GMDS, scientists from different disciplines come together to conduct research for health. Epidemiology benefits from this in its entire spectrum. A particular strength is the field of clinical epidemiology and the bridging between epidemiological and statistical methods.

Why is it worth asking us?

We can provide politicians, journalists, scientists and interested citizens with answers to questions on health data, e.g. on quantifying risks and interpreting studies.

Why is it worth taking part?

You can help shape epidemiology in Germany. You meet exciting people and can network excellently. You will meet important decision-makers. You will improve your career opportunities and have the chance to participate in the mentoring programme. You will gain new ideas through an informal professional exchange. You become visible in the scientific community and develop your research personality. You have access to a wide range of training and continuing education opportunities. As a member of the GMDS, you benefit from various discounts.

The Specialist Field on Epidemiology of the GMDS

The Specialist Field on Epidemiology works closely with the German Society for Epidemiology (DGEpi), the German Society for Social Medicine and Prevention (DGSMP) and the German Region of the International Biometric Society (IBS-DR). Activities include participation in the organisation of the annual meetings, the awarding of the certificate "Epidemiology", statements on current epidemiological issues and the coordination and support of the working groups and task groups.

Dear colleagues,
The spread of SARS-CoV-2 has now been declared a pandemic by WHO. The number of COVID-19 cases in Germany and other European countries continues to rise. However, it is unclear how strained the health care systems in Europe, but also in the different regions in Germany, will be. Modelling approaches in infection epidemiology can provide estimates of this. We would like to invite experts on modelling of infectious diseases and containment/delay measures to join in our discussion on how to build appropriate SIR-Modells (and expand them), which parameters to use, or even to work on a model together.

For more information contact: Stefanie Castell
Stefanie.Castell@helmholtz-hzi.de

________________________

Liebe Kolleginnen, liebe Kollegen,

die Ausbreitung von SARS-CoV-2 ist inzwischen zur Pandemie erklärt worden. Die Fallzahlen in Deutschland und anderen europäischen Ländern steigen weiterhin. Unklar ist jedoch, wie belastet die Gesundheitssysteme in den verschiedenen Ländern Europas, aber auch den unterschiedlichen Regionen in Deutschland sein werden. Modellierungsansätze der Infektionsepidemiologie können hierzu Einschätzungen liefern. Wir laden Wissenschaftler*innen mit Kompetenzen im Bereich Modellierung von Infektionskrankheiten und Maßnahmen ein, sich interdisziplinär auszutauschen, Wissen zu Parametern und Modellen zu diskutieren und vielleicht sogar gemeinsam Modelle zu entwickeln.

"Gemeinsame Initiative zur Modellierung von Infektionskrankheiten" Schreiben vom 25. März 2020 an das Robert Koch-Institut

Weitere Informationen bei Stefanie Castell und Irene Schmidtmann
Stefanie.Castell@helmholtz-hzi.de
Irene.Schmidtmann@uni-mainz.de



In the meantime, the initiative has started its work. Scientists from the GMDS, the DGEpi and beyond are active in it.

The results so far include a shared GitHub Repository where programme code for modelling approaches is collected.

Archive of Activity Reports

  • Activities in 2018

    Activities in 2018

                                                                                                                                 I. Schmidtmann, Mainz (Deputy since August 2018)
                                                                                                                                B. Hoffmann, Düsseldorf (Deputy since August 2018)
                                                                                                                                B. Strahwald, Erlangen (Head until September 2018)
    Activity from 1st January 2018 to 31st December 2018

    Members
    The Expert Committee Epidemiology was newly elected in 2018, the change took place in October 2018. The members are Heike Bickeböller (Göttingen), Stefanie Castell (Braunschweig), Barbara Hoffmann (Düsseldorf), Jochem König (Mainz), Tania Schink (Bremen), Irene Schmidtmann (Mainz). The Expert Committee would like to thank the departing members, in particular the previous Head of Department Brigitte Strahwald for her dedicated leadership and coordination of the Department over the last two years and Andreas Stang, who has also continued to support the interests of the Department as President of the GMDS.

    During the reporting period, the Expert Committee met in August 2018 in Essen for a two-day working meeting and during the GMDS annual conference in Osnabrück. In addition, several telephone conferences took place.

    The revision of the recommendation "Good Practice Epidemiology" was completed.

    Working Groups, Task Groups, Presidium Commissions
    In the reporting period, seven working groups (WG) and nine task groups (TG) belonged to the Department of Epidemiology.

    Detailed activity reports of the following working groups and circles can be found in this annual report
    ·       Epidemiologie in der Arbeitswelt
    ·       Epidemiologie der Herz-Kreislauf- und Stoffwechsel-Erkrankungen (GMDS, DGEpi)
    ·       Epidemiologische Methoden (GMDS, DGEpi, DGSMP)
    ·       Infektionsepidemiologie (GMDS, DGEpi)
    ·       Krebsepidemiologie (GMDS, DGEpi)
    ·       Lehre in der Epidemiologie (GMDS, DGEpi)
    ·       Pädiatrische Epidemiologie (GMDS, DGEpi)
    ·       Phamakoepidemiologie (GMDS, DGEpi)

    Applications for financial support were submitted by the WG Epidemiological Methods and the WG Epidemiology of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Diseases and were approved.

    Statements
    The departments were asked by the Presidium to comment on the Progress Test. The EC evaluates the contents critically and recommends a technical revision, provided that the GMDS will actively participate in the project.
    Further statements and feedback were received on the concept paper of the Presidential Commission "Strengthening and Perception of Bioinformatics", on the discussion paper on the National Research Data Infrastructure, on the Memorandum on Data Protection and on the Memorandum on Health Services Research.

    MIBE
    Members of the Expert Committee were involved in the MIBE Advisory Board.

    GMDS General Assemblies
    The Expert Committee was actively involved in the review and programme design in the programme committee for the GMDS Annual Meeting 2018. Several tutorials, workshops and sessions were offered from the department. In addition, the Expert Committee was involved in the review of the GMDS funding awards.

    The Expert Committee is involved in the planning of the GMDS Annual Meeting 2019. In addition, preparations have already begun for the meeting planned jointly with the Central European Network (DR, ROeS and Polish Region) of the IBS-DR in September 2020. The Expert Committee is represented by the speaker and her deputy in the Programme Committee.

  • Activities in 2017

    Activities in 2017

                                                                                                                                                          B. Strahwald, Erlangen (Head)
                                                                                                                                                          B. Hoffmann, Düsseldorf (Deputy)

    Activity from 1st January 2017 to 31st December 2017
    The Epidemiology Expert Committee has been composed as follows since October 2016: Barbara Hofmann (Düsseldorf), Tania Schink (Bremen), Irene Schmidtmann (Mainz), Andreas Stang (Essen), Brigitte Strahwald (Erlangen), Awi Wiesel (Mainz).

    During the reporting period, the Expert Committee met in Oldenburg as part of the 2017 General Assembly and in Essen for a two-day working meeting.

    Wokring Groups, Task Groups, Presidium Commissions
    In the reporting period, seven working groups (WG) and nine task groups (TG) belonged to the Department of Epidemiology.

    Three applications for financial support were submitted to the Expert Committee during the reporting period, all of which were approved:
    WG Infectious Disease Epidemiology: WS Microbiome and Cardiometabolic Diseases
    WG Human Genetics: WS Biometric Aspects of Genome Analysis
    WG Teaching in Epidemiology: National Teaching Conference on Epidemiology

    The spokesperson of the Expert Committee took part in preparatory discussions and telephone conferences on the establishment of a Presidium Commission on Health Services Research.

    The Expert Committee spokesperson actively participated in the redesign of the GMDS website and public image.

    Statements and Position Papers
    The Guidelines and Recommendations for Good Epidemiological Practice (GEP) were updated under the leadership of the DGEpi. The GMDS was requested to review and, if necessary, co-sign. The Expert Committee was commissioned by the Presidium to comment on the updated version. The new GEP version was intensively discussed during a two-day working meeting. The revised version was submitted to the Presidium and forwarded from there.

    Further statements and feedback were received on the concept paper of the Presidential Commission "Strengthening and Perception of Bioinformatics", the discussion paper on the National Research Data Infrastructure, the Memorandum on Data Protection and the Memorandum on Health Services Research.

    MIBE
    Members of the Expert Committee were involved in the MIBE Advisory Board.

    GMDS General Assembly 2017 Oldenburg

    The Expert Committee was actively involved in the review and programme design in the programme committee for the GMDS Annual Meeting 2017. Several tutorials, workshops and sessions were offered from the department.

    In addition, the Expert Committee was involved in the review of the GMDS funding awards and the Johann Peter Süßmilch Medal.

    GMDS General Assembly 2018 Osnabrück
    The Expert Committee is involved in the planning of the GMDS General Assembly 2018.

  • Activities in 2016

    Activities in 2016

                                                                                                                                                          B. Strahwald, Erlangen (Head)
                                                                                                                                                          B. Hoffmann, Düsseldorf (Deputy)
    Activity from 1st January 2016 to 31st December 2016
    Working Groups
    Detailed activity reports of the following working groups can be found in this annual report:
    ·       Epidemiologie der Herz-Kreislauf- und Stoffwechsel-Erkrankungen (GMDS, DGEpi)
    ·       Epidemiologische Methoden (GMDS, DGEpi, IBS-DR)
    ·       Infektionsepidemiologie (GMDS, DGEpi)
    ·       Krebsepidemiologie (GMDS, DGEpi)
    ·       Lehre in der Epidemiologie (GMDS, DGEpi)
    ·       Pädiatrische Epidemiologie (GMDS, DGEpi
    ·       Phamakoepidemiologie (GMDS, DGEpi)

    Expert Committee
    The EC Epidemiology was newly elected in 2016, the change took place in October 2016. The members are Brigitte Strahwald (Head, Erlangen), Prof. Dr. Barbara Hofmann (Düsseldorf), Dr. Tania Schink (Bremen), Dr. Irene Schmidtmann (Mainz), Prof. Dr. Andreas Stang (Essen), Dr. Awi Wiesel (Mainz).The CE would like to take this opportunity to expressly thank the previous spokesperson, Prof. Dr. Antje Timmer, for her extremely committed leadership and coordination of the Specialist Field of Epidemiology over the previous two years. Thanks also go to the retiring EC members Dr Ulrike Rothe and Steffen Wahler.

    Statements and Position Papers
    The Expert Committee participated in the following statements:
    ·       Comments on the draft bill for a Fourth Act on the Amendment of the Pharmaceutical Act and other regulations
    ·       Statement on the draft bill for a law on the establishment of a transplant registry
    ·       Draft bill on the reorganisation of the law on protection against the harmful effects of ionising radiation

    MIBE
    Members of the EC were involved as reviewers and advisory board members at the MIBE, and Prof. Dr. Antje Timmer in particular as head of epidemiology.

    Conferences and Awards

    The EC was active in the programme committee for the joint annual meeting of GMDS, DGEpi, IEA-EEF (HEC) in Munich. The poster prize was awarded as a joint prize of the GMDS and DGEpi.

    In addition, the EC was involved in the review of the GMDS sponsorship awards and the Paul Martini Award.