04-06-2009 Professor Armenian Presents the Case-Control Method in New Book

On June 4, Haroutune K. Armenian, M.D., Dr.P.H., presented his new book, The Case-Control Method published by Oxford University Press, at the special lecture and book signing ceremony at the American University of Armenia (AUA). Dr. Armenian is the President of the American University of Armenia, Professor in residence at the UCLA and Professor Emeritus at Johns Hopkins University where he received his Dr.P.H. and his M.D. from the American University of Beirut. His career in epidemiology has spanned a number of countries of the world with a focus on the application of epidemiologic methods to disasters, health services and chronic diseases.

The starting point for a case-control study is the problem at hand. The problem is most of the time an undesirable health outcome. The case-control method and its case based variants are one of the most commonly used problem investigation tools in epidemiology and the health sciences. Over the past several decades, the method has been refined and its investigative approaches systematized.

Based on an experience of teaching the case-control method over a period of 20 years to students from a number of professional backgrounds at the Department of Epidemiology of the Bloomberg School of Public Health of the Johns Hopkins University, this textbook addresses a number of general and specific questions dealing with the case-control and other case-based methods including:

• How to design and implement a case-control study that minimizes biases?
• How to analyze and interpret data from a case-control study?
• How to use the method in a variety of problem solving situations?

A major part of the book provides a wealth of applications of the case-control and case-based methods on outbreak investigation, genetic epidemiology, evaluation of interventions, evaluation of screening programs, and other applications.

The use and understanding of this text does not require familiarity beyond an introductory level of epidemiology and biostatistics. This is a book for the epidemiologist as well as for the occasional user of the case-control and other case-based methods. It is a treatise that helps one to design a good case-control study but also to critically evaluate one using a step-by-step approach.

Dr. Armenian donated signed copies of the book to the Soghikian Public Health Reference Room and Papazian Library at AUA, libraries of the Ministry of Health of Armenia, Yerevan State Medical University, and National Institute of Health.

AUA students, faculty, graduates, and representatives of health NGOs/Agencies and Yerevan State Medical University attended the special lecture and book signing ceremony. A reception followed the event.