Michele Cote, Ph.D. professor of oncology, Karmanos Cancer Institute and Wayne State University, is this year’s recipient of the American Public Health Association’s (APHA) 2020 John Snow Award, which is given annually to recognize an outstanding epidemiologist for excellence in epidemiologic practice or research. The awards ceremony took place at the virtual APHA meeting on October 26, 2020. The award honors the late English physician John Snow, M.D. (1813-1858), considered one of the founders of modern epidemiology. During the historic 1854 cholera outbreak in Soho, London, Dr. Snow examined the distribution of cholera cases and recognized most were near a single water source, the famous Broad Street pump. He removed the handle from the pump and is credited with helping to end the outbreak. Michele Cote, Ph.D. professor of oncology, Karmanos Cancer Institute and Wayne State University, is this year’s recipient of the American Public Health Association’s (APHA) 2020 John Snow Award, which is given annually to recognize an outstanding epidemiologist for excellence in epidemiologic practice or research. The awards ceremony took place at the virtual APHA meeting on October 26, 2020.
The award honors the late English physician John Snow, M.D. (1813-1858), considered one of the founders of modern epidemiology. During the historic 1854 cholera outbreak in Soho, London, Dr. Snow examined the distribution of cholera cases and recognized most were near a single water source, the famous Broad Street pump. He removed the handle from the pump and is credited with helping to end the outbreak.
Dr. Cote, a molecular epidemiologist whose work seeks to understand and reduce cancer disparities, noted during her acceptance speech that, “Cancer surveillance and dissemination of these data are critical to understanding the disease burden in the population, especially in populations that have traditionally been ignored in research, but rarely does surveillance make front-page news. The year 2020 has come with many lessons, and one is that epidemiology, as a field, can no longer afford to be invisible. This award encourages me to push onward, through teaching, mentoring and scholarship, to turn awareness into action and to dismantle structures that have no place in our society, as we move towards health equity.”