Dr. Karen Mundy-Judkins
Dr. Karen Mundy-Judkins, professor of sociology at Lee University, attended the Scientific Sessions of the American College of Epidemiology, which was held near Washington D.C.
“The conference was especially timely due to the convergence of multiple public health issues, including Ebola in West Africa and antibiotic resistant strains of old illnesses in community settings,” said Dr. Mundy-Judkins.
Dr. Mundy-Judkins is preparing to bring to Lee’s campus a representative of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. CDC is on the front lines to protect America from health, security and safety threats, both foreign and in the United States.
The earliest epidemiological studies were conducted by Sirs John Snow and Percival Potts in London, England. Even before the development of modern medicine, Sirs Snow and Potts used the logic of empirical inquiry and detective work to trace the causes of the cholera epidemic in London and premature cancer mortality of young working class males. Most epidemiologists are trained in medicine or hold research degrees in fields such as demography or medical sociology.
Dr. Mundy-Judkins specializes in medical sociology/epidemiology, sociology of religion, and social psychology. She has done post-doctoral work at Johns Hopkins University and Duke University. She is currently studying the spread of Ebola in West Africa by social patterns and the movement of populations. Four years ago, Dr. Mundy-Judkins and two of her sociology students followed a similar research method in the study of H1N1 (swine flu).
ACE was established in 1979 to recognize professional epidemiologists and to advance scientific research in the prevention of illnesses among populations.
For more information on epidemiology at Lee, contact Dr. Mundy-Judkins at kmundy@leeuniversity.edu.
For more information on the American College of Epidemiology, visit http://acepidemiology.org.