#epidemiology, Author Interviews, UCSD / 06.02.2026
UCSD Discusses Importance of Studying Survival Epidemiology
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
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Dr. Cuomo[/caption]
Raphael E. Cuomo, PhD
Professor of Medicine
Associate Adjunct Professor, Anesthesiology
University of California, San Diego
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Epidemiology has mostly been built to explain who gets sick, but many of the decisions that matter most happen after diagnosis. Across multiple diseases, relationships that look consistent in prevention studies often do not hold once people already have the disease, and sometimes they even flip. Diagnosis can change patient biology, treatment context, and biases in the data, so we need clearer methods and language for postdiagnosis questions.
Dr. Cuomo[/caption]
Raphael E. Cuomo, PhD
Professor of Medicine
Associate Adjunct Professor, Anesthesiology
University of California, San Diego
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Epidemiology has mostly been built to explain who gets sick, but many of the decisions that matter most happen after diagnosis. Across multiple diseases, relationships that look consistent in prevention studies often do not hold once people already have the disease, and sometimes they even flip. Diagnosis can change patient biology, treatment context, and biases in the data, so we need clearer methods and language for postdiagnosis questions.
Dr. Kruger[/caption]
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
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Dr. Felicione[/caption]
Response: Alcohol consumption, especially heavy alcohol consumption, is associated with many health risks and nearly 200 different health conditions and diseases. Reducing alcohol consumption reduces the risks and harms from alcohol. Previous research has demonstrated that people have reduced their alcohol consumption when they have access to cannabis. Cannabis beverages have emerged in States where cannabis is legal for adult or medical use.
Dr. Thorne[/caption]
Sally Thorne RN, PhD, FAAN, FCAHS, FCAN, CM
Professor Emeritus, School of Nursing
Co-Principal Investigator with :
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Dr. Pesut[/caption]
Dr. Barbara Pesut PhD, RN
Professor in the School of Nursing
Principal Research Chair in Palliative and End of Life Care
University of British Columbia
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Medical assistance in dying (MAiD) was legalized in Canada in June of 2016 for Canadians who were facing a reasonably foreseeable natural death and met an explicit set of eligibility criteria as determined by qualified health care providers (physicians or nurse practitioners). In 2021, the legislation was extended to include the possibility of MAiD for persons who were suffering from a ‘grievous and irremediable’ medical condition but for whom natural death was not immediately foreseeable. As assisted dying represented a significant change in available options for Canadians with terminal or chronic conditions, requiring significant practice adaptations and including numerous legal, social, ethical, moral implications, the health research community has been working in consultation with clinicians, service providers and governments to generate knowledge that ensures safe, ethical and equitable practice in this regard.
Dr. Chunmiao Zheng[/caption]
Chunmiao Zheng, PhD
AGU Fellow, Chair Professor
Hydrologic Science
Eastern Institute of Technology
Ningbo, China
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a class of artificially synthesized chemicals widely used in industrial production and consumer goods manufacturing. These substances are persistent in the environment, can accumulate through the food chain, and enter the human body and build up over time, posing a potential threat to health. As an important component of the global diet, marine fish may serve as a major source of PFAS intake for humans. However, the contribution of marine fish as a source of PFAS exposure and the associated health risks still lack systematic assessment on a global scale.