How Epidemiology Got Under My Skin and Now I Work on the Worst Disease You’ve Never Heard Of

Michael Cannon, PhD

Dr. Michael Cannon delivered this year’s Homecoming Honored Alumni Lecture on October 9, 2008. His topic entitled, “How Epidemiology Got Under My Skin and Now I Work on the Worst Disease You’ve Never Heard Of’ is now available online.

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Epidemiology can be defined as the study of factors affecting the health and illness of human populations. Although perhaps best-known for the investigation of infectious disease outbreaks, epidemiologic methods are also commonly applied to a wide range of other outcomes such as cancer, heart disease, injuries, obesity, or car accidents. Dr. Cannon states, "When I was an undergrad in mathematics at BYU I had never heard of epidemiology, and was surprised to discover such an exciting field at the interface of mathematics, statistics, biology, and behavioral science."

Dr. Cannon describes some epidemiologic studies done at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and how his mathematics background helped him in his work as an epidemiologist.

Dr. Michael Cannon received a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics at Brigham Young University in 1993. In 1996 he received a Master of Science in Quantitative Ecology and Resource Management from the University of Washington, and a PhD in Epidemiology from Emory University in 2000.

Dr. Cannon currently works as a research epidemiologist in the Herpesvirus Section of the National Center for Infectious Disease at the Center for Disease Control. He also serves as an adjunct professor in the Department of Epidemiology at Rollins School of Public Health at Emory. Dr. Cannon was also a consultant to the World Health Organization in Angola during the Marburg virus outbreak.

Dr. Cannon is widely recognized as an expert on herpes viruses and cytomegalovirus (CMV), a disease that is a leading cause of disabilities in children. He is a leading advocate for greater awareness and prevention of congential CMV. He is the recipient of both the Apex Award of Excellence for health and medical writing and the Nakano Citation for an outstanding scientific paper.