This well-organized and clearly written text has a unique focus on methods of identifying the joint effects of genes and environment on disease patterns. It follows the natural sequence of research, taking readers through the study designs and statistical analysis techniques for determining whether a trait runs in families, testing hypotheses about whether a familial tendency is due to genetic or environmental factors or both, estimating the parameters of a genetic model, localizing and ultimately isolating the responsible genes, and finally characterizing their effects in the population. Examples from the literature on the genetic epidemiology of breast and colorectal cancer, among other diseases, illustrate this process. Although the book is oriented primarily towards graduate students in epidemiology, biostatistics and human genetics, it will also serve as a comprehensive reference work for researchers. Introductory chapters on molecular biology, Mendelian genetics, epidemiology, statistics, and population genetics will help make the book accessible to those coming from one of these fields without a background in the others. It strikes a good balance between epidemiologic study designs and statistical methods of data analysis.

A comprehensive overview of genetic epidemiology

About the Author
Duncan C Thomas, Ph.D., is Professor of Preventive Medicine, Director of the Biostatistics Division, and Verna R Richter Chair in Cancer Research at the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine. His primary research interest has been in the development of statistical methods for cancer epidemiology, but he also has wide-ranging interest in both environmental and genetic epidemiology. Dr Thomas also chairs organizing committees for the Genetic Analysis Workshop and the Informatics Consortium for the NCI Cooperative Family Registries for Breast and Colorectal Cancer, and he is a past President of the International Genetic Epidemiology Society.

Reviews
IStatistical Methods in Environmental Epidemiology is primed to be a valuable resource for a wide range of audiences. The book provides a flexible foundation for an introductory course and can easily be supplemented with additional dashes of theory, computing, or case studies as needed for the particular venue. We are thankful to the book's sole author, whose substantial effort has produced a broad-reaching and forward-looking contribution to environmental epidemiology. * American Journal of Epidemiology *



Book Information
ISBN 9780195159394
Author Duncan C. Thomas
Format Hardback
Page Count 464
Imprint Oxford University Press Inc
Publisher Oxford University Press Inc
Weight(grams) 798g
Dimensions(mm) 239mm * 164mm * 26mm