Epidemiology studies the distribution and determinants of disease in the population. It uses surveys to estimate the risk of becoming ill over a given period, and the increase (or decrease) in risk associated with our genes, behavior or environment. Epidemiology developed rapidly in the second half of the 20th century, with the identification of the main risk factors for cardiovascular disease and many cancers. However, since the early 1990s, epidemiology has been faced with a number of challenges: a period of doubt, born of controversies linked to the contradictory results of several studies; growing tension between analyses that take into account the social determinants of disease, and those that privilege genetic and molecular approaches; and the irruption of "big data", the promise of an abundance of data, but whose exploitation is difficult and calls for new methods such as artificial intelligence. All these concepts will be covered in the opening lecture, a lecture on the successes and limitations of epidemiology, and a seminar on the future of epidemiology in the age of big data.
The second part of the lectures will be devoted to the study of pandemics, their birth, spread and impact. This study will be illustrated by a series of examples drawn from recent pandemics, such as those caused by the Zika, Ebola, SARS, and Hepatitis C viruses.
Chair created with the support of Santé Publique France.