Colin Soskolne
My initial training and experience was as an occupational cancer epidemiology researcher. I extended this focus to the broader community environment, and then to the global environment.
I am primarily a research methodologist concerned with population health and well-being. The methods that I apply include case-control (matched) designs and cohort studies. Anecdotal case reports, descriptive and cross-sectional studies also form part of my research portfolio.
My research and publications extend to applied ethics and have also included advocacy roles in several areas of public health, including HIV/AIDS and professional integrity.
I have organized and co-organized numerous conferences, spent two decades in World Health Organization (WHO) work, and served on editorial boards for scientific journals. Since 2007, I have served as president of the Canadian Society for Epidemiology and Biostatistics.
Degrees
PhD, University of Pennsylvania, 1982
B Sc (Honours), University of the Witwatersrand, 1971
B Sc, University of the Witwatersrand, 1970
Awards
Distinguished Service Award, Canadian Society for Epidemiology and Biostatistics, 2011
Edmonton Ambassador Award, City of Edmonton (Economic Development), 1998
Student Prize Paper for the Best Doctoral Dissertation, Society for Epidemiologic Research, 1983
Best paper awarded at Symposium on Computers and Automation in the Medical Sciences, South African Association for Automation and Computation, 1975
Selected Publications
Soskolne CL, Zeighami E, Hanis N, Kupper L, Herrmann N, Amsel J, Mausner J, Stellman J. Laryngeal cancer and occupational exposure to sulfuric acid. American Journal of Epidemiology, Vol. 120, No. 3, September, 1984, pp. 358 69.
Soskolne C.L. Eco-epidemiology: On the Need to Measure Health Effects from Global Change. Chapter 7. In: Reconciling human existence with ecological integrity: Science, ethics, economics and law. Edited by Laura Westra, Klaus Bosselmann and Richard Westra. Earthscan, London, UK; Sterling, VA, 2008; pp. 109-123.
Soskolne CL, Westra L, Kotzé LJ, Mackey B, Rees WE, Westra R. (Editors) Sustaining life on Earth: Environmental and human health through global governance. Lexington Books, a Division of Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc., Lanham, Maryland, USA. 2008; 482 pages at http://www.LexingtonBooks.com/ISBN/0739117297.
Coughlin SS, Soskolne CL, and Goodman KW. Case studies in public health ethics (1997). American Public Health Association Press. (180 pages). ISBN 0-87553-232-2.
Soskolne CL and R Bertollini. Global ecological integrity and ‘sustainable development’: Cornerstones of public health: A discussion document. World Health Organization, European Centre for Environment and Health, Rome Division, Italy, 1999. 74 pages. Also published at http://www.euro.who.int/document/gch/ecorep5.pdf
Current Projects
Prospective study of vitamin D and cancer
Co-investigator
funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research
Alberta climate dialogue: Deliberative democracy and climate change in Alberta and beyond
Collaborator
funded by the Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada