TOWARD AN INTEGRATED APPROACH TO MOLECULAR EPIDEMIOLOGY

The emergence of ''molecular epidemiology'' as a scientific approach w ithin the fields of epidemiology and toxicology has led to spirited di scussion within the biomedical community, particularly in the area of cancer research, At scientific meetings and in peer-reviewed journals, numerous issues have been raised not only with regard to the practice of molecular epidemiology, but also with regard to its role in tradit ional epidemiology, toxicology, and risk assessment, Furthermore, the utility of information gleaned from such studies and the implications for public health have been the subject of considerable debate, Concep tual differences in how one views the function of epidemiologic and la boratory research may be reflected in discussions on the merits of mol ecular epidemiology, This commentary reviews some of the prevailing at titudes toward molecular epidemiology, with the goal of identifying ar eas of concern and suggesting means of achieving harmonization. The ne ed for cross-training of epidemiologists and laboratory scientists is discussed, and suggestions are made for building successful collaborat ive relations across disciplines.