ACE forum report: the making of an epidemiologist--necessary components for doctoral education and training

The 2002 meeting of the American College of Epidemiology included an open forum on doctoral education and training in epidemiology. Discussion groups, facilitated by selected senior epidemiologists, recommended changes that would better prepare future epidemiologists to meet new challenges in public health and to build successful careers. The forum discussions were complemented by a panel of two doctoral students and two senior epidemiologists who provided their perspectives on each of the topics. Within discussion groups, agreement was clear on some issues and elusive on others. For example, good mentoring was considered a critical factor for a successful career, but how good mentoring can be promoted was a more complex issue. Likewise, experience with primary data collection should be a standard requirement for the doctoral degree, but the group's definition of primary data collection was more ambiguous. The recommendations derived from the education forum are summarized in this report, which may serve as an impetus for changes in the education and training of future epidemiologists.