Mervyn Wilfred Susser (26 September 1921 – 14 August 2014) was a South African activist, doctor and

epidemiologist Epidemiology is the study and analysis of the distribution (who, when, and where), patterns and determinants of health and disease conditions in a defined population, and application of this knowledge to prevent diseases. It is a cornerstone ...

. His career was closely interwoven with that of his wife,

Zena Stein Zena Athene Stein (July 7, 1922 – November 7, 2021) was a South African epidemiologist, activist and doctor. She was professor of epidemiology and psychiatry at Columbia University. Biography Stein was born on July 7, 1922, to Lithuanian Jew ...

. Davey Smith G, Susser E
"Zena Stein, Mervyn Susser and epidemiology: observation, causation and action"
Int. J. Epidemiol 2002; 31(1): 34–37. He is considered as one of the pioneers of epidemiology in the twentieth century.

Biography

Mervyn Wilfred Susser was born on 26 September 1921 in

Johannesburg, South Africa Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu language, Zulu and Xhosa language, Xhosa: eGoli ) (colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, Jo'burg or "The City of Gold") is the most populous city in South Africa. With 5,538,596 people in the City of Johannesburg alon ...

to Solomon and Ida Rose (née Son) Susser. His family moved to

Mokopane Mokopane, formerly known as Potgietersrus, is a town in the Limpopo province of South Africa. The town name was changed to Mokopane in 2003 in honour of a local Ma Nrebele leader, King Mghombane Gheghana, who ruled the area before being conquer ...

Limpopo Province Limpopo () is the northernmost province of South Africa. It is named after the Limpopo River, which forms the province's western and northern borders. The term Limpopo is derived from Rivombo (Livombo/Lebombo), a group of Tsonga settlers ...

, where he learned to track game in the wild. His mother committed suicide when he was a young boy. His parents enrolled him in a Catholic girls' school because it was the best education available before later switching to an unspecified boys' school several hundred miles away. Susser married Zena Stein in 1949. Susser and Stein had three children: Ezra Susser, Ruth Susser and Ida Susser. Susser, Stein and colleagues began their careers at a clinic in

Alexandra Township Alexandra, informally abbreviated to Alex, is a township in the Gauteng province of South Africa. It forms part of the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality and is located next to the wealthy suburb of Sandton. Alexandra is bounded by ...

, where they developed ties with members of the

anti-Apartheid Movement The Anti-Apartheid Movement (AAM) was a British organisation that was at the centre of the international movement opposing the South African apartheid system and supporting South Africa's non-white population who were oppressed by the policies ...

including

Joe Slovo Yossel Mashel "Joe" Slovo (23 May 1926 – 6 January 1995) was a South African politician and Internal resistance to apartheid, anti-apartheid activist. A Marxist-Leninist, he was a long-time leader and theorist in the South African Com ...

Ahmed Kathrada Ahmed Mohamed Kathrada OMSG (21 August 1929 – 28 March 2017), sometimes known by the nickname "Kathy", was a South African politician and anti-apartheid activist. Kathrada's involvement in the anti-apartheid activities of the African Natio ...

Walter Sisulu Walter Max Ulyate Sisulu (18 May 1912 – 5 May 2003) was a South African Internal resistance to apartheid, anti-apartheid activist and member of the African National Congress (ANC). Between terms as ANC Secretary-General (1949–1954) and ANC ...

and

Nelson Mandela Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela ( , ; born Rolihlahla Mandela; 18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013) was a South African Internal resistance to apartheid, anti-apartheid activist and politician who served as the first president of South Africa f ...

. In this work they were influenced and mentored by Sidney Kark. In 1955, Susser and Stein left South Africa for political reasons, taking positions at

Manchester University The University of Manchester is a public university, public research university in Manchester, England. The main campus is south of Manchester city centre, Manchester City Centre on Wilmslow Road, Oxford Road. The University of Manchester is c ...

. While there the couple published a paper on the epidemiology of

peptic ulcer Peptic ulcer disease is when the inner part of the stomach's gastric mucosa (lining of the stomach), the first part of the small intestine, or sometimes the lower esophagus, gets damaged. An ulcer in the stomach is called a gastric ulcer, while ...

s and Susser coauthored an early textbook on Medical Sociology, among other contributions. In 1965, Susser and Stein moved to

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

to lead the Division of Epidemiology. Ideas from a series of lectures given at Columbia were published in the book ''Causal Thinking in the Health Sciences''. At Columbia, Susser founded the Gertrude H. Sergievsky Center, where he was named a chair. From 1992 through 1998, Susser served as editor-in-chief of the ''

American Journal of Public Health The ''American Journal of Public Health'' is a monthly peer-reviewed public health journal published by the American Public Health Association that covers health policy and public health. The journal was established in 1911 and its stated mission ...

''. Towards the end of their careers, Susser and Stein became increasingly concerned about the

HIV epidemic The global pandemic of HIV/AIDS (human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) began in 1981, and is an ongoing worldwide public health issue. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), by 2023, HIV/AIDS ...

both in New York and in South Africa. They helped to organise a conference in

Maputo Maputo () is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Mozambique. Located near the southern end of the country, it is within of the borders with Eswatini and South Africa. The city has a population of 1,088,449 (as of 2017) distributed ov ...

in April 1990, which aimed to alert the

African National Congress The African National Congress (ANC) is a political party in South Africa. It originated as a liberation movement known for its opposition to apartheid and has governed the country since 1994, when the 1994 South African general election, fir ...

about the HIV epidemic in South Africa,CAPRISA
"A Tribute to Mervyn Susser from CAPRISA"
, caprisa.org; accessed 27 August 2014. sadly with limited effect. Susser, Stein and colleagues, worked on building scientific capacity in Southern Africa to deal with the HIV epidemic and Susser and Stein served as early directors at th
Africa Centre for Health and Population Studies
a research centre in Northern KwaZulu-Natal. He died on 14 August 2014 in

Hastings-on-Hudson, New York Hastings-on-Hudson is a administrative divisions of New York#Village, village in Westchester County located in the southwestern part of the administrative divisions of New York#Town, town of Greenburgh, New York, Greenburgh in the state of New Yo ...

Legacy

On learning of his death, aged 92
Section27
issued the following statement:

References

External links

Giants Among Us: Mervyn Susser
a 2011 profile. * Nigel Paneth (2003)
A Conversation With Mervyn Susser
Columbia University {{DEFAULTSORT:Susser, Mervyn W 1921 births 2014 deaths People from Johannesburg South African Jews South African public health doctors South African expatriates in the United States Columbia University faculty Members of the National Academy of Medicine