Walter O. Spitzer (1937–2006) was a

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

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 ...

and professor of epidemiology and health at

McGill University McGill University (French: Université McGill) is an English-language public research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill University, Vol. I. For the Advancement of Learning, ...

, a position he held from 1975 until his retirement in 1995.

Early life and education

Spitzer was born in Asuncion, Paraguay on February 19, 1937. He was the eldest son of Paul Rosenberg and Elsa Spitzer, both of whom were

Baptist Baptists are a Christian denomination, denomination within Protestant Christianity distinguished by baptizing only professing Christian believers (believer's baptism) and doing so by complete Immersion baptism, immersion. Baptist churches ge ...

missionaries. He received his Doctor of Medicine degree from the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...

in 1962 and his

Master of Public Health The Master of Public Health (MPH), Master of Science in Public Health (MSPH), Master of Medical Science in Public Health (MMSPH) and the Doctor of Public Health (DrPH), International Masters for Health Leadership (IMHL) are interdisciplinary profes ...

degree from

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

in 1970.

Career

From 1969 to 1975, Spitzer was a faculty member at

McMaster University McMaster University (McMaster or Mac) is a public research university in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The main McMaster campus is on of land near the residential neighbourhoods of Ainslie Wood, Ontario, Ainslie Wood and Westdale, Ontario, Westd ...

. He was appointed a faculty member at McGill in 1975, and was credited with bringing its Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics to "new, more collegial premises". He chaired this department from 1984 to 1993. He was the founding co-editor of the ''Journal of Chronic Diseases'' in 1982, which he and co-editor Alvan Feinstein renamed the '' Journal of Clinical Epidemiology'' in 1988. They served as the journal's co-editors until 1994. Spitzer was also the chair of the Quebec Task Force on Spinal Disorders, convened in 1983. He was elected to the

Institute of Medicine The National Academy of Medicine (NAM), known as the Institute of Medicine (IoM) until 2015, is an American nonprofit, non-governmental organization. The National Academy of Medicine is a part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineerin ...

in 1985.

Research

Spitzer was noted for his research into the potential adverse effects of oral contraceptives. He has also been credited as a major figure in the development of the modern system of

evidence-based medicine Evidence-based medicine (EBM) is "the conscientious, explicit and judicious use of current best evidence in making decisions about the care of individual patients. It means integrating individual clinical expertise with the best available exte ...

, along with Archie Cochrane and David Sackett.

Death

Spitzer died on April 27, 2006, following complications of a car accident.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Spitzer, Walter O. Canadian epidemiologists 1937 births 2006 deaths People from Asunción Paraguayan emigrants to Canada Academic staff of McGill University University of Toronto alumni Yale University alumni Medical journal editors Academic staff of McMaster University Members of the National Academy of Medicine