George Wills Comstock (January 7, 1915 – July 15, 2007) was a public health physician, epidemiologist, and educator. He was known for significant contributions to public health, specifically in the fields of micronutrient deficiencies, tuberculosis, and cardiovascular disease.Altman LK. "George W. Comstock, 92, dies; leader in fight against TB." The New York Times. Published 2007-07-18.Szklo M. "Editorial: George W. Comstock - An appreciation." American Journal of Epidemiology. 2008;168(7):667 He served as the editor-in-chief for American Journal of Epidemiology.
Early life George W. Comstock was born on January 7, 1915, in Niagara Falls, New York, to George Frederick Comstock, a metallurgical engineer, and Ella Gardner Wills Comstock. He graduated from Antioch College in 1937. In 1941, he obtained his medical degree from Harvard Medical School.
Career Public Health Service Comstock joined the United States Public Health Service in 1942 and served as captain for 21 years. During this time, he conducted the first trials of the BCG vaccine for tuberculosis in Georgia and Alabama (1947–1951). The results of these trials were key in the decision not to implement the vaccine in the United States.
Public health education He received a Master of Public Health from the University of Michigan School of Public Health in 195? and Doctorate of Public Health in Epidemiology from Johns Hopkins School of Public Health in 1956. He subsequently joined their faculty and taught there for more than 50 years.Comstock GW. "Curriculum Vitae." jhsph.edu Version 2006-02. Accessed 2015-06-18.
Tuberculosis treatment research In 1957, he led research in Bethel, Alaska, estimating the high burden of tuberculosis and demonstrating the drug isoniazid's effectiveness in preventing the disease.
Community-based research In 1962, Comstock founded the Johns Hopkins Training Center for Public Health Research and Prevention in Hagerstown, Maryland. With Abraham Lilienfeld, he came up with the pioneering idea of using biologic samples in cohort studies. For the next 42 years, Comstock oversaw community-based research studies on numerous diseases including cancer and heart disease, including the Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS), the Campaign Against Cancer and Stroke (CLUE I), the Campaign Against Cancer and Heart Disease (CLUE II), and the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study.
American Journal of Epidemiology Comstock also served as editor-in-chief of the American Journal of Epidemiology (AJE) from 1979 to 1988. He was subsequently the editor-in-chief, emeritus, from 1991 to 2007. Volume 167, issue 7 of AJE was dedicated entirely to Comstock following his death.Commemorative issue of AJE. 2008;168(7)667-854.
Awards and contributions Comstock authored hundreds of scientific papers and received numerous awards, including the John Snow Award from the American Public Health Association, the Edward Livingston Trudeau Medal from the American Thoracic Society, the Maxwell Finland Award for Scientific Achievement from the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases and the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute's Career Research Award."Remembering George Comstock." Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Published 2007-07-16. Accessed 2015-06-18.
In 2005, the Hopkins center in Hagerstown, Maryland, was renamed The George W. Comstock Center for Public Health Research and Prevention.The George W. Comstock Center for Public Health Research and Prevention website. Accessed 2015-06-18.
References
Further reading "Lucky all my life": a documentary about G.W. Comstock