Les Roberts (epidemiologist)
Encyclopedia
Les Roberts is an American epidemiologist. He was the first winner of the Center for Disease Control's Paul C. Schnitker Award for contributions to global health. He became prominent in the news just before the 2004 U.S. presidential election for his study estimating that 100,000 Iraqi civilians had been killed in the Iraq war at a time when official U.S. government estimates were much lower. When a 2006 followup study confirmed the report U.S. President George W. Bush
dismissed it, saying the approach had been "pretty well discredited", without explaining how.
and graduated from Westhill Senior High School
in 1979. He obtained an undergraduate degree in physics at St. Lawrence University
in 1983 and a master's degree in public health from Tulane University
in 1986. He did post-graduate fellowship work with the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta and obtained a Ph.D. in environmental engineering from Johns Hopkins University
in 1992; he has been a regular lecturer there ever since. He is now an Associate Clinical Professor of Population
and Family Health at Columbia University
's Mailman School of Public Health.
Roberts' first important contribution came from a study among refugees in Malawi
conducted for the United Nations regarding the effects of narrow-necked water containers that showed most water contamination came from the hands of refugees. Since that study, narrow-necked water containers have become a standard component of humanitarian relief programs.
Roberts was Director of Health Policy at the International Rescue Committee
. In 1994 he worked in Rwanda
for the World Health Organization
, and performed a similar study to estimate the number of Rwandan refugees. In 2000, he performed a similar study which estimated 1.7 million deaths due to the war in the Democratic Republic of Congo. This study met with widespread acceptance when published, and resulted and was cited in a U.N. Security Council resolution that all foreign armies must leave Congo, a United Nations
request for $140 million in aid, and a pledge by the US State Department for an additional $10 million in aid.
In 2004 Roberts was the lead investigator in the field and lead author of a study, co-authored with four others, titled "Mortality before and after the 2003 invasion of Iraq: cluster sample survey," published in The Lancet
. In the study, he estimated that 100,000 Iraqi civilians had been killed in the Iraq war at a time when official U.S. government estimates were much lower. In October 2006, an expanded followup study was released that gave a point estimate of 654,965 deaths having occurred, within a 95 percent confidence interval from 392,979 to 942,636. U.S. President George W. Bush
dismissed the new study, saying the approach had been "pretty well discredited", without explaining how. However, numerous statisticians supported the study.
primary for the U.S. House of Representatives seat of the 24th Congressional District
in Chenango County, New York
. He withdrew from the running on May 17 and endorsed the remaining Democratic candidate in the race, who was later elected.
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
dismissed it, saying the approach had been "pretty well discredited", without explaining how.
Career
Roberts grew up in Onondaga, New YorkOnondaga, New York
Onondaga is a town located in Onondaga County, New York, United States. As of the 2000 U.S. Census, the town had a population of 21,063. The town is named after the native Onondaga tribe, part of the Iroquois Confederacy....
and graduated from Westhill Senior High School
Westhill Senior High School
Westhill Senior High School is an American public high school located in the western suburbs of, and immediately adjacent to, the City of Syracuse, New York. It serves grades 9 through 12, primarily from the neighborhood of Westvale , as well as portions of the Onondaga Hill area...
in 1979. He obtained an undergraduate degree in physics at St. Lawrence University
St. Lawrence University
St. Lawrence University is a four-year liberal arts college located in the village of Canton in Saint Lawrence County, New York, United States. It has roughly 2300 undergraduate and 100 graduate students, about equally split between male and female....
in 1983 and a master's degree in public health from Tulane University
Tulane University
Tulane University is a private, nonsectarian research university located in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States...
in 1986. He did post-graduate fellowship work with the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta and obtained a Ph.D. in environmental engineering from Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins University
The Johns Hopkins University, commonly referred to as Johns Hopkins, JHU, or simply Hopkins, is a private research university based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States...
in 1992; he has been a regular lecturer there ever since. He is now an Associate Clinical Professor of Population
Population
A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...
and Family Health at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
's Mailman School of Public Health.
Roberts' first important contribution came from a study among refugees in Malawi
Malawi
The Republic of Malawi is a landlocked country in southeast Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the northwest, Tanzania to the northeast, and Mozambique on the east, south and west. The country is separated from Tanzania and Mozambique by Lake Malawi. Its size...
conducted for the United Nations regarding the effects of narrow-necked water containers that showed most water contamination came from the hands of refugees. Since that study, narrow-necked water containers have become a standard component of humanitarian relief programs.
Roberts was Director of Health Policy at the International Rescue Committee
International Rescue Committee
The International Rescue Committee is a leading nonsectarian, nongovernmental international relief and development organization based in the United States, with operations in over 40 countries...
. In 1994 he worked in Rwanda
Rwanda
Rwanda or , officially the Republic of Rwanda , is a country in central and eastern Africa with a population of approximately 11.4 million . Rwanda is located a few degrees south of the Equator, and is bordered by Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo...
for the World Health Organization
World Health Organization
The World Health Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations that acts as a coordinating authority on international public health. Established on 7 April 1948, with headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, the agency inherited the mandate and resources of its predecessor, the Health...
, and performed a similar study to estimate the number of Rwandan refugees. In 2000, he performed a similar study which estimated 1.7 million deaths due to the war in the Democratic Republic of Congo. This study met with widespread acceptance when published, and resulted and was cited in a U.N. Security Council resolution that all foreign armies must leave Congo, a United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
request for $140 million in aid, and a pledge by the US State Department for an additional $10 million in aid.
In 2004 Roberts was the lead investigator in the field and lead author of a study, co-authored with four others, titled "Mortality before and after the 2003 invasion of Iraq: cluster sample survey," published in The Lancet
The Lancet
The Lancet is a weekly peer-reviewed general medical journal. It is one of the world's best known, oldest, and most respected general medical journals...
. In the study, he estimated that 100,000 Iraqi civilians had been killed in the Iraq war at a time when official U.S. government estimates were much lower. In October 2006, an expanded followup study was released that gave a point estimate of 654,965 deaths having occurred, within a 95 percent confidence interval from 392,979 to 942,636. U.S. President George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
dismissed the new study, saying the approach had been "pretty well discredited", without explaining how. However, numerous statisticians supported the study.
Politics
Roberts campaigned for office in 2006, running in the DemocraticDemocratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
primary for the U.S. House of Representatives seat of the 24th Congressional District
Congressional district
A congressional district is “a geographical division of a state from which one member of the House of Representatives is elected.”Congressional Districts are made up of three main components, a representative, constituents, and the specific land area that both the representative and the...
in Chenango County, New York
Chenango County, New York
Chenango County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 50,477. The county's name originates from an Oneida word meaning "large bull-thistle." Its county seat is Norwich.-History:...
. He withdrew from the running on May 17 and endorsed the remaining Democratic candidate in the race, who was later elected.
External links
- Les Roberts' personal account of his mission in the Congo, from CNN
- "Counting the dead in Iraq". Interview with Les Roberts. Socialist WorkerSocialist WorkerSocialist Worker is the name of several socialist/communist newspapers associated with the International Socialist Tendency...
(UK), 23 April 2005. - "Q&A: Les Roberts". By Matthew Chavez. January 30, 2008. The Daily LoboLobo (New Mexico Mascot)The Lobo is the official mascot of the University of New Mexico. Lobo, the Spanish word for "wolf," was suggested by George S. Bryan, a sophomore at UNM, in 1920....
(daily campus newspaper of University of New MexicoUniversity of New MexicoThe University of New Mexico at Albuquerque is a public research university located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in the United States. It is the state's flagship research institution...
). - http://archives.chicagotribune.com/2008/mar/16/news/chi-poi-robertsmar16. By Judith A. Weinstein. March 16, 2008. Chicago Tribune.