Walter O. Spitzer (1937–2006) was a Canadian epidemiologist and professor of epidemiology and health at McGill University, 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 missionaries. He received his Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of Toronto in 1962 and his

Master of Public Health The Master of Public Health or Master of Philosophy in Public Health (M.P.H.), Master of Science in Public Health (MSPH), Master of Medical Science in Public Health (MMSPH) and the Doctor of Public Health (Dr.P.H.), International Masters for Healt ...

degree from Yale University in 1970.

Career

From 1969 to 1975, Spitzer was a faculty member at McMaster University. 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), formerly called 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, E ...

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". The aim of EBM is to integrate the experience of the clinician, the values of t ...

, along with Archie Cochrane and

David Sackett David Lawrence Sackett (November 17, 1934 – May 13, 2015) was an American-Canadian physician and a pioneer in evidence-based medicine. He is known as one of the fathers of Evidence-Based Medicine. He founded the first department of clinical ...

Ableist remarks and attitudes

Spitzer's remarks revealed research rooted in

ableism Ableism (; also known as ablism, disablism (British English), anapirophobia, anapirism, and disability discrimination) is discrimination and social prejudice against people with Disability, disabilities or who are perceived to be disabled. Ableis ...

and disability discrimination, including a reference to people on the autism spectrum as having "a terminal illness... a dead soul in a live body." These remarks were looked back on by both autism experts and by individuals on the autism spectrum with renewed scrutiny as a result of the

neurodiversity Neurodiversity refers to diversity in the human brain and cognition, for instance in sociability, learning, attention, mood and other mental functions. It was coined in 1998 by sociologist Judy Singer, who helped popularize the concept alo ...

and

autism acceptance The autism spectrum, often referred to as just autism or in the context of a professional diagnosis autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or autism spectrum condition (ASC), is a neurodevelopmental condition (or conditions) characterized by difficulti ...

movements.

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 McGill University faculty University of Toronto alumni Yale University alumni Medical journal editors McMaster University faculty Members of the National Academy of Medicine