Abraham Lilienfeld, MD, MPH Abraham Lilienfeld's work was so
extensive that he is known as the "father of contemporary
chronic disease epidemiology." The knowledge he contributed to
areas of cancer, cerebrovascular disease, digestive diseases and
birth defects could be the summation of many lifetimes of work.
He also was a major contributor to the surgeon general's report
that established tobacco smoking as a serious threat to health.
The inscription from one of Dr. Lilienfeld's most prestigious
prizes captures the magnitude of one man's quest to improve the
health of the public: "Abraham M. Lilienfeld has dedicated his
career to the transformation of epidemiology from a discipline
limited to infectious diseases to one concerned with all
diseases that afflict mankind. He has been at the forefront of
the movement which established chronic disease epidemiology as
an important branch of medicine and public health…The chronic
diseases are our most important health problems. Dr. Lilienfeld
stands in the front rank