This blog has covered many aspects of microbiology, from germs that make us sick, to the bacteria that help us live. Today’s post explores microorganisms that are not vital to our survival, but perhaps make life a little livelier. Those microorganisms are the ones that bring us beer.

Epidemiology is a branch of medicine that studies the way disease moves through human populations, from outbreak to control. The word epidemic itself means “among the people,” used to describe a disease that affects an entire community. Today we will explore the role of the specialist dealing with disease in a very specific community, the hospital.

January is the month of predictions for the upcoming year. These past weeks, a number of forums posted their predictions for the 2016 year in healthcare (a full list is found at the end of this post). From doctor-centered blogs to financial newspapers, all the predictions shared elements from 5 major themes. Taken together, these many prediction lists give a big picture of what the future could hold in healthcare.