About This Course

The study of epidemiology teaches the methods, ethics, and applications of the scientific method. It provides a vehicle for rigorously linking the concerns of the natural and social sciences, thus enriching understanding of public policy and other population-based disciplines. This graduate level course on epidemiology is designed to provide an introduction to epidemiology, basic concepts, methodology, and their practical usage in public health.

The overall aim of this course is to introduce students to the “tools of the trade” – the basic ideas and methods that masters level students should know in order to effectively function in any public health setting. Students will gain knowledge and skills to evaluate public health problems by using epidemiological methodology to design an epidemiological study, analyze data, and interpret its results to develop strategic solutions. Examples of the use of the principles of epidemiology are presented so that students will have sufficient understanding to apply such principles in future public health work.

At the end of this course, students should be familiar with:

• The measures used to quantify diseases in populations
• The types of epidemiological studies that can be used to investigate disease in populations
• How to decide when an observed association is likely to be causal
• Some of the potential pitfalls of epidemiological studies and how to avoid them

Specific Objectives

By the end of this course, students should be able to:

• Describe the main uses of epidemiology
• Calculate measures of disease frequency, measures of effect and impact, and know the application of each
• Read understand and interpret scientific papers
• Discuss the main types of epidemiological studies including their strengths weaknesses and when to use them.
• Choose an appropriate study design to address a specific epidemiological question
• Identify, calculate and interpret correct measures of association based on the study design.
• Describe the main potential sources of error that can arise in epidemiological studies (bias, confounding and measurement error) and discuss strategies to minimize them
• Calculate and interpret sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values of a clinical test
• Estimate validity and reliability of a clinical test
• Assess whether an association is likely to be causal
• Describe the key characteristics of an effective surveillance system
• Understand what screening is, when it is used and how it can be evaluated

Schedule

Start Date: January 15, 2018
Lectures: Mondays and Wednesdays 9:00 - 11:00 am AST
End Date: April 6, 2018