Epidemiology

Syllabus for course at advanced level

 

Course Name

Epidemiology

 

Course code : KUKM2111101 (Core)

Department : Department of Health Policy and Management

Main field : Health Policy and Management

Term : Semester 1

Time commitment : 180 hours 

 

Prerequisites and special admittance requirements

Admitted to the master’s program in Health Policy and Management.

 

Course content

The goal of this course is to introduce students to the history, fundamental ideas, and techniques of public health epidemiology, regardless of their background in public health. The biological, behavioral, social, and environmental elements linked to the origins and spread of health and illness are covered in this course. Basic principles of epidemiology, measurements of illness frequency, experimental and observational epidemiologic study designs, bias, confounding, outbreak investigations, screening, causation, and ethical difficulties in epidemiologic research are among the topics addressed in this course.

Students will also gain the ability to comprehend, analyze, and assess health-related data from published epidemiologic research. There are two primary components to this course: lectures and discussion sessions. Participating in both lectures and discussion sections is essential to passing the course. Students will gain opportunities to participate in a series of hands on exercises to grab extended understanding of concepts and theories covered in the lectures.

 

Learning objectives

After completing the course the student should be able to:

  1. Review and discuss epidemiology, history and challenges of modern epidemiology.
  2. Explain the rationale and give examples of the application of epidemiology in assessing health status (surveillance), identify disease etiology (investigation of extraordinary events), disease control and prevention.
  3. Review and discuss the definition of a case, its role in comparing disease frequencies and key aspects of  measurement of disease incidence.
  4. Discuss key characteristics of diseases suitable for diagnostics and screening and their application to public health programs.
  5. Review and analyze disease history and how it affects disease control strategies.
  6. Explain the application of herd immunity, population heterogeneity, reproductive rate and mode of transmission in disease control.
  7. Review and discuss epidemiologic study designs and key features in conducting each study design.
  8. Review and discuss the causal guidelines proposed by Hill and demonstrate the steps of association.
  9. Review and discuss bias, confounding, and methods to control for confounding.
  10. Review and discuss methods for evaluating modifying effects and confounding variables and state the relationship between association measures and modification effects.
  11. Critique epidemiology-related reports using STROBE and CONSORT.

 

Topics

Module 1: Applied epidemiology in public health

  1. Disease surveillance 
  2. Estimate and compare disease frequency
  3. Diagnostic tests and screening

Module 2: Dynamics of the disease

  1. Natural history of diseases and level of prevention
  2. Disease transmission dynamics and reproductive rate

Module 3: Study design in epidemiology

  1. Observational studies
  2. Experimental study

Module 4: Finding causality

  1. Measuring association and causality
  2. Confounding factors
  3. Effect modification
  4. Critical appraisal of scientific article

 

Education

The teaching consists of:

– Lectures

– Demonstrations

– Lessons

– Research visits.

 

Forms of examination

The course is examined through written exams for each module, mini quiz for each session and take home assignments.

 

Required reading

  1. Aschengrau&Seage’s Essentials of Epidemiology in Public Health, Third Edition, Jones and Bartlett Publishers, 2014.
  2. Gordis L, Epidemiology, 3rd Ed. Philadelphia, PA. Elsevier Saunders: 2004. Update edition is preferable
  3. Denise M. Oleske, Epidemiology and the Delivery of Health Care Services, Methods and Applications, Springer-Verlag US, 2010.
  4. Peter J. Fos et all, Managerial Epidemiology for Health Care Organizations, Third Edition, Jossey-Bass A Wiley Brand, 2018.