Epidemiology Courses

EPID 0552 Infectious Disease Epidemiology (3) This is an intermediate-level course in which the nature and epidemiology of a number of prominent infectious diseases is presented. Basic principles of immunization, secondary attack rates, herd immunity, and epidemic growth curves are presented. Examples of outbreak investigations are reviewed. Diseases are classified both by agent and by route of contagion. Students write papers on a relevant infectious disease problem.

EPID 0563 Introduction to Outcomes research (3) During the past few years, there has been an explosion of interest in measuring the outcomes of medical care. This has been called the outcomes movement. The science of measuring outcomes and of integrating that process into the routine care of patients has come to be known as outcomes research. Public health practitioners are expected to play a major role in evaluating the outcomes of medical care as the nation's health care system is rapidly changing from fee-for-service to managed care environment. This course is designed to introduce students to the principles of health outcomes research and to practical applications of these principles. Prerequisites: PHCO 0502 and PHCO 0504.

EPID 0585 Disease Clusters: Science and Policy (1) An introductory course designed to give students an overview of the scientific, public health, and public policy issues in the investigation of disease clusters. Students will be given a series of readings from the scientific literature that summarize the statistical methods, government response, media coverage, and public concern for disease clusters.

EPID 0590 Readings/Research Topics in Epidemiology (1-3)

EPID 0591 Comparative Effectiveness Research in Health Care (3) Comparative effectiveness research (CER) refers to the generation and synthesis of evidence that compares the benefits and harms of alternative methods to prevent, diagnose, treat, and monitor a clinical condition or to improve the delivery of care. The purpose of CER is to assist consumers, clinicians, purchasers, and policymakers to make informed decisions that will improve health care at both the individual and population levels. This course introduces the basic concept of CER, the history and current debates, the principles of CER methodology and guidelines for practice, and potential trends and directions in CER from a U.S. and global perspective. Prerequisites: PHCO 0504 and PHCO 0502.

EPID 0595 Global Communicable Disease Control (3) This course covers the epidemiology of a number of communicable diseases that are of importance in the developing world and examines programs and policies that have been used to control them. Examples of successful, currently promising, and failed efforts at disease eradication are presented.

EPID 0601 Cancer Epidemiology (3) This course provides an introduction to cancer epidemiology, highlighting current statistics (in incidence, mortality, and survival) and cancer risk factors (including host and environmental factors). Strategies for cancer prevention and control in the general population and within disproportionately affected populations will also be presented. Additionally, this course will encourage critical thinking about these concepts, covering the use of biomarkers and some controversies on cancer epidemiology research. Students will increase their knowledge of cancer epidemiology and obtain skills needed to interpret and critique research studies in the field of cancer epidemiology. Prerequisite: PHCO 0502.

EPID 0607 Reproductive and Perinatal Epidemiology (3) A survey of major topics in reproductive and perinatal epidemiology from fertility to outcomes of birth. The course focuses on methodological issues in studying reproductive and perinatal outcomes using epidemiologic study designs, while incorporating life course and global health perspectives. The course also critically reviews the literature on major reproductive and perinatal outcomes, and engages in current debates in the literature. Prerequisite: PHCO 0502.

EPID 0650 Environmental and Occupational Epidemiology (3) This is an intermediate-level epidemiology course designed to familiarize students with the evaluation and conduct of environmental and occupational epidemiology studies. Students will become familiar with specific environmental and occupational hazards and diseases such as air pollution, lead exposure, and cancer. The class will also cover the unique epidemiological or exposure assessment methods used to study those topics. Students will be asked to analyze, evaluate, summarize, and present published studies used to investigate health effects related to environmental and occupational exposures. Prerequisite: PHCO 0504.

EPID 0652 Epidemiology of Chronic Disease (3) In this course, the epidemiology and available methods of prevention are reviewed for a series of prominent noninfectious diseases. In the first three or four sessions, the faculty covers coronary heart disease, stroke, and a general discussion of cancer. Students present material on a variety of other diseases of their choosing in subsequent sessions. The major written exercise is the preparation of a grant proposal to study a cutting-edge question of the student's choosing. Prerequisites: PHCO 0502 and PHCO 0504.

EPID 0656 Intermediate Epidemiologic Research Methods (3) This course builds on the basic concepts introduced in PHCO 0502 Principles and Methods of Epidemiology to provide a foundation in the design, analysis, and interpretation of epidemiologic studies. Topics introduced in Principles and Methods of Epidemiology are reviewed and examined in more detail. A critical view of epidemiology and its role in public health is explored. The format of the course is lecture with intermittent class discussion and activities. Prerequisite: PHCO 0502.

EPID 0657 Applied Methods in Epidemiologic Research (3) An intermediate course designed to provide students with hands-on experience in the integration of epidemiologic theories and concepts with the analysis of study data. Students are introduced to various analytic approaches and quantitative methods for investigating public health issues, with a particular focus on logistic regression models. Students work on a publicly available dataset and work in designated groups throughout the semester. Students develop focused research hypotheses to investigate, build analytic models, and analyze and interpret the data applying the range of methods presented in lecture using SAS software. The data analysis project culminates in both oral and written presentations. Homework and a closed-book midterm examination are also required. Prerequisites: PHCO 0502, PHCO 0504, and EPID 0656.

EPID 0670 Advanced Seminar in Epidemiology I (1) This course reviews published papers on epidemiologic methods and substantive areas of epidemiology (both current and historical). This seminar is offered in the fall semester. Students will be required to attend all weekly seminars and submit a one-page critique of each week's reading assignment. For doctoral students, two semesters of this this course (Advanced Seminars in Epidemiology I and II) will stratify the doctoral residency requirements. Completion of four presentations and attendance of 20 sessions in these two seminars is required to satisfy the residency requirements. Prerequisites: PHCO 0504 and PHCO 0502.

EPID 0671 Advanced Seminar in Epidemiology II (1) This course reviews published papers on epidemiologic methods and substantive areas of epidemiology (both current and historical). This seminar is offered in the spring semester. Students will be required to attend all weekly seminars and submit a one-page critique of each week's reading assignment. For doctoral students, two semesters of this this course (Advanced Seminars in Epidemiology I and II) will stratify the doctoral residency requirements. Completion of four presentations and attendance of 20 sessions in these two seminars is required to satisfy the residency requirements. Prerequisites: PHCO 0504 and PHCO 0502.

EPID 0672 Pharmacoepidemiology and Therapeutic Risk Management (3) This course is designed to introduce students to the basic concepts and methods of pharmacoepidemiology and drug safety.

EPID 0673 Social Epidemiology (3) Introduces students to theories, concepts, and methods for investigating the social determinants of health. As a discipline of epidemiology, the course focuses on examining social factors implicated in the development and distribution of disease and the methods used to investigate these associations. Specifically, students will critically evaluate measures used in social epidemiology, discuss major debates in the field, identify strengths and weaknesses of previously published studies, and examine possible solutions targeting social factors. Prerequisites: PHCO 0502 and PHCO 0504.

EPID 0674 Introduction to Pharmacovigilance and Regulatory Affairs (3) Pharmacovigilance is the science and activities that relate to the detection, monitoring, assessment, understanding, and prevention of adverse effects of medicines including vaccines and biological products. This survey course is designed to expose students to the practice of pharmacovigilance in the rapidly changing and highly regulated pharmaceutical industry. Students who intend or have an interest in working in the industry will gain a broad perspective on how pharmacovigilance and epidemiology play a role in drug development and postmarketing surveillance. Students will develop a better understanding of the legal and regulatory framework for drug safety. This course focuses heavily on the analysis of current industry and regulatory activities to provide students the opportunity to apply the principles of pharmacovigilance. Prerequisites: PHCO 0504 and PHCO 0502.

EPID 0695 Classic Papers in Epidemiology (3) This course provides exposure to important books, essays, journal articles, and public documents that have had a profound impact on public health. Designed for the advanced student, it requires intense participation in a seminar format. Prerequsites: PHCO 0504, PHCO 0502; or permission of instructor.

EPID 0753 Advanced Epidemiologic Research Methods with Applications (3) This is an advanced course in epidemiologic methods that helps students to have an in-depth understanding of theories, concepts, and principles underlying epidemiologic study designs and analyses. The emphasis is on integrating the various epidemiologic concepts so that students will be able to clearly relate these to published or ongoing research studies. It also helps students to clearly see the interrelationship between epidemiologic methods and their application in real-life research. The course covers advanced topics including event occurrence measures, causal inference, the concept of synergy and antagonism, and the theoretical basis of epidemiologic study designs. It also utilizes classic epidemiological studies to illustrate the link between epidemiological theories and their applications. Prerequisites: PHCO 0502, PHCO 0504, EPID 0656, and BIST 0551.