EPID 0506
Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (varies)
Introduces students to current public health issues and methods of public health through the weekly reading, analysis, and discussion of the Mortality and Morbidity Weekly Report.
Prerequisites: All M.P.H. core courses.
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EPID 0546
Seminar in Critical Review of Recent Injury Literature (3)
Intended for students who have taken the introductory injury courses offered and who wish to expand their knowledge
in current research.
Prerequisites: PHCO 0502, PHCO 0504, and URHA 1686.
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EPID 0552
Infectious Disease Epidemiology (3)
Intermediate-level course in which the nature and epidemiology of a number of prominent infectious diseases are 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.
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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 introduces students to the principles of health outcomes research and to practical applications of
these principles.
Prerequisites: PHCO 0502 and PHCO 0504.
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EPID 0569
GIS in Public Health (3)
Geographic information systems (GIS) are
transforming the ways in which we assess, visualize, and present data. Policymakers, practitioners, and managers in countless fields are using GIS more than ever before to make important decisions that affect the lives of numerous populations. The use of GIS in the public health and health care sectors has become imperative for the assessment of, for example, access of disadvantaged populations to health services, point and nonpoint sources of water pollution, spatial patterns in disease rates, and health disparities by socioeconomic status. As GIS continues to become a more valuable and widely used tool for improvement of health across all populations, it is becoming increasingly important for those entering the fields of public health, health care, and medicine to be proficient with GIS. The course provides an extensive overview of GIS concepts and introduces students to ESRI's ArcMap software, the primary and most powerful GIS software used by professionals and academics alike. Exercises and assignments using ArcMap deal with health care and public health data, problems, and scenarios. At the end of the course, students will be proficient with ArcMap, GIS principles, and will be able to apply GIS software to today's fundamental public health themes and problems.
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EPID 0585
Disease Clusters: Science and Policy (1)
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.
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EPID 0590
Readings/Research Topics in Epidemiology (1-3)
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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.
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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.
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EPID 0601
Cancer Epidemiology (3)
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.
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EPID 0607
Reproductive and Perinatal Epidemiology (3)
A survey of major topics in reproductive and perinatal epidemiology from fertility to outcomes of birth. 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.
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EPID 0610
Case Studies in Epidemiology and Public Health (3)
Provides vicarious
experience in epidemiology and public health practice through a variety of scenarios
encompassing infectious disease, chemical and radiological outbreaks, chronic diseases, and emerging infections. The course teaches public health competencies and encourages active participation in the learning experience.
Prerequisites: PHCO 0502 and PHCO 0504.
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EPID 0621
Survey Research in Epidemiology (3)
Introduces students
to the basics of survey research and provides them with skills necessary to conduct their own research. An understanding of statistics and computers is
essential in this course. Computers are used throughout
the semester for various tasks including electronic communication, formatting of instruments, data entry, data analysis, and class presentations.
Prerequisites: PHCO 0502 and PHCO 0504.
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EPID 0622
Injury Control and Prevention (3)
This survey course provides students with a broad-based understanding of the various psychosocial, political, and economic causes and consequences of injury, and presents an exploration of the tools of injury surveillance and prevention. In the course, injury will be considered as a public health problem,
one where its determinants reside in the community, and where prevention
efforts are most effective when directed toward the community.
Prerequisites: All M.P.H. core courses.
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EPID 0629
Meta-Analysis (3)
A beginning course in meta-analysis, the quantitative analysis of outcomes of primary studies. Meta-analysis consists of a collection of techniques that attempt
to analyze and integrate effect sizes (indices of the association between an independent variable and a dependent variable) that accrue from research
studies. This
course is concerned with the conduct of a meta-analysis and how to interpret and use the results.
The class will take a two-pronged approach and consider how to read and critically analyze a meta-analytic report
and how to conduct a meta-analysis. Class sessions will involve
discussion on the benefits and problems associated with this procedure, the steps to performing a quality analysis,
the place of meta-analysis within the scientific method, and ways to tell a good meta-analysis from a poor one. Also included are the specific steps to conduct a meta-analysis. Topics include how to formulate a meta-analytic research
question, how to conduct an exhaustive literature search, how to code moderating variables, how to calculate effect
sizes, how to analyze effect size distributions, and how determine the right model for analysis.
Prerequisite: PHCO 0504 or graduate-level statistics course.
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EPID 0638
Tuberculosis (TB): A View from the Trenches (3)
Presented
for students pursuing
degrees in public health and/or medicine and whose intent is to broaden their knowledge
base in the field of tuberculosis (TB). Students will be provided with a foundation necessary
for entry-level positions
in the field of TB control. This course is
designed to allow students
the opportunity to identify areas of interest
in TB for further in-depth
study.
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EPID 0650
Environmental and Occupational Epidemiology (3)
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.
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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.
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EPID 0656
Intermediate Epidemiologic Research Methods (3)
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.
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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.
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EPID 0670
Advanced Seminar in Epidemiology I (1)
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.
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EPID 0671
Advanced Seminar in Epidemiology II (1)
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.
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EPID 0672
Pharmacoepidemiology and Therapeutic Risk Management (3)
Introduces students to the basic concepts and methods of
pharmacoepidemiology and drug safety.
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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.
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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. 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.
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EPID 0695
Classic Papers in Epidemiology (3)
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.
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EPID 0753
Advanced Epidemiologic Research Methods with Applications (3)
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.
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Courses 
