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Fundamentals of Epidemiology


Course Description

Students will learn the fundamentals of epidemiology. Areas of emphasis include epidemiology definitions and practical applications, measures of morbidity and mortality, descriptive epidemiology, observational and experimental study designs, data interpretation issues, and selected areas of epidemiology.


Athena Title

Fundamentals of Epidemiology


Equivalent Courses

Not open to students with credit in EPID 4070E


Semester Course Offered

Offered fall and spring


Grading System

A - F (Traditional)


Course Objectives

The successful student should be able to: * Be familiar with the definition, scope, and history of epidemiology. * Define and calculate common epidemiologic measures of disease frequency. * Describe and appraise different epidemiological study designs. * Identify and characterize types and sources of epidemiological data. * Be familiar with concepts such as bias and confounding. * Compute basic epidemiological measures of association such as risk and odds ratios.


Topical Outline

The history and scope of epidemiology Practical applications of epidemiology Measures of morbidity and mortality used in epidemiology Descriptive epidemiology: person, place, and time Sources of data for use in epidemiology Study designs Ecologic studies Cross-sectional studies Case-control studies Cohort studies Experimental study designs Clinical trials Measures of effect Data interpretation issues Sources of error in epidemiologic research Selected topics in epidemiological research and practice


Syllabus