Fundamentals of Epidemiology
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Course Syllabus
Course Description | Course Objectives | Course Topics | Course Format | Assignments | Peer Evaluation | Contact Information | Help | Course Materials | Recommended Reading | Interaction | Examinations | Grading Policy | Evaluation | Ethical Conduct |
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Fundamentals of Epidemiology introduces the basic concepts of epidemiology and biostatistics as applied to public health problems. Emphasis is placed on the principles and methods of epidemiologic investigation, appropriate summaries and displays of data, and the use of classical statistical approaches to describe the health of populations. Topics include the dynamic behavior of disease; usage of rates, ratios and proportions; methods of direct and indirect adjustment, and clinical life table which measures and describes the extent of disease problems. Various epidemiologic study designs for investigating associations between risk factors and disease outcomes are also introduced, culminating with criteria for causal inferences. The application of these disciplines in the areas of health services, screening, genetics, and environment policy are presented. The influence of epidemiology and biostatistics on legal and ethical issues are also discussed. After completion of this course, students will be able to apply principles of epidemiology and biostatistics to the prevention of disease and the improvement of health. In order to achieve the course objectives, the student will:
After completing this course, the student will be able to demonstrate the following competencies:
Module 1: Roles of Quantitative Methods in Public Health
Module 2: Quantifying and Comparing Public Health Measures
Module 3: Quantifying the Natural History of Disease
Module 4: Probability Concepts and their Use in Evaluation of Diagnostic and Screening Tests
Module 5: Epidemiologic Study Designs
Module 6: Estimating Risk and Interpretation of Data from Epidemiologic Studies
Module 7: Applying Epidemiology to Evaluation and Roles of Genetics, Public Policy and Epidemiology
The content of this course is divided into seven modules. The first module will become available on the first day of class, and subsequent modules will become available every two weeks thereafter. In each module, you'll find lectures, assignments, and TA and LiveTalk sessions. Assignments in this class consist of both individual as well as group work. Before beginning this course, you will be assigned to a working group. Your group members are your study partners. All assignment details—such as due dates, detailed instructions, and submission guidelines—are available via the appropriate links from the Course Content page. Please keep in mind that students who do not submit assignments by the due date specified will not receive scores on graded work. Students with special circumstances are encouraged to contact the course faculty directly prior to the due date. The following are the types of assignments that you will complete for each module in this course: Exercises: combine individual and group work. Some exercises contain questions designated for Wiki Write-Up. These are questions that your working groups will discuss and submit via the course Wiki Project. The Wiki Write-Ups count toward your course grade. Homework: consists of individual assignments. Homeworks are graded. The homework will cover topics from the exercises and the corresponding lecture sections. Review Questions: are ungraded, individual quizzes. The review questions are an excellent way for you to check your understanding and comprehension of the material covered in each module. These questions can be completed and reviewed at your convenience, and you can access them as often as you like. Before the end of the course you will submit a peer evaluation assignment. This one-time submission will allow you to evaluate contributions from your group members. The submission and the evaluation contribute to 5% of the course grade.
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This course has two required textbooks:
You can buy the textbooks from an online bookseller or through the Matthews Johns Hopkins Medical Book Center (http://www.cbamatthews.com/jhmedbook/) at 1830 East Monument Street, Baltimore, MD 21205 (410-955-3931 or 800-266-5725). You can even rent them (for example, www.chegg.com/details/epidemiology/1416040021/). Reading assignments are provided on each lecture's introductory page. The lecture sections and the textbook readings complement each other and reinforce your learning of the materials. Polio: An American Story by David M. Oshinsky, a winner of the 2006 Pulitzer Prize in History, will give you a good appreciation of the disease process and how public health comes together to deal with a particular disease. It is one of the most interesting stories of this century. If you have an opportunity, we recommend that you read the book prior to the beginning of the course. You will find additional recommended literature for Fundamentals of Epidemiology located in the Recommended Reading folder in the Online Library.Instructor LiveTalk sessions: At the end of each module, the instructors will hold a LiveTalk on the issues and concepts you encounter while working on the Exercises. These sessions will take place at 7-8:30 PM EST. You can find the dates of these sessions on the Course Schedule. We encourage everyone to attend LiveTalk sessions, but because we recognize that you may not always be able to do so, all LiveTalk sessions will be archived. If you have questions, you should submit them in the Bulletin Board prior to the LiveTalk. TA sessions: TAs will hold regular sessions to discuss any questions that remain after a module's LiveTalk discussion. TAs will use TextChat in these sessions. (To join a TA session, just go to this course's TextChat on the date and time listed on the Course Schedule.) To help the TAs prepare for a session, you should post your questions in the "Questions for TA Session" thread of the module-specific forum at least two hours before a session begins. Please refer to the schedule for specific dates and times. This course contains a midterm and a final examination. Please refer to the Course Schedule for examination dates. Both examinations are closed book. This practice is consistent with the on-site policy of Principles of Epidemiology course. We utilize the proctor system to administer both the midterm and final examinations. Please read these proctor examination guidelines and identify a proctor for your midterm and final exams by the date provided in the Course Schedule. The exam will be mailed to your proctor prior to the exam period. He or she will administer the exam to you as in a classroom setting. When you complete the exam, you will transcribe the answers to an online answer page. If you do not have access to computer and the Internet at the proctor location, please contact the course instructor before the exam. Examinations will cover content from the textbooks, lectures, exercises, and review questions. Information from the Web links scattered throughout the course is not testable material. These links are offered to improve your understanding of the concepts, to provide examples relevant to the materials covered in the course, to present the concepts in more details, and for your enjoyment. The midterm examination: will include multiple-choice questions and short calculations. You will have two hours to complete the exam. An additional 15 minutes after the two hours will be given to transcribe the answers from the answer sheet to an electronic answer sheet. The final examination: will also include multiple-choice questions and short calculations. You will have three and a half hours to complete the examination. It will be comprehensive, covering topics and materials from the entire course. You will also have an additional 15 minutes to transcribe the answers from the paper answer sheet to the electronic answer sheet. Grades will be determined using the following percentages:
Grades will be determined as A, B, C, D, and F. The distribution of the final course scores will be used to determine the cutpoints for the grades. Lecture and instructor evaluation: We value your input in evaluating this course. An online evaluation form is attached to each lecture page for you to complete. We revise the course each year based on the feedback that we receive from students. The academic ethics code, as discussed in the Policy and Procedure Memorandum for Students, March 31, 2002, will be adhered to in this class. If you are a student with a documented disability who requires an academic accommodation, please contact Betty H. Addison in the Office of Career Services and Disability Support: dss@jhsph.edu, 410-955-3034, or Room E-1140. |
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