UNC-CH - Department of Epidemiology
EPID600 - Principles of Epidemiology for Public Health
Course schedule, Internet edition, Fall 2006
 
  Date Day Activity
  8/23 Wed Blackboard course website opens - begin reading and watch The Age of AIDS Part 1

I. 

Orientation and introduction
  By 8/28 Mon Reading: Aschengrau and Seage, chap. 1 – The Approach and Evolution of Epidemiology
      Recorded lecture - Introduction
  By 8/30 Wed Case study due - The epidemiologic tradition
  8/31-9/4 Thu-Mon Discussion Forum - Introductions; The Age of AIDS (facilitator emails summary to TA by 9/6)
 

II. 

Studying populations

  By 9/4 Mon Reading: Aschengrau and Seage, chap. 4 – Sources of Public Health Data; chap. 5 – Descriptive Epidemiology
  Recorded lecture - Studying populations
  By 9/6 Wed Case study due - Studying populations
  9/7-9/11 Thu-Mon Discussion Forum - Demography and public health (facilitator emails summary to TA by 9/13)
 
III. 

Measuring disease; incidence and prevalence

  By 9/11 Mon Reading: Aschengrau and Seage, chap. 2 – Measures of Disease Frequency, chap. 3 – Comparing Disease Frequencies
  Recorded lecture - Measuring disease
  By 9/13 Wed Case study due - HIV and behavior change in Zimbabwe
  9/14-9/18 Thu-Mon Discussion Forum - HIV and behavior change in Zimbabwe - group exam
IV. 

Natural history of disease / population screening
By 9/18 Mon Reading: Aschengrau and Seage, chap. 16 – Screening in Public Health Practice
Recorded lecture - Natural history of disease / population screening
  By 9/20 Wed Case study due - Breast cancer screening with mammography
  9/21-9/25 Thu-Mon Discussion Forum - HIV and behavior change in Zimbabwe - group exam (continues)
V. 

Study designs: intervention studies
By 9/25 Mon Reading: Aschengrau and Seage, chap. 6 – Overview of Epidemiologic Study Designs; chap. 7 – Experimental Studies
Recorded lecture - Intervention trials
This week Submit 1st peer evaluation webform
This week Submit 1st TA evaluation webform
By 9/27 Wed Case study due - In home drinking water filtration
  9/28-10/2 Thu-Mon Discussion Forum - TBA (facilitator emails summary to TA by 10/4)
9/29 Fri 1st examination posted on course web site
VI. 

Study designs: cohort studies
By 10/2 Mon Reading: Aschengrau and Seage, chap. 8 – Cohort Studies
Recorded lecture - Cohort studies
By 10/4 Wed Case study due - Angry temperament and CHD risk in the ARIC study
  10/5-10/9 Thu-Mon No Discussion Forum - Complete Exam 1
VII. 

Study designs: case-control studies
By 10/9 Mon 1st examination due (via webform) (by end of day in your choice of time zone)
By 10/11 Wed Reading: Aschengrau and Seage, chap. 9 – Case-control Studies
Recorded lecture - Case-control studies
By 10/12 Thu Case study due - Lung cancer in non-smoking women
  10/12-10/16 Thu-Mon Discussion Forum - Strengths and weaknesses of case study article (facilitator emails summary to TA by 10/18)
10/13 Fri Final paper assignment (3rd Examination) posted on course web site
VIII. 

Study designs: cross-sectional and ecologic studies
By 10/16 Mon Reading: Aschengrau and Seage, chap. 12 – Random Error
Recorded lecture
By 10/18 Wed Case study due - Veteran status and cigarette-smoking
  10/19-10/23 Thu-Mon Discussion Forum - Alcohol and injury among UNC-CH students (facilitator emails summary to TA by 10/25)
IX. 

Error: selection bias
By 10/23 Mon Reading: Aschengrau and Seage, chap. 10 – Bias
Recorded lecture - Selection bias
By 10/25 Wed Case study due - Erectile dysfunction and cardiovascular disease risk
  10/26-10/30 Thu-Mon Discussion Forum - Surrogate controls for Alzheimer’s disease cases (facilitator emails summary to TA by 11/1)
10/27 Fri 2nd examination posted on course web site
X. 

Error: information bias
By 10/30 Mon Reading: Aschengrau and Seage, chap. 10 – Bias
  Recorded lecture - Information bias
By 11/1 Wed Case study due - Fluoride exposure and childhood osteosarcoma
  11/2-11/6 Thu-Mon No Discussion Forum (complete Exam 2)
XI. 

Critical review of epidemiologic studies
By 11/8 Wed Reading: Aschengrau and Seage, chap. 14 – Guide to the Critical Review of Epidemiologic Studies
  By 11/8 Wed No case study this week
By 11/8 Wed 2nd examination due (via webform) (by end of day in your choice of time zone) - new date
  11/9-11/13 Thu-Mon Discussion Forum - Critical review of epidemiologic studies (TA facilitates; no summary prepared)
XII. 

Multicausality: confounding
By 11/13 Mon Reading: Aschengrau and Seage, chap. 11 – Confounding; chap. 13 – Effect Measure Modification
Recorded lecture - Confounding
  By 11/15 Wed Case study due - Esophageal cancer in Lin Xian, China
  11/16-11/20 Thu-Mon Discussion Forum - Can the HIV epidemic be controlled without the HIV vaccine? (facilitator emails summary to TA by 11/22)
XIII. 

Data analysis and interpretation; causal inference
By 11/20 Mon Reading: Aschengrau and Seage, chap. 15 – The Epidemiologic Approach to Causation
Recorded lecture - Data analysis and interpretation
By 11/22 Wed Case study due - HPV infection and cervical intraepithelial neoplasia
  11/23-11/27 Thu-Mon (No Discussion Forum - Thanksgiving Holiday)
 
XIV. 

Investigating disease outbreaks
By 11/29 Wed 3rd Examination (Final paper) due (via webform) (by end of day in your choice of time zone)
By 11/30 Thu Recorded lecture by David Weber, M.D.,M.P.H.
  11/30-12/4 Thu-Mon Discussion Forum - topic TBA (facilitator emails summary to TA by 12/6)
XV. 

Role of epidemiology in public health
By 12/4 Mon Recorded lecture - Role of epidemiology in public health
By 12/6 Wed Exercise - interactive outbreak investigation (in Blackboard)
By 12/7 Thu Submit 2nd peer evaluation webform
By 12/8 Fri Submit course evaluation webform

rev. 8/22/2006vs, 10/28/2006