UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health
Department of Epidemiology

EPID600 - Principles of Epidemiology for Public Health

Revised PRELIMINARY Course schedule, Internet edition, Summer 2009
  Date Day Activity
  5/5 Tue Blackboard course website opens - begin reading, and (optionally) watch The Age of AIDS Part 1 (and Part II if you can)

I. 

Orientation and introduction
  Reading: Aschengrau and Seage, chap. 1 – The Approach and Evolution of Epidemiology; course information in Blackboard / on public website
  Recorded lecture (or slides with speaker notes)
  By 5/14 Thu Case study due - Introduction
  TBA TBA Discussion Forum (1: Group participant introductions; 2: The Age of AIDS)

II. 

Studying populations
  Reading: Aschengrau and Seage, chap. 4 – Sources of Public Health Data; chap. 5 – Descriptive Epidemiology
  Recorded lecture (or slides with speaker notes)
  By 5/20 Wed Case study due - Studying populations
  By 5/25 Mon Groups submit consensus answers to case study on Studying Populations
III. 

Measuring disease; incidence and prevalence

  Reading: Aschengrau and Seage, chap. 2 – Measures of Disease Frequency, chap. 3 – Comparing Disease Frequencies
  Recorded lecture (or slides with speaker notes)
  By 5/27 Wed Case study due - Incidence and prevalence
  By 6/1 Mon Groups submit consensus answers to case study on Incidence and Prevalence
IV. 

Natural history of disease; population screening
Reading: Aschengrau and Seage, chap. 16 – Screening in Public Health Practice
  Recorded lecture (or slides with speaker notes)
  By 6/3 Wed Case study due - Population screening
  By 6/8 Mon Groups submit consensus answers to case study on Population Screening
 
V. 

Study designs: intervention studies
Reading: Aschengrau and Seage, chap. 6 – Overview of Epidemiologic Study Designs; chap. 7 – Experimental Studies
  Recorded lecture (or slides with speaker notes)
By 6/9 Tue Special activity: “Breaking the Cycle: Investigating the Intersection of Educational Inequities and Health Disparities” (Live, interactive broadcast; 2:00-4:30pm EDT or archived webcast)
By 6/10 Wed Case study due - Intervention studies
By 6/12
 Fri 1st peer evaluation due (via webform in Blackboard)
By 6/12
 Fri 1st student evaluation of TA due (via webform)
  By 6/15 Mon Groups submit consensus answers case study on Intervention Trials
VI. 

Study designs: cross-sectional and ecologic studies

  Reading: Aschengrau and Seage, chap. 12 – Random Error
  Recorded lecture (or slides with speaker notes)
  (No case study for this module - work on Exam 1)
 
6/16
 Tue 1st examination posted on course web site
 
By 6/22
 Mon 1st examination due
 
VII. 

Study designs: cohort studies
  Reading: Aschengrau and Seage, chap. 8 – Cohort Studies
  Recorded lecture (or slides with speaker notes)
By 6/25 Thu Case study due - Cohort studies
  By 6/29 Mon Groups submit consensus answers to case study on Cohort Studies
  Suggestion: begin writing final paper
VIII. 

Study designs: case-control studies

  Reading: Aschengrau and Seage, chap. 9 – Case-control Studies
  Recorded lecture (or slides with speaker notes)
By 7/1 Wed Case study due - Case-control studies
  By 7/6 Mon Groups submit consensus answers to case study on Case-control Studies
IX. 

Error: selection bias
  Reading: Aschengrau and Seage, chap. 10 – Bias
  Recorded lecture (or slides with speaker notes)
By 7/8 Wed Case study due - Selection bias
  By 7/13 Mon Groups submit consensus answers to case study on Selection Bias
X. 

Error: information bias
  Reading: Aschengrau and Seage, chap. 14 – Guide to the Critical Review of Epidemiologic Studies
  Recorded lecture (or slides with speaker notes)
  (No case study for this module - work on Exam 2.)
7/14
 Tue 2nd examination posted on course web site
 
By 7/20
 Mon 2nd examination due
XI. 

Multicausality: confounding

  Reading: Aschengrau and Seage, chap. 11 – Confounding
  Recorded lecture (or slides with speaker notes)
 By 7/23 Thu Case study due - Confounding
  By 7/27 Mon Groups submit consensus answers to case study on Confounding
XII. 

Data analysis and interpretation; causal inference

  Reading: Aschengrau and Seage, chap. 13 – Effect Measure Modification; chap. 15 – The Epidemiologic Approach to Causation
  Recorded lecture (or slides with speaker notes)
By 7/29 Wed Case study due - Causal inference
  Finish up final paper and do 2nd peer evaluation
      (No group submission of answers to case study on Causal Inference)
8/3
 Mon Final paper (Exam 3) due
XIII. 

Outbreak investigation
  Readings in Blackboard
  Recorded lecture by David Weber (in Blackboard or on the Public Health Preparedness Center Training Website)
By 8/7 Fri Case study due - Outbreak investigation online exercise (in Blackboard)
 
By 8/7
 Fri 2nd peer evaluation due
XIV. 

Role of epidemiology in public health
  Reading: Aschengrau and Seage, chap. 17 – Ethics in Research Inolving Human Participants
  Recorded lecture (or slides with speaker notes)
 
University Registrar calendars EPID600 home page rev. 5/4/2009vs