University of North Carolina Gillings School of Global Public Health
Department of Epidemiology

EPID 600, Principles of Epidemiology for Public Health

Welcome Class of Spring '10

Succinct version (chatty version)

Dear EPID600 student -

Welcome to EPID600 - inspiring and fun, but also a lot of work.

1) SAFETY FIRST - do not open an email attachment from me without a high degree of confidence that I sent it (more info at Email “More about EPID600”). Please begin the Subject line of EPID600 messages with "EPID600".

2) WEB SITES -
The Blackboard course web site will become available on Monday, 1/11. The public web site (http://www.unc.edu/epid600/, where you are now) has the schedule, course materials, student comments, other information, and the web form to request to change recitation day, audit the class, obtain an extension, obtain a recommendation letter, take an incomplete, etc. Except for examinations and student names, almost everything can be accessed from either site.

3) COURSEPACK, TEXTBOOK
Please see www.unc.edu/epid600/#materials   The coursepack from last semester will probably be at least 75% the same. There are version dates on each item. Note that if you have case study or examination answers from a previous semester you must inform Vic and dispose of them. There will be very limited advantage to you from having the case study answers and considerable disadvantage. If you have any questions about this requirement, please ask me.

4) RECITATION GROUPS - The Tuesday lecture will be followed by 5:00pm recitations for students registered for section 601 and at 4:00pm Wednesday for students registered for section 602. I will send an email to your address as listed on the official class roll or in a request form giving you your group assignment and its room number.

If you are registered for section 601 (Tuesday) you can often make someone happy by offering to switch to Wednesday. Many students enjoy the Wednesday recitation since they’ve had a day to reflect on the lecture.

If you are:

  • registered a recitation day and are willing to change
  • not registered for either day
  • not even registered for EPID600 but want to be
please submit the request form at www.unc.edu/epid600/students/ Note that the request form is unofficial and does not guarantee anything. If you submitted this form in response to a previous invitation, you do Not need to do so again unless the information has changed.
Regardless, please come to the first two weeks of classes, since the small groups won't meet until afterwards.

6) MODULES
The course is structured in "modules" (lecture plus case study). In response to student comments the current schedule has more time between lecture and case study submission deadlines. That separates the case study from its lecture. I've reformatted the schedule to try to make it less confusing.

1987
Vic Schoenbach - 1987 photo

7) ANXIOUS?
If you're feeling nervous about EPID600, consider this anecdote from the Prairie Home Companion:

Patient: "Doctor, I'm kind of nervous - this is my first operation."

Doctor: "I know what you mean - mine, too."



I look forward to meeting you and hope that you enjoy the course,

Vic Schoenbach
www.unc.edu/~vschoenb/

2005
Vic's desk, 2005

 

EPID600 home page
What is epidemiology?
Should I take EPID600 or a different introductory course?
Course objectives
Course content
Schedules
Class times
Grading
Other resources
[EPID160/EPID600 history]
[Vic’s home page]

Updated 1/4/2010vs