UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health
Department of Epidemiology

EPID600 - Principles of Epidemiology for Public Health

Course schedule, Internet edition, Fall 2010
Due date Day Activity
  8/23 Mon Blackboard course website opens

I. 

Orientation and introduction
  Reading: Aschengrau and Seage, chap. 1 – The Approach and Evolution of Epidemiology; course information in Blackboard or on public website
  Watch The Age of AIDS, Parts I and II (to view these on DVD, see the classroom schedule)
  Recorded lecture (or slides with speaker notes)
  8/25-8/30 Wed-Mon Discussion Forum on The Age of AIDS (class-wide)
  8/27 Fri Case study due - Introduction (submit via webform)

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)
  9/1 Wed "Live meeting"
  8/31-9/5 Tue-Sun Discussion Forum to meet your small groupmates
  9/3 Fri Case study due - Studying populations
  9/4-9/8 Sat-Wed Discussion Forum on Studying populations
  9/9 Thu Groups submit consensus answers to case study on Studying Populations
  9/13 Mon "Live meeting"
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)
  9/10 Fri Case study due - Incidence and prevalence
  9/11-9/15 Sat-Wed Discussion Forum on incidence and prevalence
  9/16 Thu Groups submit consensus answers to case study on Incidence and Prevalence
  9/20 Mon "Live meeting"
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)
  9/18 Sat Case study due - Population screening
  9/18-9/22 Sat-Wed Discussion Forum on Population screening
  9/23 Thu Groups submit consensus answers to case study on Population Screening
  9/27 Mon "Live meeting"
 
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)
9/25 Sat Case study due - Intervention studies
  9/25-9/29 Sat-Wed Discussion Forum on Intervention studies
9/27 Mon 1st peer evaluation due (via webform in Blackboard)
9/27 Mon 1st student evaluation of TA due (via webform)
  9/30 Thu Groups submit consensus answers case study on Intervention Trials
VI. 

Study designs: cohort studies
  Reading: Aschengrau and Seage, chap. 8 – Cohort Studies
  Recorded lecture (or slides with speaker notes)
10/2 Sat Case study due - Cohort studies
  10/2 Sat 1st examination posted on course web site
  10/10 *Sun 1st examination due
  10/9-10/13 Sat-Wed Discussion Forum on Cohort studies
  10/14 Thu Groups submit consensus answers to case study on Cohort Studies
 
VII. 

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)
VIII. 

Study designs: case-control studies

  Reading: Aschengrau and Seage, chap. 9 – Case-control Studies
  Recorded lecture (or slides with speaker notes)
10/16 Sat Case study due - Case-control studies
  10/16-10/20 Sat-Wed Discussion Forum on Case-control studies
  10/21 Thu Groups submit consensus answers to case study on Case-control Studies
  Suggestion: begin writing final paper
IX. 

Error: selection bias
  Reading: Aschengrau and Seage, chap. 10 – Bias
  Recorded lecture (or slides with speaker notes)
10/25 Mon Case study due - Selection bias
  10/23-10/27 Sat-Wed Discussion Forum on Selection bias
  10/28 Thu Groups submit consensus answers to case study on Selection Bias
X. 

Error: information bias
  Reading: Aschengrau and Seage, chap. 10 – Bias (same as preceding module)
  Recorded lecture (or slides with speaker notes)
  (No case study for this module - work on Exam 2.)
10/30 Sat 2nd examination posted on course web site
  11/6 Sat 2nd examination due
XI. 

Critical review of epidemiologic studies
  Reading: Aschengrau and Seage, chap. 14 – Guide to the critical review of epidemiologic studies
  Resources in Blackboard
  11/8 Mon Final paper questions announced - begin writing final paper
XII. 

Multicausality: confounding

  Reading: Aschengrau and Seage, chap. 11 – Confounding
  Recorded lecture (or slides with speaker notes)
  11/15 Mon Case study due - Confounding
  11/13-11/17 Sat-Wed Discussion Forum on Confounding
  11/18 Thu Groups submit consensus answers to case study on Confounding
XIII. 

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)
11/22 Mon Final paper (Exam 3) due
Thanksgiving Holiday
11/29 Mon Case study due - Causal inference
  11/27-12/1 Sat-Wed Discussion Forum on Causal inference
  12/2 Thu Groups submit consensus answers to case study on Causal inference
XIV. 

Outbreak investigation
  Readings in Blackboard
  Recorded lecture by David Weber (in Blackboard or on the Public Health Preparedness Center Training Website)
12/6 Mon Case study due - Outbreak investigation online exercise (in Blackboard)
XV. 

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)
  12/9 Thu 2nd peer evaluation due
  12/11 Sat Case study due - Evaluation
 
University Registrar calendars EPID600 home page rev. 8/22,27/2010vs, 9/8,9,16,22/2010vs, 10/8,18,21,22/2010vs