UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health
Department of Epidemiology

EPID600 - Principles of Epidemiology for Public Health

Course schedule, Internet edition, Summer 2011
  Date Day Activity
  5/3 Tue (Blackboard course website opens - if you want to read about the course before this date, check out the public website)

I. 

Orientation and introduction
  Reading: Aschengrau and Seage, chap. 1 – The Approach and Evolution of Epidemiology; course information in Blackboard
  Watch The Age of AIDS, Parts I and II
  Recorded lecture (or slides with speaker notes)
  By 5/12 Thu Case study due (required) - Introduction
  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)
  5/16 Mon Live meeting (optional) - Weighted averages, TFR and GFR
  By 5/18 Wed Case study due* - Studying populations
  5/23 Mon Live meeting (optional) - Brad's demography spreadsheet
  By 5/25 Wed 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 Fri Case study* due - Incidence and prevalence
  By 6/1 Wed 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 Fri Case study* due - Population screening
  6/5 Sun Live meeting (optional) - Brad's testing spreadsheet
  By 6/8 Wed 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 6/7 Tue Special activity: “Health Equity: progress and pitfalls” (Live, interactive broadcast; 1:30-4:00pm EDT or archived webcast)
By 6/10 Fri Case study* due - Intervention studies
By 6/10
 Fri 1st peer evaluation due (via webform in Blackboard)
By 6/10
 Fri 1st student evaluation of TA due (via webform)
  6/14 Tue Live meeting (optional) - Review before Exam 1
  By 6/15 Wed 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
 Thu Article for 1st examination posted in Blackboard
 
6/17
 Fri 1st examination posted in Blackboard (by 3:00pm EDT)
 
By 6/22
 Wed 1st examination due (any time zone)
 
VII. 

Study designs: cohort studies
  Reading: Aschengrau and Seage, chap. 8 – Cohort Studies
  Recorded lecture (or slides with speaker notes)
By 6/24 Fri Case study* due - Cohort studies
  By 6/29 Wed Groups submit consensus answers to case study* on Cohort Studies
  By 6/30 Thu Article for 3rd examination ("final paper") and possible questions posted in Blackboard
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 Fri Case study* due - Case-control studies
  By 7/6 Wed 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 Fri Case study* due - Selection bias
  By 7/13 Wed 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
 Thu Article for 2nd examination posted in Blackboard
7/15
 Fri 2nd examination posted in Blackboard (by 3:00pm EDT)
 
By 7/23
 Sat 2nd examination due (any time zone)
 
By 7/21
 Thu 3rd examination ("final paper") questions assigned
XI. 

Multicausality: confounding

  Reading: Aschengrau and Seage, chap. 11 – Confounding
  Recorded lecture (or slides with speaker notes)
 By 7/22 Fri Case study* due - Confounding
  By 7/27 Wed 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 Fri 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
 Wed Final paper (Exam 3) due (any time zone)
XIII. 

Outbreak investigation
  Readings in Blackboard
  Recorded lecture by David Weber (in Blackboard or on the Public Health Preparedness Center Training Website)
By 8/5 Fri Case study due - Outbreak investigation online exercise (in Blackboard)
 
By 8/5
 Fri 2nd peer evaluation due, course evaluation
XIV. 

Role of epidemiology in public health
  Reading: Aschengrau and Seage, chap. 17 – Ethics in Research Involving Human Participants
  Recorded lecture (or slides with speaker notes)
By 8/8 Mon Case study due (required) - Conclusion and evaluation
 
* Instructor answers will be posted in Blackboard the following afternoon.
 
University Registrar calendars EPID600 home page rev. 5/20,28/2011vs, 7/18/2011vs