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550.694.81
Fundamentals of Epidemiology I

Location
Internet
Term
1st Term
Department
Extradepartmental
Credit(s)
3
Academic Year
2014 - 2015
Instruction Method
TBD
Auditors Allowed
No
Available to Undergraduate
No
Grading Restriction
Letter Grade or Pass/Fail
Course Instructor(s)
Contact Name
Frequency Schedule
Every Year
Prerequisite

Introduction to Online Learning

Description
Introduces students to the basic concepts of biostatistics and epidemiology as applied to public health problems. Emphasizes descriptive statistics, probability concepts, and methodology used in the conduct of epidemiologic studies. Topics include appropriate summary measures of morbidity and mortality, direct and indirect methods of adjustment, abridged and clinical life tables, and measures of association. Presents various epidemiologic study designs used to investigate associations between risk factors and diseases outcomes, culminating with criteria for casual inferences. Provides examples of applications of epidemiologic and biostatistical methods in health services, genetics and public policy.
Learning Objectives
Upon successfully completing this course, students will be able to:
  1. Distinguish the roles and relationships between epidemiology and biostatistics in the prevention of disease and the improvement of health
  2. Compute basic descriptive statistics and explore data analytic methods
  3. Demonstrate a basic discussing of epidemiologic methods and study design
  4. Combine appropriate epidemiological concepts and statistical methods
  5. Perform exploratory data analysis using descriptive statistics
  6. Evaluate morbidity and mortality using ratios, proportions, and rates
  7. Perform direct and indirect methods of adjustment of overall rates
  8. Construct life tables in epidemiologic studies
  9. Recognize the assumptions associated with construction of a life table
  10. Calculate probabilities and conditional probabilities of health-related events
  11. Calculate sensitivity, specificity, and predictive values
  12. Recognize and describe the elements in the design and conduct of a randomized clinical trial, a cohort study, a case-control study, and a cross-sectional study
  13. Calculate measures of association in identifying risk factors of diseases
  14. Calculate a chi-square statistic to test the significance of a measure of association and interpret it using probability concepts
  15. Identify biases and their consequences in published literature
Multiterm
Final grade applies to all terms
Enrollment Restriction
No auditors permitted.
Jointly Offered With
Special Comments

This is a multi-term course. Grades are given upon completion of the second part: 550 695.81.