Course Syllabus

Course: HEA 315—Epidemiology

Academic Credit: 3 credit hours

Pre/Corequisites: STA 108 or MAT 115 or higher level STA or MAT course or permission of instructor

For Whom: Required for Public Health Education majors; all other UNCG undergrads

welcome

Office Hours: Tuesdays 4:30-5:30pm, Thursdays 9:30-10:30am; or by appointment

Instructor: Mark R. Schulz

Assistant Professor of Epidemiology, Dept of Public Health Education

437B HHP Building

Office telephone: (336) 334-5517; Fax: (336) 334-3238

E-mail: mrschulz@uncg.edu

Catalog description: Study of the distribution and determinants of disease occurrence in populations

Semester: Fall 2005

Lecture Times: Tuesdays and Thursdays 8:00am-9:15am

Classroom: HHP 347

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES

Upon completion of this course, students should be able to:

1) Define epidemiology and understand its role in community health education.

2) Define basic epidemiologic concepts.

3) Calculate and distinguish various measures of disease occurrence.

4) Identify the five major epidemiologic study designs and assess the strengths and weaknesses of each.

5) Examine and appraise published epidemiologic studies.

6) Interpret results of health education program evaluations.

7) Obtain health-related data about social and cultural environments, growth and development factors, needs and interests.

8) Distinguish between behaviors that foster and those that hinder well-being.

9) Infer needs for health education on the basis of obtained data.

TEACHING STRATEGIES

1) Lecture

2) Class discussion

3) Problem solving & discussion in pairs and small groups

EVALUATION METHODS AND GUIDELINES FOR ASSIGNMENTS

Student’s final grade will be based on,

• Class participation (10%): Students are expected to be present and to participate in in-class activities. All students will receive a subjective evaluation based on participation in class activities- Student Learning Objectives 1-6, 8, 9.

· Homework (25%): Five to ten homework assignments will be given throughout the semester. Specific instructions will be provided by the instructor. In many cases, assignments will be given in the class period prior to the due date. This allows for flexibility, ensuring that the assignments are most responsive to the needs of the students. After being graded, assignments will be returned to the students. In case of any questions about the final grade, all assignments should be kept until after the course grades have been submitted to the University Registrar. Unless otherwise noted, all assignments must be typed- Student Learning Objectives 1-9.

· Quizzes (15%): There will be between 5 and 10 unannounced-time-limited quizzes during the semester. Quizzes will be distributed at 8am. A student’s quiz grade will be the average of her/his 5 highest quiz grades- Student Learning Objectives- 1-4, 6, 8, 9.

• Examinations (50%): There will be two examinations during the semester and, make-up exams will not be administered for these exams. A third (optional) exam will be given during the final exam period. The 50% examinations grade will be the average of a student’ two highest exam grades. Make-up exams will only be allowed for the final exam if you have a documented illness or emergency. Further details about the content and structure of exams will be provided as the examinations approach Student Learning Objectives 1-6, 8, 9.

Grades will be assigned as follows:

>93% = A

90-92% = A-

87-89% = B+

83-86% = B

80-82% = B-

77-79% = C+

73-76% = C

70-72% = C-

67-69% = D+

63-66% = D

60-62% = D-

<60% = F

REQUIRED TEXTS/READINGS/REFERENCES

• The following textbook is required for this course: Gordis, Leon Epidemiology 3rd edition, Philadelphia, PA: W.B. Saunders; 2004.
• Please bring a calculator with you to each class.
• The following dictionary is recommended especially for those who think they may pursue epidemiology further: A Dictionary of Epidemiology, edited by John Last
  Published by Oxford University Press.

ACADEMIC HONOR CODE

Students are expected to,

• Obey the UNCG Honor Code. Please see http://saf.dept.uncg.edu/studiscp/Honor.html for an explanation of that policy.

ATTENDANCE POLICY

Students are expected to,

· Be present at all classes. Even if students must be absent from class, they will still be held responsible for getting the class notes and announcements. Unless otherwise noted assignments are due by the beginning of class period on the day assigned. At the instructor’s discretion, assignments may be made up if there is an excused absence. In the event that late assignments are accepted, the instructor may elect to impose a substantial grade penalty.

• Be active participants in class sessions. This implies that students will be present, on time and stay for the entire class period. In extenuating circumstances, students should contact the instructor about absences and tardiness.
• Spend a weekly average of 3 hours of study time for each hour of class time.

The instructor will be expected to:

• Be available for meetings outside of class (office hours and by appointment).
• Be clear about expectations for student assignments and be timely in returning graded assignments.
• Make efforts to enhance student learning. This will include: (1) maintaining an atmosphere of mutual respect in the classroom, (2) using various teaching and evaluation strategies- lectures, class discussion, problem-solving in pairs and small groups and (3) being receptive to feedback and suggestions from students about course content and procedures.

COURSE SCHEDULE (topical outline)

This syllabus may change as we go through the semester. Changes will be announced in class and sent out via e-mail. Students will be held responsible for all announced changes.

DATE	TOPIC	ASSIGNMENT
16 August	Course outline Self introductions
18 August	Introduction to the study of epidemiology and its role in public health	Chapter 1
23 August	Introduction to the study of epidemiology and its role in public health (cont’d)
25 August	Outbreak investigation	Chapter 2
30 August	Outbreak investigation (cont’d)
1 September	Public health surveillance	Pages 42-45
6 September	Population screening programs	Pages 71-87
8 September	Measurement of disease frequency	Pages 48-58 Homework 1 due
13 September	Measurement of disease frequency (cont’d) What is risk	Chapter 11
15 September	Measuring risk	Chapter 12
20 September	Attributable risk
22 September	Attributable risk proportion, in population, in the exposed.
27 September		Homework 2 &3 due
29 September	Review for Exam
4 October	Examination #1
6 October	Overview of study designs; Ecologic & Cross-sectional study designs	Pages173-175 & Pages 204-206
11October	FALL BREAK- NO CLASS
13 October	Case-control study design; Informal evaluation of class; Provisional class participation grades	Pages 159-173
18 October	Case-control study design	Chapters 8 & 12 Homework 3&4 due
20 October	Cohort study design	Chapters 9 & 13 Homework 3&4 due
25 October	Clinical trial study design	Chapter 7 and pp. 136-146 (Chap. 8)
27 October	Community trial study design	Homework 5 due
1 November	Bias in epidemiologic studies: information bias	Pages 226-228
3 November	Bias in epidemiologic studies: selection bias	Pages 224-226 Homework 6 due
8 November	Bias in epidemiologic studies: confounding	Pages 228-233
10 November	Bias in epidemiologic studies: confounding	Pages 228-233
15 November	Effect modification/interaction	Pages 233-239 Homework 7 due
17 November	Review for examination;
22 November	Examination #2
24 November	THANKSGIVING- NO CLASS
29 November	Evaluation of epidemiologic research	Chapter 14
1 December	Course evaluation; Final remarks
13 December	Optional Exam 8:00am-11:00am