COURSE
SYLLABUS
Course: HEA 602—Epidemiology
Academic Credit: 3 credit hours
Prerequisites: None
For Whom: Required for Public Health Education majors; all other UNCG grad students welcome
Class Day/Time : Tuesdays 6:00-8:50 p.m.
Venue: HHP Bldg. Room 347
Instructor: Mark R. Schulz, Assistant Professor
Campus Office:
Office Hours: Tuesdays 4:30-5:30pm, Thursdays 9:30-10:30am & by appointment
Online Office
Hours Mondays 4:45-5:45pm
Office Phone: (336) 334-5517
Fax: (336) 334-3238 (this is a HHP fax; faxes must include my name in the subject)
E-Mail: mrschulz@uncg.edu
Catalog
Description: Disease
etiology and identification of risk factors, utilizing epidemiologic and
biostatistical concepts and methods.
Application of epidemiology and biostatistics to assess the efficacy of
community health programs.
At the completion of this course, students should be able to:
1) Define epidemiology and discuss its role in community health education.
2) Explain and demonstrate various types of epidemiologic study designs as well as their strengths and weaknesses relative to one another.
3) Choose and use appropriate techniques for measuring health and disease in populations
4) Judge, rate and appraise published epidemiologic studies.
5) Employ basic epidemiologic concepts and measures to describe the nature of various health states.
1) Lecture
2) Class discussion
3) Problem solving & discussion in pairs and small groups
4) Student presentations
Student’s final grade will be based on,
· A mid-term examination- Student Learning Outcomes 1-3 (30%).
· A term paper reviewing the epidemiologic literature on a particular exposure-disease relationship- Student Learning Outcomes 3-5 (30%).
· Presentation- a group presentation on your term paper topic- Student Learning Outcomes 3-5 (5%)
· Homework- each student will be required to complete three homework assignments- Student Learning Outcomes 1-3, 5. (Each homework assignment will contribute 10% of the course grade for a total of 30%.)
· Class/Group participation- Student Learning Outcomes 1-5 (5%). I will base this on an evaluation of your class participation throughout the semester.
· There will be an optional comprehensive final exam (if you take it you may substitute it for your midterm exam grade) - Student Learning Outcomes 1-3, 5.
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-
REQUIRED TEXTS/READINGS/REFERENCES:
·
The following textbook is required for this
course: Gordis, Leon Epidemiology 3rd
edition,
· Please bring a calculator with you to each class.
· Additional required material may be placed on reserve at the Jackson Library
·
The following text is recommended especially for
students who think they may pursue epidemiology further: A Dictionary of
Epidemiology, John Last.
COURSE TOPICS,
1. Course Overview, Some Epidemiologic Concepts, 1/11
Introductions
2. Fundamental concepts in epidemiology 1/18
Preparatory
Text
Additional
Preparatory
Flu
And Legionnaires’ Disease Laurie Garrett in The Coming Plague: newly
Emerging
diseases in a world out of balance. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, New
3. Measurement of disease frequency 1/25
Preparatory
Text
Additional
Preparatory
to improve public health: Lessons from The
John Pucher, Lewis Dijkstra. American
Journal of Public Health.
Sep 2003. Vol. 93, Iss. 9; p. 1509-16.
4. Screening for Disease Conditions and Risk Factors , assessing 2/1
validity and reliability of screening and diagnostic tests.
Preparatory Text
Homework
Assignment #1 Distributed
5. Overview of Study Designs & ecologic and cross-sectional 2/8
studies. Informal evaluation of class; Provisional class
participation grades.
Preparatory
Text
Homework
Assignment #1 Due
Additional
Preparatory
motor vehicle occupant
and pedestrian fatalities Reid
Schieber,
Charles V Zegeer. American Journal of Public Health.
Sep 2003. Vol. 93, Iss. 9; p. 1541-1545.
6. Cohort Studies 2/15
Preparatory
Text
7. Measures of association, estimating risk and 2/22
estimating potential for prevention.
Preparatory Text
Homework
Assignment #2 Distributed
8. Case Control Studies 2/28
Preparatory
Text
9. SPRING BREAK -- NO CLASS 3/8
10. Clinical and community trials 3/15
Preparatory
Text
Homework
Assignment #2 Due
11. Concepts of bias in epidemiologic studies & review for 3/22
Mid-term exam- Bring questions.
Preparatory Text
Ch. 14 pp.224-228
12. Mid-term
exam 3/29
13. Concepts of bias in epidemiologic studies, cont’d and 4/5
interaction.
Preparatory Text
Homework Assignment #3
Distributed
14. Identifying roles of genetic and environmental factors in 4/12
disease causation.
Preparatory Text
15. Student presentations 4/19
Homework
Assignment #3 Due
16. Student presentations, review, and evaluation 4/26
Term paper due
FINAL EXAMINATION - Tuesday,
May 10; 6:00-9:00pm
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.
CLASS ATTENDANCE & HOMEWORK:
Students are expected to attend ALL class
meetings. However, if you are absent
from class, you are responsible for getting the notes. Students are expected to begin class on time
and stay for the full class period. 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 grade
penalty. All assignments must by typed.