Epidemiology for Public Health Practice F2F

POPH68201 Epidemiology for Public Health Practice F2F 15 Semester 1 Postgraduate Taught Level 7 Tanya Walsh Unit coordinator Mark Johnson Unit coordinator Division of Population Health, Health Services Res 1 FHEQ level (Framework for Higher Education Qualifications) ' Masters/Integrated Masters P4 ' European Credit Transfer & Accumulation System Rating : 7.5 Epidemiology is the core scientific skill for the practice of quantitative public health. This course is therefore relevant to current or future professionals involved with either conducting quantitative health-related research or interpreting the findings of quantitative research studies. In this course students will learn about the discipline of epidemiology, and its applications to public health. Students will be introduced to common types of observational study designs including ecological studies, cross-sectional surveys, case-control studies, cohort studies and intervention studies. The course covers the appropriate methods of measuring and comparing risk in each type of study as well as the limitations of epidemiological studies and how to minimise systematic errors and biases when conducting epidemiological studies. Epidemiology is the core scientific skill for the practice of quantitative public health. This course is therefore relevant to current or future professionals involved with either conducting quantitative health-related research or interpreting the findings of quantitative research studies. In this course students will learn about the discipline of epidemiology, and its applications to public health. Students will be introduced to common types of observational study designs including ecological studies, cross-sectional surveys, case-control studies, cohort studies and intervention studies. The course covers the appropriate methods of measuring and comparing risk in each type of study as well as the limitations of epidemiological studies and how to minimise systematic errors and biases when conducting epidemiological studies. The aim of this course is for students to acquire an understanding of epidemiological methods used within public health practice for the purpose of participating in the design of epidemiological studies and critically appraising the public health literature. Across all categories, students will be able to:  <ul><li>Design and interpret epidemiological studies. Understand the methods used in the commonly used epidemiological studies, including their advantages and disadvantages.</li><li>Understand the selection of appropriate samples and populations in epidemiological studies.</li><li>Calculate and interpret the common measures of morbidity and mortality of diseases within a population, including age standardisation.</li><li>Calculate and interpret the different effect measures of risk, and how this relates to understanding disease causation. Identify sources of bias and measurement error, and methods to address them in epidemiological studies. </li><li>Understand the concepts of confounding and effect modification, and the methods to identify and account for them in epidemiological studies.</li></ul> <ul><li>Apply epidemiological thinking when conducting or reviewing research in professional practice</li></ul> <ul><li>Perform calculation of key epidemiological measures</li></ul> <ul><li>Manage time and work to deadlines. </li><li>Develop a critical approach to conducting and interpreting epidemiological studies</li></ul> This is a mandatory course unit for students studying on the on-campus MPH programme. There will be written materials by the tutors guiding students through the course, illustrated with photographs and figures to illustrate the rich topic areas. Much of the content will be presented through reading, including peer reviewed journals (accessible through the University library), and multimedia, including videos. Students will be directed to a variety of relevant literature each week but also encouraged to research and explore and find their own sources. There will be regular interaction with the tutors through scheduled interactive seminars and small group sessions. Students will be encouraged to use self-reflection to think about the ideas discussed and take part in discussion and problem-solving activities. Tutors are also accessible throughout the semester via online discussion boards and email. All face-to-face activities are mandatory for all students. Attendance is monitored and an escalation policy is in place for non-attendance. The tutor-led sessions will be recorded and made available for all students as part of good pedagogic practice for accessibility, revision and consolidation. 2 Written assignment (inc essay) 100% In the assignment at the end of the course, students are expected to design their own epidemiological study, outlining the methods employed and critically reflecting on the proposed study (2000 words or equivalent). As a mid-term formative assessment, students will have the opportunity to present an outline of their proposed study and receive formative feedback on their proposal to provide support for the final summative assignment. Students will be provided with feedback and model solutions to each weekly exercise. For the final summative assignment personalised feedback will be provided 15 working days following the submission deadline. MPH: the evidence bsd app (12) Masters in Public Health F2F Not Set Mandatory N Raj S. Bhopal. Concepts of Epidemiology: Integrating the Ideas, Theories, Principles, and Methods of Epidemiology. Publisher:Oxford University Press (15 Nov. 2016); 1520. (available as an e-book via Koretext) Lash, T.L. (2021). Modern epidemiology. Philadelphia, PA: Wolters Kluwer. Coggon D (David). Epidemiology for the Uninitiated . 5th ed. (Rose G, Barker DJP (David JP, eds.). BMJ Publishing; 2003 Lectures 20 Project supervision 4 126