EPIB 610 – Foundations of Epidemiology
Semester: / Spring 2016Classroom and Time: / SPH 0301
Thursdays 4:00pm-6:45 pm
Instructor: / Olivia Carter-Pokras, PhD / Office Hours: By appointment
Office: / 2234G School of Public Health Building
Phone: / (301) 405-8037
Email: /
Teaching Assistant: / Rodman Turpin, MS, MLS(ASCP)CM, SM / Office Hours: By appointment
Email: /
Phone: / (202) 465-1249 (Mobile)
Course Description:
Epidemiology is the study of the distribution and determinants of the varying rates of diseases, injuries, and other health states in human populations. As the fundamental science underlying public health practice, epidemiology provides the conceptual and practical tools necessary for the study of public health problems. This course introduces students to the discipline of epidemiology and its application to public health issues and practices. The course covers basic epidemiologic concepts and methods.
Course Pre- and Co-requisites: Prerequisite: EPIB300; or equivalent undergraduate statistics or biostatistics course with a grade of C- or higher; or a score of 70% or higher on EPIB300 placement exam. Credit only granted for: EPIB610 or HLTH720. Formerly: HLTH720.
Course Learning Objectives: Upon completing this course, the student will be able to:
· Identify vital statistics and other key sources of data for epidemiological purposes (Program Competency #1).
· Describe a public health problem in terms of magnitude, person, time, and place (Program Competency #2).
· Discuss the principles and limitations of public health screening programs (Program Competency #3).
· Comprehend basic ethical and legal principles pertaining to the collection, maintenance, use and dissemination of epidemiologic data (Program Competency #4).
· Explain the importance of epidemiology for informing scientific, ethical, economic and political discussion of health issues(Program Competency #5).
· Apply the basic terminology and definitions of epidemiology (Program Competency #6).
· Calculate basic epidemiology measures (Program Competency #7).
· Communicate epidemiologic information to lay and professional audiences (Program Competency #8).
· Differentiate among the criteria for causality. (Program Competency #9).
· Draw appropriate inferences from epidemiologic data (Program Competency #10).
· Describe epidemiologic study designs and assess their strengths and limitations (#Program Competency #11).
· Evaluate the strengths and limitations of epidemiologic reports (Program Competency #12).
· Appreciate the contributions of epidemiology to public health (Program Competency #5).
· Have confidence in their ability to calculate basic epidemiologic measures (Program Competency #7).
· Derive satisfaction in their ability to interpret basic epidemiologic measures in the literature (Program Competency #6, #7, #8, #10, #12).
· Actively participate in interdisciplinary teams on public health-related projects (Program Competency #8, #9, #10, #11, #12).
· Develop an interest in communicating epidemiologic information to lay and professional audiences (Program Competency #8).
Program Competencies Addressed in this Course:
This course addresses the core competencies in epidemiology for MPH degrees at the University of Maryland School of Public Health:
1. Identify vital statistics and other key sources of data for epidemiological purposes
2. Describe a public health problem in terms of magnitude, person, time and place.
3. Discuss the principles and limitations of public health screening programs.
4. Comprehend basic ethical and legal principles pertaining to the collection, maintenance, use and dissemination of epidemiologic data.
5. Explain the importance of epidemiology for informing scientific, ethical, economic and political discussion of health issues.
6. Apply the basic terminology and definitions of epidemiology.
7. Calculate basic epidemiology measures.
8. Communicate epidemiologic information to lay and professional audiences.
9. Differentiate among the criteria for causality.
10. Draw appropriate inferences from epidemiologic data.
11. Describe epidemiologic study designs and assess their strengths and limitations
12. Evaluate the strengths and limitations of epidemiologic reports.
Required Texts and Other Readings:
Required:
Carter-Pokras O. Required Reading and Optional Exercises. Foundations of Epidemiology (EPIB 610). University of Maryland School of Public Health. Jones & Bartlett Publishers. Edition: 2013.
ISBN: 978-1-284-00279-9
In response to previous student comments, we have created a special text that includes optional exercises for a lower total cost than the original textbook. You should be able to order the book from the University of Maryland College Park Official Bookstore (accessed through Testudo). Please note that although my name is on this book--I do not receive any money from the sale of this book.
An ebook version of the textbook is available at a lower rate ($50.53, ISBN: 9781284006759) than the published book (bookstore prices are: $67.95 used, $86 new; ISBN: 9781284002799). Discount codes for Jones and Barlett may be available (e.g., JBALL2 gave a 25% discount on the book for a cost of $37.90). You can get immediate access to the textbook (rather than waiting for copies to come into the bookstore).
The access code for the eBook: 9781284006759 is below along with instructions on how redeem each access code.
Access code(s): 6887739453
Redemption Instructions:
1. Go to http://publish.jblearning.com/ebooks.
2. Set up or sign into your PUBLISH account.
• If you do not have a PUBLISH account, please follow the on-screen instructions to set up your account.
• If you already have a PUBLISH account, please sign in.
3. Redeem your access codeby entering your 10-digit access code above.
4. To access your PUBLISH eBook, please click "go to my eBookshelf."
To return to your PUBLISH eBook at any time, go to http://publish.jblearning.com/ebooks/, sign into your account, and select "Access eBookshelf."
System Requirements:
Operating Systems: Windows XP SP2 or later, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Mac OS X 10.5 or later
Browsers: IE7 or later, Firefox 3.5 or later, Safari 4
Tablet Devices: Windows 8 Tablet
To read your eBook on your computer, laptop, or Windows 8 Tablet you must be connected to the Internet and have the following free software loaded:
• Adobe Flash, http://get.adobe.com/flashplayer/
To access FAQs and customer support information, please go to: http://publish.jblearning.com/ebooks/faq
Readings as assigned
Recommended:
Gordis L. Epidemiology: with STUDENT CONSULT Online Access. 5th edition. Saunders, 2014. ISBN: 978-1-4557-3733-8.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Principles of Epidemiology in Public Health Practice. 3rd Edition. Available here: http://www.cdc.gov/training/products/PrinEpi.html
Additional Materials Required:
Basic calculator for assignments and classroom exercises.
Course Requirements
This is a graduate level course, and students are expected to attend class regularly, participate in class discussions, and complete assigned readings to master the material. As a courtesy to your instructor and classmates, please notify the instructor in advance if you are unable to attend class.
So as to not distract you and your classmates from our class activities, please place your cell phone on vibrate or turn it off, and limit use of laptops/netbooks/smartphones/e-readers/communication devices to legitimate classroom purposes (e.g., taking notes, downloading class information from the CANVAS website/ELMS, working on an in-class exercise).
During the midterm and final exam, use of laptops, netbooks, smartphones, e-readers, or other communication devices are prohibited.
Major Graded Assignments:
Homework
There will be several assignments designed to give students a chance to apply and practice the concepts learned in class. Assignments are due by 4 pm on the day specified in the syllabus. Late submissions will not be accepted unless arrangements have been made prior to class. Students will be expected to access the CANVAS website and open the specified homework assignment, which will be open for two hours after the assignment is open. Assignments will consist of multiple choice, fill in the blank, and short answer questions. You may have a calculator and book to complete the assignments.
Working in Groups[1]
Epidemiologists and public health workers tend to work in interdisciplinary teams, and rarely work alone. Skills that are needed to be successful working in a team include: active and tolerant listening, helping one another in mastering content, giving and receiving constructive criticism, managing disagreements, and handling unproductive group behavior. To gain experience in working in an interdisciplinary team, students will work in small formal learning groups to critically review an epidemiologic article. Study teams will be organized no later than the third class. If students have not yet joined a group, they may be assigned to a group by the instructor based on their interests.
Study teams should meet regularly outside of class to complete the group project. Study teams can work in a number of ways, and are guided by the notions that students can often do as a group what they cannot do by themselves and that students can benefit from peer teaching-explanations, comments, and instruction from their classmates.
For your group project, your group will have to divide up the labor, and reach a consensus. Each group member is responsible to and dependent on all the others, and one cannot succeed unless all in the group succeed. Students who participate in study teams agree to do the following:
· Prepare before the study team meeting
· Complete any tasks that the group assigns to its members
· Attend all meetings and arrive on time
· Actively participate during the sessions in ways that further the work of the group
· Help promote one another's learning and success
· Provide assistance, support, and encouragement to group members
· Be involved in periodic self-assessments to determine whether the study team is working successfully (Is too much work being required? Is the time in study team meetings well spent?)
You can improve the effectiveness of your study team by arranging logistics for the semester (e.g., meeting time, length, location), and making sure each session has a clearly articulated agenda and purpose. You should develop a plan of action: who will be doing what and when. As part of your plan of action, you will develop an anonymous assessment tool that can be used to assess the contribution of each group member at the end of each project (e.g., who did extra work, who shirked work, actions taken by each member that was helpful for the group, actions each member could take to make the group even better). The brief evaluation form can include items about the group's overall accomplishments, your own role, and suggestions for changes in future group work.
After each group task is completed, each student will submit to the instructor an anonymous assessment of the participation of all group members. If several people indicate that an individual did less than a fair share, that person could receive a lower grade than the rest of the group.
Article presentation and report
Students will work in groups of 4-5 to critically review an epidemiologic article/manuscript that was published during the past year. In addition to reviewing the following instructions, please review the grading rubrics carefully.
Each group will present their critical review to the class in a 10 minute power point presentation, and lead a 10-15 minute class discussion of the article. Each group member is expected to deliver part of the presentation. Presentations should include: 1) a brief overview of article; 2) background and literature review on the subject matter; 3) Research question or hypothesis; 4) description of methods, results and key conclusions; 5) strengths and limitations of the study; and 6) relevance to epidemiology (e.g., if nutritional epidemiology article, should describe how the article advanced the field of nutritional epidemiology).
When creating Powerpoint slides, consider that each slide will take you at least 1-1.5 minutes to cover. Limit your slides to the amount of time that you have (i.e., no more than 10 slides including the cover slide if you have a ten minute talk), limit text to no more than 6 lines per slide, avoid using complete sentences, and otherwise follow good practice guidelines for creating accessible PowerPoint slide presentations (e.g., https://www.apha.org/events-and-meetings/annual/presenter-information/oral-session-guidelines/access-information-for-presenters ).
Each student will prepare a typed 2-3 page summary report of the critical review, which is due on the same day of the presentation. The summary report is expected to be individually written (not as a group) and should reflect each student’s opinion, analysis, and interpretation of the same article that was used for the group article presentation. A hard copy should be submitted to the instructor. The font should be no smaller than Arial 11. Margins should be one inch. Line spacing should be 1.5.
Students should choose epidemiologic journal articles from scientific public health or medical journals. Examples of appropriate journals include: American Journal of Public Health, Annals of Epidemiology, American Journal of Epidemiology, Journal of American Medical Association, etc. Students must have their article approved by the course instructor no later than the third week of class. Group article presentations are scheduled to be given on April 28.
Class Participation
In this class, there will be multiple opportunities for students to contribute to discussions inside and outside of class. Students are expected to come to class prepared to discuss readings, and engage respectfully and thoughtfully with their peers during classroom exercises and classroom and online (video and readings in course syllabus) discussions. New grading rubrics for class participation (including peer evaluation) will be prepared with your input during the beginning of this course.
Extra Credit Opportunity: Extra Credit (up to 25 points) will be given if you rewrite your review of the article in the form of a letter to the editor of the journal, and incorporate comments from the class discussion. Please note that letters to the editor need to follow the submission format (e.g., length, number of references, number of authors) described in the journal’s website. The revision must be submitted one week following your presentation in the journal’s required letter to the editor format. An example is provided in the CANVAS course website (http://www.bmj.com/rapid-response/2011/11/02/perils-parenting-under-influence ). Submission to the journal is not required, however, if interested I will provide comments and feedback as needed.
Canvas:
The syllabus, required journal articles, lectures and other course materials will be accessible through the course space on the Canvas website. To access the course space you will log in with your UMD username and password at http://elms.umd.edu/. You will also use canvas to communicate with the course instructor. For the fastest response, please be sure to send the instructor messages through Canvas, not through email.