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PU5030: EPIDEMIOLOGY (2020-2021)

Last modified: 20 Aug 2020 15:15


Course Overview

This course in applied epidemiology gives an introduction to disease measurement at a population level, basic epidemiological study design and analysis, and provides an understanding of key methodological issues needed to apply when designing – or critically appraising – an epidemiological study.

Course Details

Study Type Postgraduate Level 5
Term First Term Credit Points 15 credits (7.5 ECTS credits)
Campus Aberdeen Sustained Study No
Co-ordinators
  • Dr Kathryn Martin

What courses & programmes must have been taken before this course?

  • Any Postgraduate Programme

What other courses must be taken with this course?

None.

What courses cannot be taken with this course?

Are there a limited number of places available?

No

Course Description

Topics to be covered in the course include:

  • Causality and associations
  • Measures of disease occurrence
  • Study design and analysis
  • Populations
  • Sampling
  • Validity and reliability
  • Sensitivity and specificity
  • Screening
  • Outbreak and cluster investigation
  • Bias and confounding
  • Critical appraisal.

 

Learning Outcomes:

Upon successful completion of this course students will be able to:

  1. Identify, define and contextualise basic epidemiological terminology
  2. Describe a health problem in terms of magnitude, persons, time and place
  3. Calculate and interpret basic epidemiological measures (e.g., incidence/prevalence) and measures of association (e.g., odds ratio, risk ratio)
  4. Identify and select appropriate sources of data to address epidemiological questions
  5. Distinguish between observational study designs and communicate the appropriate circumstances in which to use each design
  6. Recognise the potential threats to correctly interpreting results and identify those most relevant to each observational study design
  7. Critically appraise observational studies in terms of context, study design, methods, analysis and conclusions

 

The course is designed to facilitate an applied understanding of the epidemiological concepts and subject areas that are introduced in lecture, readings, assignments and class discussion. Students are encouraged to read widely from the recommended textbooks, or from other epidemiology literature / papers. Students are also expected to practise the application of epidemiological theory and principles by engaging in regular pre-work and homework assignments and group-study is promoted in this course.

Teaching and learning for this course will involve a combination of pre-work, lectures, in-class workshops, homework, revision, a group assignment and tutorials (self-directed). You will receive approximately 30 hours of pre-work activities and 10 hours of face-to-face synchronous sessions which will provide you with a theoretical for each topic and opportunity to engage with Epidemilogical concepts. You are expected to spend a further 60 time in private study and 50 hours preparing for assessments.


Contact Teaching Time

Information on contact teaching time is available from the course guide.

Teaching Breakdown

More Information about Week Numbers


Details, including assessments, may be subject to change until 30 August 2024 for 1st term courses and 20 December 2024 for 2nd term courses.

Summative Assessments

Quizzes

Assessment Type Summative Weighting 15
Assessment Weeks Feedback Weeks

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Learning Outcomes
Knowledge LevelThinking SkillOutcome
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Critical Appraisal

Assessment Type Summative Weighting 40
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Learning Outcomes
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Data indentification

Assessment Type Summative Weighting 15
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Learning Outcomes
Knowledge LevelThinking SkillOutcome
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Class Test

Assessment Type Summative Weighting 30
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Learning Outcomes
Knowledge LevelThinking SkillOutcome
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Formative Assessment

There are no assessments for this course.

Course Learning Outcomes

Knowledge LevelThinking SkillOutcome
ConceptualEvaluateEvaluate strengths and weaknesses of different epidemiological study designs
ConceptualEvaluateEvaluate the strengths and limitations of screening programmes
ConceptualAnalyseCalculate and analyse epidemiological measures of association (relative risk, odds ratios, hazards ratios)
ConceptualAnalyseAnalyse epidemiological data to calculate relative and absolute risk
ConceptualAnalyseAnalyse screening data to calculate sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive value
ConceptualEvaluateEvaluate reliability within and between observers in epidemiological studies
ConceptualEvaluateEvaluate the role of chance in epidemiological studies
ConceptualApplyApply concepts of internal and external validity to critically appraise epidemiological studies
ConceptualApplyApply appropriate study designs to answer different research questions
ConceptualEvaluateEvaluate causality and association in epidemiological data
ConceptualApplyApply concepts of chance, bias and confounding to critically appraising epidemiological studies

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