Epidemiology: The Basic Science of Public Health

Often called “the cornerstone” of public health, epidemiology is the study of the distribution and determinants of diseases, health conditions, or events among populations and the application of that study to control health problems. By applying the concepts learned in this course to current public health problems and issues, students will understand the practice of epidemiology as it relates to real life and makes for a better appreciation of public health programs and policies. This course explores public health issues like cardiovascular and infectious diseases – both locally and globally – through the lens of epidemiology.

• Course Introduction, History of Epidemiology and Epidemiology Research
• This module introduces the history and field of epidemiology.
• Understanding Measures of Disease Frequency
• This module introduces measures of disease frequency.
• Study Designs
• This module introduces the following study designs: experimental, cohort, case control, cross-sectional, and ecologic.
• Measures of Association
• This module introduces measures of association and confidence intervals.
• Causality
• This module introduces causality.
• Course Conclusion
• This module concludes the course.