Syllabus
Graduate Programs in Public Health
GPH 712 Principles of Epidemiology – Fall 2017
Credits - 3
Description
Course Description:
This course is designed to introduce students to the basic principles of epidemiology as they apply to public health practice. Content will include: a historical perspective on epidemiology, descriptive epidemiology, effect measures, study designs, bias, surveillance, and screening for disease. Emphasis will be placed on investigative techniques, epidemiological methodology, and critical thinking about epidemiological studies and data. By the end of the course, students should have a strong background in the fundamentals of this field, particularly the basics of the various study designs. They should be able to critique and understand current literature in epidemiology and public health and be able to use the tools in their practice.
Course Format:
This course is facilitated through Blackboard, UNE’s online learning management system. The course will be delivered in 8 weekly online modules, with each module beginning on Wednesday at 12:01 am ET and ending the following Wednesday at 11:59 pm ET, except for the last week (Week 8), which will begin on Wednesday and end on Sunday. Note all times are Eastern Time. Students will watch online lectures produced by the course instructor and field experts, engage in readings and other media provided by instructors, and will learn from one another through the discussion board and written assignments. Each section of this course will be facilitated by an instructor with significant professional and academic expertise in the area of study. Individual meetings with the course instructor will be up to the student to schedule.
Materials
Learning Objectives and Outcomes
| Program Outcomes | Course Outcomes | Weekly Outcomes |
| Apply epidemiological methods to the breadth of settings and situations in public health practice | Utilize appropriate epidemiological measure to describe a particular pattern or trend. |
W1 – Assess models of causal relationships in order to understand a public health condition. W1 – Apply standard methods for conducting a situation analysis/needs assessment to identify an important public health condition. W1 – Apply prevention strategies to a public health scenario. W2 – Calculate ratios, proportions, and rates for a provided case study. W2 – Apply facets of descriptive epidemiology to a public health problem. W2 – Apply key epidemiological measures to the health status of a population. W6 – Craft a situation analysis of a particular condition to show a need for intervention or public health policy. W7 – Apply different characteristics and evaluation methods to a screening test. |
| Select quantitative and qualitative data collection methods appropriate for a given public health context | Assess key epidemiological study designs for features, strengths, and limitations. |
W2 – Quantify measures of morbidity and mortality rates for public health conditions. W3 – Review different epidemiological study designs to understand the strengths and weaknesses of each. |
| Interpret results of data analysis for public health research, policy or practice | Utilize social epidemiology paradigms to interpret epidemiological data. |
W3 – Interpret a calculated odds ratio. W3 – Identify components of a specific study design. W3 – Compare cross-sectional and case control study studies. W4 – Critically analyze a peer-reviewed epidemiological article’s study design. W4 -Understand the implications of sharing data and privacy in public health. W5 – Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of a specific study design. |
| Compare the organization, structure and function of health care, public health and regulatory systems across national and international settings | Examine the evolving role of epidemiology as a fundamental science of public health. |
W1 – Discuss fundamentals of epidemiology and how they can be used for modern applications. W7 – Discuss control measures that respond to public health issues. W8 – Discuss current events in epidemiology to understand the future direction of the field. W8 – Explore epidemiological careers and outlook in different branches. W8 – Discuss the importance of different branches of epidemiology. |
| Discuss the means by which structural bias, social inequities and racism undermine health and create challenges to achieving health equity at organizational, community and societal levels | Discuss the relationship between the field of epidemiology and structural bias, social inequities and racism. |
W5 – Establish different ways to minimize bias at the design and analysis phase. W6 – Discuss the importance of sensitivity and specificity in a study. W6 – Assess how social determinants of health influence epidemiological interactions. |
| Select communication strategies for different audiences and sectors | Communicate epidemiological information to both lay and professional audiences. | W7 – Communicate epidemiological measures in the form of an elevator pitch. |
| Communicate audience-appropriate public health content, both in writing and through oral presentation | W7 – Communicate epidemiological measures in the form of an elevator pitch. |
Assignments
Forum Discussions: Each student is expected to post at least twice each week in response to forum questions on that week’s topic. Initial posts are due by 11:59pm ET on Sunday. Your response must be completed by 11:59pm ET Wednesday for credit. Because this is an online course, the online discussion portion is an important way to exchange ideas with your classmates. Students will be graded on their participation and effort of their posts. These posts will take time to complete but they are an essential part of this on-line course and a great way to get to know your colleagues. Please be familiar with the course material (readings/lectures) before posting each week. Full marks will be given to those who ask questions, bring in new data from the literature or other resources, and demonstrate a thorough understanding of the topics for the week.
If the initial post and response are not submitted within the discussion week you will be given a zero. Posts submitted after the discussion week will not be graded.
Quizzes: Weeks 2, 3, & 8 include quizzes. The Week 2 quiz is a lower point practice quiz. This will allow you to practice some of the calculations and ask your instructor questions before Week 3. The quizzes will be taken in Blackboard.
Final Project 1 – Situation Analysis: Generating evidence in health is a process that involves the collection of morbidity and mortality data, the analysis of that data, and the dissemination of the information generated through the analysis. This is a useful input for decision-making in health. In many cases, the evidence originates from the results of research based on different types of designs used in the health field, including population studies. For this assignment you will be creating a situation analysis of a pertinent epidemiological condition of your interest by providing the details outlined below. The situation analysis involves a systematic collection and study of health and demographic data, study findings, and other contextual information in order to identify and understand the specific health issue to be addressed.The point of this paper is not to propose interventions, but to identify gaps. A professional in the field should be able to use your paper to propose potential interventions in the future. Please review the Situation Analysis Document for a full description of this assignment.
Final Project 2 – Elevator Pitch:
Throughout the course you have been introduced to the basic principles of epidemiology as they apply to public health practice. In the first final project you developed a situation analysis focusing on a specific condition. For this assignment you will be developing an elevator pitch for your chosen condition.
For this assignment imagine you are riding in an elevator with an influential player in public health (e.g. Margaret Chen, Bill Gates, the president of the World Bank). This person, recognizing that you are from the University of New England, turns to you and asks you for your opinion about a particular disease control program. You’ve got your iPad or tablet with you. What will you say? Please review the Elevator Pitch Document for a full description of this assignment.
Grading Policy
Your grade in this course will be determined by the following criteria:
Grade Breakdown
| Discussion Forum | 8 discussions, 3 points each = 24 |
| Situation Analysis Proposal | 5 points |
| Week 2 Practice Quiz | 2 points |
| Quizzes | 2 quizzes, 5 points each = 10 points |
| Literature Review | 10 points |
| Calculating Data | 7 points |
| Research Article Review | 10 points |
| Final Project 1: Situation Analysis | 20 points |
| Final Project 2: Elevator Pitch | 10 points |
| Week 8 Discussion: Elevator Pitches | 2 points |
| Total: | 100 points |
Schedule
Course Schedule:
Each week opens on Wednesday at 12:01 AM Eastern Time. Each week closes on Wednesday at 11:59 pm ET, with the exception of Week 8, which ends on Sunday.
| Week 1: | Oct 25 – Nov 1 |
| Week 2: | Nov 1 – Nov 8 |
| Week 3: | Nov 8 -Nov 15 |
| Week 4: | Nov 15 – Nov 22 |
| Week 5: | Nov 22 – Nov 29 |
| Week 6: | Nov 29 – Dec 6 |
| Week 7: | Dec 6 – Dec 13 |
| Week 8: | Dec 13 – Dec 17 (Sunday) |
Weekly Schedule:
Week 1: Role of Epidemiology in Public Health
Weekly Outcomes:
- Assess models of causal relationships in order to understand a public health condition.
- Discuss fundamentals of epidemiology and how they can be used for modern application.
- Apply standard methods for conducting a situation analysis/needs assessment to identify an important public health condition.
- Apply concepts of prevention to a public health scenario.
Readings/Videos:
- As assigned
Assignments:
- Discussion: Introduce yourself and talk about your GPH background.
- Discussion: Provide at least one example of primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention for the condition you will be focusing on in your Final Project.
- Situation Analysis Proposal: This week you will take the first steps towards completing your situation analysis and elevator pitch. Choose a specific condition that you will work with for the rest of the term.
Week 2: Quantifying and Comparing Epidemiological Measures
Weekly Outcomes:
- Apply key epidemiological measures to the health status of a population.
- Quantify measures of morbidity and mortality rates for public health conditions.
- Calculate ratios, proportions, and rates for a provided case study.
- Apply facets of descriptive epidemiology to a public health problem.
Readings/Videos:
- As assigned
Assignments:
- Discussion: This week you will focus on the people affected by the condition you chose in Week 1. You will also consider how you would represent this information using two graphics.
- Reminder: Next week your literature review is due. Start compiling resources now.
- Practice Quiz.
Week 3: Epidemiologic Study Designs I
Weekly Outcomes:
- Review different study designs of epidemiology to understand the strengths and weaknesses of each.
- Compare cross sectional and case control studies.
- Identify components of a specific study design.
- Interpret a calculated odds ratio.
Readings/Videos:
- As assigned
Assignments:
- Discussion: This week you will answer questions that deal with case control and cross-section study designs.
- Quiz 1: This quiz covers information from Weeks 1 through 3.
- Literature Review: Complete a literature review of a least 5 sources that relate to your chosen condition or disease.
Week 4: Epidemiologic Study Designs II
Weekly Outcomes:
- Critically analyze a peer-reviewed epidemiological article’s study design.
- Understand the implications of sharing data and privacy in public health
Readings/Videos:
- As assigned
Assignments:
- Discussion: Sharing data, and privacy
- Assignment: Identify one morbidity rate and one mortality rates for the chosen condition. You will compare this data from your identified area to another area.
Week 5: Causal Inference and Bias
Weekly Outcomes:
- Discuss different measures of absolute versus relative effects.
- Establish different ways to minimize bias at the design and analysis phase.
- Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of a specific study design.
Readings/Videos:
- As assigned
Assignments:
- Discussion: Clinical trials studying the efficacy of certain drugs have to be conducted in a systematic manner in order to minimize bias in the design and analysis phase. In this discussion you will analyze a specific example and propose actions that could have prevented the showdown between the leadership and the FDA.
- Assignment: Analyze a study design related to your condition or disease.
Week 6: Social Epidemiology
Weekly Outcomes:
- Assess how social determinants of health influence epidemiological interactions.
- Craft a situation analysis of a particular condition to show a need for an intervention or public health policy.
- Discuss the importance of sensitivity and specificity in a study.
Readings/Videos:
- As assigned
Assignments:
- Discussion: Health disparities
- Final Project 1: Situation Analysis Submission
Week 7: Screening and Surveillance
Weekly Outcomes:
- Identify health problems and health hazards in the community in order to reduce the burden of disease.
- Discuss control measures that respond to issues of public health concern.
- Communicate epidemiological measures in the form of an elevator pitch.
- Apply different characteristics and evaluation methods to a screening test.
Readings/Videos:
- As assigned
Assignments:
- Discussion: In this discussion you will focus on an article dealing with breast cancer screening and surveillance.
- Final Project 2: Elevator Pitch Submission
Week 8: Applications of Epidemiology
Weekly Outcomes:
- Explore epidemiological careers and outlook in different branches.
- Discuss the importance of different branches of epidemiology.
- Discuss current events in epidemiology to understand the future direction of the field.
Readings/Videos:
- As assigned
Assignments:
- Discussion: Post your elevator pitch for review by your peers.
- Discussion: Choose an epidemiological application/field that you find interesting.
- Quiz 2: This quiz covers information from Weeks 4 through 7
Student Resources
Online Student Support
Your Student Support Specialist is a resource for you. Please don't hesitate to contact them for assistance, including, but not limited to course planning, current problems or issues in a course, technology concerns, or personal emergencies.
Questions? Visit the Student Support Public Health page
UNE Libraries:
- Library Access for all students: Your library login ID and password are the same as the ones you use to log into Brightspace.
- Public Health Databases: https://library.une.edu/library-materials/find/research-by-subject/public-health/
- Library Questions: Ask a librarian or phone library staff at (207) 602-2361 or (207) 221-4330.
UNE Student Academic Success Center
UNE's Student Academic Success Center (SASC) offers a range of free online services to support your academic achievement. Writing support, ESOL support, study strategy and learning style consultations, as well as downloadable resources, are available to all matriculating students. The SASC also offers tutoring for GPH 712 Epidemiology, GPH 716 Biostatistics, GPH 717 Applied Epidemiology, GPH 718 Biostatistics II, and GPH 719 Research Methods. To make an appointment for any of these services, go to une.tutortrac.com. For more information and to view and download writing and studying resources, please visit:
Information Technology Services (ITS)
- ITS Contact: Toll Free Help Desk 24 hours/7 days per week at 1-877-518-4673
Accommodations
Any student who would like to request, or ask any questions regarding, academic adjustments or accommodations must contact the Student Access Center at (207) 221-4438 or pcstudentaccess@une.edu. Student Access Center staff will evaluate the student's documentation and determine eligibility of accommodation(s) through the Student Access Center registration procedure.
Online Peer Support
Togetherall is a 24/7 communication and emotional support platform monitored by trained clinicians. It’s a safe place online to get things off your chest, have conversations, express yourself creatively, and learn how to manage your mental health. If sharing isn’t your thing, Togetherall has other tools and courses to help you look after yourself with plenty of resources to explore. Whether you’re struggling to cope, feeling low, or just need a place to talk, Togetherall can help you explore your feelings in a safe supportive environment. You can join Togetherall using your UNE email address.
Information Technology Services (ITS)
Students should notify their Student Support Specialist and instructor in the event of a problem relating to a course. This notification should occur promptly and proactively to support timely resolution.
ITS Contact: Toll-Free Help Desk 24 hours/7 days per week at 1-877-518-4673.
Career Ready Program
The College of Professional Studies supports its online students and alumni in their career journey!
The Career Ready Program provides tools and resources to help students explore and hone in on their career goals, search for jobs, create and improve professional documents, build professional network, learn interview skills, grow as a professional, and more. Come back often, at any time, as you move through your journey from career readiness as a student to career growth, satisfaction, and success as alumni.
Policies
AMA Writing Style Statement
The American Medical Association Manual (AMA) of Style, 11th edition is the required writing format for this course. Additional support for academic writing and AMA format is provided throughout the coursework as well as at the UNE Portal for Online Students.
Online resources: AMA Style Guide
Turnitin Originality Check and Plagiarism Detection Tool
The College of Professional Studies uses Turnitin to help deter plagiarism and to foster the proper attribution of sources. Turnitin provides comparative reports for submitted assignments that reflect similarities in other written works. This can include, but is not limited to, previously submitted assignments, internet articles, research journals, and academic databases.
Make sure to cite your sources appropriately as well as use your own words in synthesizing information from published literature. Webinars and workshops, included early in your coursework, will help guide best practices in APA citation and academic writing.
You can learn more about Turnitin in the guide on how to navigate your Similarity Report.
Technology Requirements
Please review the technical requirements for UNE Online Graduate Programs: Technical Requirements
Course Evaluation Policy
Course surveys are one of the most important tools that University of New England uses for evaluating the quality of your education, and for providing meaningful feedback to instructors on their teaching. In order to assure that the feedback is both comprehensive and precise, we need to receive it from each student for each course. Evaluation access is distributed via UNE email at the beginning of the last week of the course.
Late Policy
Students are responsible for submitting work by the date indicated in Brightspace.
Quizzes and Tests: Quizzes and tests must be completed by the due date. They will not be accepted after the due date.
Assignments: Unless otherwise specified, assignments will be accepted up to 3 days late; however, there is a 10% grade reduction (from the total points) for the late submission. After three days the assignment will not be accepted.
Discussion posts: If the initial post is submitted late, but still within the discussion board week, there will be a 10% grade reduction from the total discussion grade (e.g., a 3 point discussion will be reduced by 0.3 points). Any posts submitted after the end of the Discussion Board week will not be graded.
Please make every effort ahead of time to contact your instructor and your student support specialist if you are not able to meet an assignment deadline. Arrangements for extenuating circumstances may be considered by faculty.
Student Handbook Online - Policies and Procedures
The policies contained within this document apply to all students in the College of Graduate and Professional Studies. It is each student's responsibility to know the contents of this handbook.
UNE Course Withdrawal
Please contact your student support specialist if you are considering dropping or withdrawing from a course. The last day to drop for 100% tuition refund is the 2nd day of the course. Financial Aid charges may still apply. Students using Financial Aid should contact the Financial Aid Office prior to withdrawing from a course.
Academic Integrity
The University of New England values academic integrity in all aspects of the educational experience. Academic dishonesty in any form undermines this standard and devalues the original contributions of others. It is the responsibility of all members of the University community to actively uphold the integrity of the academy; failure to act, for any reason, is not acceptable. For information about plagiarism and academic misconduct, please visit https://www.une.edu/studentlife/plagiarism.
Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to the following:
- Cheating, copying, or the offering or receiving of unauthorized assistance or information.
- Fabrication or falsification of data, results, or sources for papers or reports.
- Action which destroys or alters the work of another student.
- Multiple submissions of the same paper or report for assignments in more than one course without permission of each instructor.
- Plagiarism, the appropriation of records, research, materials, ideas, or the language of other persons or writers and the submission of them as one's own.
Charges of academic dishonesty will be reviewed by the Program Director. Penalties for students found responsible for violations may depend upon the seriousness and circumstances of the violation, the degree of premeditation involved, and/or the student’s previous record of violations. Appeal of a decision may be made to the Dean whose decision will be final. Student appeals will take place through the grievance process outlined in the student handbook.
Attendance Policy
8 week: Students taking online graduate courses through the College of Professional Studies will be administratively dropped for non-participation if a graded assignment/discussion post is not submitted before Sunday at 11:59 pm ET of the first week of the term. Reinstatement is at the purview of the Dean's Office.
16 week: Students taking online graduate courses through the College of Professional Studies will be administratively dropped for non-participation if a graded assignment/discussion post is not submitted before Friday at 11:59 pm ET of the second week of the term. Reinstatement is at the purview of the Dean's Office.
Student Handbook Online - Policies and Procedures
The policies contained within this document apply to all students in the College of Professional Studies. It is each student's responsibility to know the contents of this handbook.
UNE Course Withdrawal
Please contact your student support specialist if you are considering dropping or withdrawing from a course. The last day to drop for 100% tuition refund is the 2nd day of the course. Financial Aid charges may still apply. Students using Financial Aid should contact the Financial Aid Office prior to withdrawing from a course.
Academic Integrity
The University of New England values academic integrity in all aspects of the educational experience. Academic dishonesty in any form undermines this standard and devalues the original contributions of others. It is the responsibility of all members of the University community to actively uphold the integrity of the academy; failure to act, for any reason, is not acceptable. For information about plagiarism and academic misconduct, please visit UNE Plagiarism Policies.
Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to the following:
- Cheating, copying, or the offering or receiving of unauthorized assistance or information.
- Fabrication or falsification of data, results, or sources for papers or reports.
- Action which destroys or alters the work of another student.
- Multiple submissions of the same paper or report for assignments in more than one course without permission of each instructor.
- Plagiarism, the appropriation of records, research, materials, ideas, or the language of other persons or writers and the submission of them as one's own.
Charges of academic dishonesty will be reviewed by the Program Director. Penalties for students found responsible for violations may depend upon the seriousness and circumstances of the violation, the degree of premeditation involved, and/or the student’s previous record of violations. Appeal of a decision may be made to the Dean whose decision will be final. Student appeals will take place through the grievance process outlined in the student handbook.