Syllabus

Schedule

Week 1: January 6 – 13

Topics: Introduction, history, biological basics of infectious disease, basic terminology

Objectives:

• Define infectious disease epidemiology.
• Identify key moments in the historical evolution of infectious disease epidemiology and its influences on present day practice.
• Describe biological basics of infectious disease.
• Define and apply basic epidemiological terms and measures.

Readings:

• Textbook Magnus chapters 1, 2, 5, and Appendix 2
• Understanding Microbes in In Sickness and Health (NIAID): http://www.niaid.nih.gov/topics/microbes/documents/microbesbook.pdf

Lecture:

• Introduction and Foundational Concepts (Gunderman)

Discussion Board:

• Post 1: Introduction: Introduce yourself to the class. Tell us where you live and 3 other interesting facts about yourself. Describe what you hope to learn in the class and your expectations.
• Post 2: Take a photo of something related to infectious disease. I encourage you to be in the photo too. Upload it onto the discussion board. Provide 3-5 sentences of how your photo relates to infectious disease.
• Post 3: Respond to colleague’s photo.

 

Week 2: January 13 – 20

Topics: Descriptive epidemiology, epidemiological triangle, data sources

Objectives:

• Apply descriptive epidemiology and the epidemiological triangle to describe infectious diseases.
• Identify sources of infectious disease epidemiological data.

Readings:

• Textbook Magnus chapter 3
• Review/read Healthy People 2020 topics: HIV; Immunizations and Infectious Disease; and Sexually Transmitted Diseases. Explore the data in the “Objectives” tab. http://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/topics-objectives/topic/hiv

Lecture:

• Descriptive Epidemiology (Gunderman)

Discussion Board:

• Post 1: Research data sources for infectious diseases. You can use one listed in the lecture. In your post identify the data source and provide the web link. Describe what you liked about the data source, how you would use it, and recommendations for improvement.
• Post 2: Pick a data source from one of the posts. Identify 2 indicators/measures/pieces of data from that source. Explain/Interpret what the data means.

Assignment 1:

Choose an infectious disease within each category. Using the template provided, apply the epidemiological triangle to your chosen infectious diseases. Use and correctly reference relevant data (AMA format) to describe agent, host, and environment. Due Wednesday January 20 at 11:59PM via Blackboard.

Reminder: The assignment for Week 3 requires that you watch the movie Contagion — please make sure to make plans to do so.

 

Week 3: January 20 – 27

Topics: Surveillance, outbreak investigation

Objectives:

• List the steps of an outbreak investigation.
• Describe surveillance and its role in infectious disease epidemiology.

Readings:

• Textbook Magnus Chapters 4, 12
• Outbreak Investigation Cheat Sheet: http://blogs.cdc.gov/publichealthmatters/2011/09/outbreak-investigation-a- cheat-sheet/

Lectures:

• Investigating an Infectious Disease Outbreak (Gunderman)
• Public Health Professions- Epidemiology: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNwM2pKdbZg

Discussion Board:

• Post 1: The World Health Organization (WHO) has identified an emerging infectious disease. Its symptoms include: fever, headache, and other meningitis like symptoms. It seems to have been first identified in tropical climates with heat and humidity. You are working for your country, state, or local health department that has the authority to conduct surveillance. What do you need to do to build a strong surveillance system for this emerging disease? Provide 2 recommendations. Things to consider include: What information should you be collecting? How should you be collecting it? From whom should you be collecting it?
• Post 2: Respond to another student’s post. Describe which partners should be involved to implement their recommendations for a strong surveillance system. Provide examples.

Assignment 2:

Watch the movie Contagion. Using the attached template, provide the information and critique about the outbreak investigation conducted in the movie. Due Wednesday January 27 at 11:59PM via Blackboard.

 

Week 4: January 27 – February 3

Topics: Case control and cross sectional studies

Objectives:

• Define epidemiological studies and its appropriate application to studying infectious diseases.
• Calculate and interpret epidemiological measures of disease occurrence and the measures of effect used to compare the risk of disease.

Readings:

• Textbook Magnus Chapter 9 and Chapter 10, pages 127-129 (stop at “The Relative Risk: section), 133-136 (stop at “Interpreting the Measures” section)
• Case control study to assess potential risk factors related to human illness caused by novel coronavirus: http://www.who.int/csr/disease/coronavirus_infections/NovelCoronaCaseControlStudyPotentialRiskFactors_17May13.pdf
• Incidence of 2009 pandemic influenza A H1N1 infection in England: a cross-sectional serological study: http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736%2809%2962126-7/abstract

Lecture:

• Case Control and Cross Sectional Studies (Gunderman)

Supplemental Video:

• Calculating Risk in Case-Control Studies: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJXaroDs9oo

Discussion Board:

• Post 1: Research articles and identify an article about a cross sectional or case control study for an infectious disease. Provide the title and web link to the article. Identify the hypothesis/research question being tested; the results of the study; your interpretation of the results (in your own words); and the pros/cons of the study.
• Post 2: Respond to another’s student’s post. Provide recommendations on how to use the findings of the study.

Assignment 3:

Design a case control study. Use the template to complete this assignment. Due Wednesday February 3 at 11:59PM via Blackboard.

 

Week 5: February 3 – 10

Topics: Cohort and experimental studies

Objectives:

• Define epidemiological studies and its appropriate application to studying infectious diseases.
• Calculate and interpret epidemiological measures of disease occurrence and the measures of effect used to compare the risk of disease.

Readings:

• Textbook Magnus chapters 7, 8, 10 (pages 129-136)
• Early childhood infectious diseases and the development of asthma up to school age: a birth cohort study: http://www.bmj.com/content/322/7283/390.short
• The Use and Interpretation of Quasi-Experimental Studies in Infectious Diseases: http://cid.oxfordjournals.org/content/38/11/1586.short 

 Lecture:

• Cohort and Experimental Studies (Gunderman) 

Supplemental Video:

• Relative Risk with the 2×2 Table: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMed9krDWEQ

Discussion Board:

• Post 1: Choose an infectious disease, develop a hypothesis you would like to study using a cohort or experimental study. Provide the hypothesis or research question you would like answer/test. Identify and list 2 studies that have been conducted that could assist as background information/literature review to your study.
• Post 2: Respond to another student. What should your colleague consider when conducting the study? Population to study? Questions to ask? etc.

Quiz:

The quiz will open when Module 5 becomes available and must be submitted by Wednesday February 10 at 11:59PM. It will contain material from modules 1-4.

 

Week 6: February 10 – 17

Topics: Infectious disease as a health equity issue.

Objectives:

• Describe the influence of infectious disease as a health disparity and health equity issue.

Reading:

• Quinn SC, Kumar S. Health inequalities and infectious disease epidemics: a challenge for global health security. Biosecur Bioterror. 2014 Sep- Oct;12(5):263-73.

Lectures:

• Infectious Disease and Health Equity (Gunderman)
• Dr. Paul Farmer and Google.org, Ebola: Beyond the Headlines: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lb11QbP3tOg

Discussion Board:

• Post 1: You are given a million dollars to invest in epidemiological resources to address health inequities of infectious diseases. Identify the disease(s) you want to focus on. Describe how you would use the funds. Conduct surveillance? Conduct a study? How is it addressing health inequities/disparity? Make a case for why your idea should get the money.
• Post 2: Respond to another student’s post from the perspective of the funder. What additional information would you want to know to make a decision about funding their initiative.

Assignment 4:

Write a letter to your legislator. Explain why your country should be involved in global health infectious disease issues. This may include polio eradication; HIV/AIDS; etc. Use epidemiological data to support your position. Make recommendations on your country’s response, including continued epidemiological activities. The letter should be no more than 2 pages double spaced, not including references. Due Wednesday February 17 at 11:59PM via Blackboard.

 

 

Week 7: February 17 – 24

Topics: Data quality

Objectives:

• Identify key characteristics of data quality and presentation.

Readings:

• Textbook Magnus chapter 11
• Updated Guidance on Evaluating Public Health Surveillance Systems: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/rr5013a1.htm

Lecture:

• Essentials of Data Quality and Presentation (Gunderman)

Discussion Board:

• Post 1: Find a table, chart, or graph on an infectious disease that you think is not presented well. Take the data from your chosen table, chart, or graph and create a new figure that presents the data better. Post both the original and your revised figures to the discussion board
• Post 2: Respond to one of your colleague’s posts. Describe if you did/did not like the revised figure and why.

Final Exam:

The final exam will open February 19 and must be submitted by Friday February 26 at 11:59PM. It will contain material from modules 1-8.

 

Week 8: February 24 – February 28 (Sunday)

Topics: Conclusion, final exam

Objectives:

• Summarize concepts, methods, models presented in course.

Lecture:

• Conclusion (Gunderman)

Discussion Board:

• Post 1: How do you hope to use the information gained in this class?



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 Blackboard/Brightspace.
• Public Health Databases: https://library.une.edu/library-materials/find/research-by-subject/public-health/
• Library Tutorial: Find an article
• 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:

• UNE Student Academic Success Center

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.

Policies

Late Policy

During weeks 1-­7, assignments submitted after the due date will receive a 5% penalty for each day the assignment is late. Late papers will not be accepted after 5 days. In week 8, the same penalty applies, however late assignments will not be accepted after the course end date on Sunday at 11:59 pm. 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. Your instructor may grant an extension without penalty for extenuating circumstances such as an emergency, serious illness, power outage, etc.

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 Turnitin Student quick start guide.

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.

Student 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:

1. Cheating, copying, or the offering or receiving of unauthorized assistance or information.
2. Fabrication or falsification of data, results, or sources for papers or reports.
3. Action which destroys or alters the work of another student.
4. Multiple submissions of the same paper or report for assignments in more than one course without permission of each instructor.
5. 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

Online students are required to submit a graded assignment/discussion prior to Sunday evening at 11:59 pm ET of the first week of the term. If a student does not submit a posting to the graded assignment/discussion prior to Sunday evening at 11:59 pm ET, the student will be automatically dropped from the course for non-participation. Review the full attendance policy.

Late Policy

Assignments: Late 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 Online Student 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:

1. Cheating, copying, or the offering or receiving of unauthorized assistance or information.
2. Fabrication or falsification of data, results, or sources for papers or reports.
3. Action which destroys or alters the work of another student.
4. Multiple submissions of the same paper or report for assignments in more than one course without permission of each instructor.
5. 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.