Syllabus

Schedule

Week 1: Mar 13 – Mar 20
Week 2: Mar 20 – Mar 27
Week 3: Mar 27 – Apr 3
Week 4: Apr 3 – Apr 10
Week 5: Apr 10 – Apr 17
Week 6: Apr 17 – Apr 24
Week 7: Apr 24 – May 1
Week 8: May 1 – May 5

Week 1: General Principles of Infectious Disease Epidemiology

Weekly Outcomes

• Describe the history of infectious disease epidemiology
• Describe the biological characteristics of infectious disease organisms
• Discuss the natural history of infectious diseases
• Explain disease transmission using the epidemiological triangle

Readings

• Textbook: Chapter 2 – Epidemiology of Infectious Disease: General Principles
• Centers for Disease Control. Achievements in public health, 1900-1999: control of infectious diseases. MMWR. 1999;48(29):621-629.
• Blondet F, Aebischer O, Tusgul S, et al. Infectious diseases : Achievements, new Developments and Perspectives in 2021. Revue Medicale Suisse. 2022;18(767):173-181-181. doi:10.53738/REVMED.2022.18.767.173

Videos

• Week 1 Lecture Part 1 – Infectious Disease Epidemiology Course Overview
• Week 1 Lecture Part 2 – History and Overview of Infectious Disease Epidemiology

Assignments

• Introduction Discussion 
• Week 1 Discussion – Infectious Disease of Interest:

  Initial Post: Using about 500 words, describe one infectious disease that is of interest to you using these five headings: agent, host, environment, morbidity rate (for the state where you live), and mortality rate (for the state where you live).

  Note: If you live outside the US, use data from Texas.

  Response: Select the post of a peer and provide a detailed critique of how well their initial post described the components of the epidemiology triangle? Then describe the natural history of the infectious disease that they discussed.

  Please cite all sources referenced using AMA.

• Week 1 Acknowledgement of Academic Engagement Quiz

Week 2: Completing an Outbreak Investigation

Weekly Outcomes

• Apply critical thinking skills to a real-life public health issue.
• Describe the steps for completing an outbreak.
• Establish a case definition based on person, place, and time.

Readings

• Textbook: Chapter 5 – Outbreak Epidemiology
• Centers for Disease Control. Outbreak Investigation: Section 6.

Videos

• Week 2 Lecture: Outbreak Investigation

Assignments

• Week 2 Discussion – Case Definition:

  Initial Post: Case definition is a key step in outbreak investigations. Therefore, clearly explain the term ‘case definition’. Describe the features of a good case definition, and explain the importance and limitations of case definitions. The length of your post should be ~ 300 – 400 words.

  Response Post: Select one limitation of case definition identified by your peer, and discuss two options to overcome it.

  Please cite all sources referenced using AMA.

• Week 2 Assignment – Outbreak Simulations: Complete three simulations of an outbreak investigation from the CDC Solve the Outbreak series.

Week 3: Surveillance

Weekly Outcomes

• Assess the prevalence of STIs in their states using a CDC website.
• Interpret morbidity and mortality rates.
• Communicate surveillance data using audience-appropriate language

Readings

• Textbook: Chapter 24 (pages 800-807): ‘Epidemiology and Behavior’ till the end of the chapter.
• Surveillance: About Notifiable Infectious Diseases & Conditions Data
• McCrorie AD, Donnelly C, McGlade KJ. Infographics: healthcare communication for the digital age. Ulster Med J 2016;85(2):71-75.
• Scott H, Fawkner S, Oliver CW, Murray A. How to make an engaging infographic? Br. J. Sports Med. 2016;0(0):1-2.
• Health equity: CSC STD Health Equity

Videos

• Week 3 Lecture: Sexually Transmitted Infections and the Use of Surveillance Data

Assignments

• Week 3 Discussion: STIs and Health Equity:

  The discussion post this week has two components:

  1. Morbidity data presentation using charts.
     • Go to this site: AtlasPlus | NCHHSTP
     • Generate one chart each for the most recent gonorrhea and chlamydia data for all ages, all races/ethnicities, and both sexes in the state where you reside. Save both graphs in one PowerPoint file and post the slides on the discussion board. (If you live outside the US, use data for Maine). 
  2. Creation of an infographic for the community. 
     • The public should be aware of their risk for contracting a sexually transmitted infection, and how to prevent it from spreading. One way to do this is to communicate that information clearly and concisely. Design an infographic to create awareness of risk for sexually transmitted infections in your state of residence using surveillance data. 
     • You may use PowerPoint or any template of your choice, but it should be limited to one page, and include morbidity data, risk factors, prevention measures, and where they can go to get tested or treated. Save it as a PDF file and post it on the discussion board.

  
  

• Week 3 Quiz

Week 4: Study Design: Case Control and Cohort Studies

Weekly Outcomes

• Apply foundational knowledge on study designs
• State research questions related to the cause, prevention, or control of infectious disease
• Select the appropriate study design to answer research questions
• Design a data collection tool for an infectious disease outbreak investigation

Readings

• Textbook: Chapter 3 – Study Design
• Textbook: Chapter 5 – Collecting Risk Information
• Wu YC, Chen CS, Chan YJ. The outbreak of COVID-19: an overview. J Chin Med Assoc 2020;83:217-220.
• Developing strong research questions
• Finding and creating surveys/questionnaires

Videos

• Week 4 Lecture 1: Study Design
• Week 4 Lecture 2: Questionnaire Design

Assignments

• Week 4 Discussion – Questionnaire Design:

  Background Info:

  There has been a confirmed outbreak of a new variant of COVID-19 in Lala Land despite everyone being vaccinated. 

  Initial Post: Generate one research question suitable for a case-control study, and another research question suitable for a prospective cohort study. Your research questions should have an exposure and outcome, and have a ‘who’, a ‘what’, and a ‘where’. Then, design a questionnaire suitable for the case-control study research question using REDCap (see instructions from Week 1 on how to obtain a RedCap account). 

  Your online survey should include 15 to 20 questions (excluding name, age, and address). Use only close-ended questions. At least one question should require the use of branching logic. At least one question should allow participants to “Select all that apply,” and at least one question should require the participants to select only one answer. Include question numbers for each question.

  You will submit 3 items for this discussion post:

  1. One research question suitable for a case-control study, and another research question suitable for a cohort study.
  2. The URL to your RedCap survey for the case-control study. This should be the public URL that you can find on the left sidebar when you click “Manage Participants”.
  3. A copy of the data dictionary spreadsheet as an attachment.

  Post early in the week so that you can get good peer feedback.

  Response post: Review the post of one classmate, and answer each one of these questions:

  1. Do both research questions clearly state the exposure and outcome? Why or why not?
  2. Can the research questions be answered using the selected study designs? Why or why not?
  3. Can the questions in the REDCap questionnaire answer the research question? Why or why not?

  Your response post must first clearly state whether or not you agree with the question, and after that, why you agree or disagree. 

Week 5: Levels of Disease Prevention

Weekly Outcomes

• Apply knowledge related to different levels of disease prevention
• Evaluate the use of a technological app in the prevention of disease

Readings

• Textbook: Chapter 27 – Malaria
• World Health Organization. World Malaria Report 2019. https://www.who.int/malaria/. Published 2019.
• Lee M, Lee H, Kim Y, Kim J, Cho M, Jang J, Jang H. Mobile app-based health promotion programs: a systematic review of the literature. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health. 2018; 15(12):2838. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph15122838
• Salabarría-Peña Y, Apt BS, Walsh CM. Practical use of program evaluation among sexually transmitted disease (STD) programs. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Published 2007.

Videos

• Week 5 Lecture: Evaluating the Use of Technology in Disease Prevention

Assignments

• Week 5 Discussion – The Use of Technology in Malaria Prevention:

  Initial Post: You are the public health officer at a community health center in a rural community in Mopa, Nigeria. There is a high rate of preterm deliveries and low birth weight babies in this community due to malaria – three times the national average. Nurses have been having a hard time getting women to come in for prenatal care where they can receive prophylactic antimalarials and multivitamins. They have tried posters, flyers, brochures, and radio jingles, but none of these have worked. Your goal is to decrease malaria morbidity and mortality in Mopa.

  There is a new proposal to design an app for pregnant women to remind them to come in for prenatal care. The app will also help them keep track of their clinic visits and lab results. They can also schedule a clinic visit right from within the app. A formative evaluation has determined that the intervention is feasible and acceptable.

  Assuming every woman has a cell phone, and access to great internet service, list 5 evaluation questions you will use to determine the effectiveness of the app. Describe 3 challenges you anticipate with utilizing the app to increase prenatal care visits? 

  Response Post: Select one of the challenges mentioned by a classmate and discuss how it can be addressed. 

  Please cite all sources referenced using AMA.

• Assignment – Journal Article Summaries: Search for 3 peer-reviewed journal articles published within the last 10 years that focus on either primary or secondary prevention of malaria, and write a one-page summary of each paper. Each journal article should focus on a different level of the socioecological model of health (For example, one individual level, one community level, and one policy level prevention strategy).

Week 6: Study Design: Experimental Studies

Weekly Outcomes

• Apply foundational knowledge on experimental study designs
• Explain the application of health equity principles to a real-life public health issue
• Apply critical thinking skills related to One Health

Readings

• Textbook: Chapter 11 – Vaccines: Past, Present, and Future
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. One Health.
• Le TK, Cha L, Han HR, Tseng W. Anti-Asian xenophobia and Asian American COVID-19 disparities. AJPH. 2020;110(9):1371-1373.

Videos

• Week 6 Lecture 1: Experimental Studies and Health Equity
• Week 6 Lecture 2: One Health

Assignments

• Week 6 Discussion –  Infectious Disease and Health Equity:

  Rosemill is a hypothetical neighborhood in the United States. Ninety percent of the population earn less than $50,000/year, 30% are 65 years or older, and 60% have no health insurance or are under-insured. Fifty percent are overweight or have obesity, 40% use tobacco daily, and 60% rely on public transportation. Fifty percent of the population identifies as Black, Indigenous, or a Person of Color.

  Recently, there has been an outbreak of Gogginsitis disease (not a real disease) among dogs in the community. Gogginsitis causes a mild disease in pets, but when transmitted to humans, it causes significant morbidity and mortality. Due to inequities in care and racism, older adults, people with pre-existing health conditions, and BIPOC are at a higher risk for poor health outcomes. A safe and effective vaccine has been developed to prevent humans from contracting Gogginsitis from their pets, and everyone is eager to get vaccinated.

  Initial post: Which one group should be a high priority for receiving the vaccine? What issues did you consider in making your determination? Discuss at least two.

  Response: Respond to a classmate who selected a group different from yours to prioritize. Read at least one of the papers they cited. Did their cited paper fully support their argument? What other considerations do you think are missing from their discussion post?

  Please cite all sources referenced using AMA.

• Week 6 Quiz

Week 7: Outbreak Investigation Plan

Weekly Outcomes

• Apply concepts covered in earlier weeks of the course including case definition, generating a hypothesis, survey design, and communication.

Readings

• CDC Section 6: Investigating an Outbreak
• It is also a good idea to reach out to the Student Academic Success Center for writing help.

Videos

• Week 7 Lecture: Writing the Outbreak Investigation Plan

Assignments

• Final Project -Outbreak Investigation Plan: Upon completing this course, students will have a good background in the fundamentals of infectious disease epidemiology and public health pertaining to infectious diseases, and be prepared to use these skills in their practice. This final project allows the students to apply the knowledge and skills they have acquired in this class to a hypothetical infectious disease outbreak. The students are the new epidemiologist at a local health department tasked with developing a plan to investigate the outbreak of an infectious disease. The goal is to convince the city council to support and fully fund all aspects of the investigation.

Week 8: Healthcare Associated Infections

Weekly Outcomes

• Apply knowledge of disease transmission principles to prevention and control practices
• Describe disease prevention and control practices for healthcare-associated infections

Readings

• Textbook: Chapter 14 – Healthcare-Associated Infections
• Haque M, Sartelli M, McKimm J, and Abu Bakar M. Health care-associated infections – an overview. Infect Drug Resist. 2018;11 2321-2333.

Videos

• Week 8 Lecture: Healthcare-Associated Infections

Assignments

• Week 8 Discussion – HAIs Scenario:

  Initial post: Describe the path that you took to get to the “Congratulations” page.

  • Did you try different solutions first, or did you end up there right away?
  • Was there any step that was more difficult than others or were they all relatively hard/easy? Why?

  You will be able to go through the exercise in Twine as many times as you want, choosing different paths each time. However, your initial post should focus on a single path—your first one. There is not a single “correct” path. You are not being graded on the path you chose, but rather on your ability to critically analyze your choices, what went into those choices, and their apparent consequences.

  Response 1: Examine the path chosen by one of your peers. Identify at least one instance in which your peer may have been challenged by a hypothetical colleague for the choice they made—in other words, a hypothetical colleague who believes your peer should have chosen a different step in that instance. State specifically what the colleague might say is the better choice, and how they might support the alternative path. Cite peer-reviewed publications to justify the alternative path.

  Response 2: Review the initial post from a different peer as well as the response(s) to that peer’s post. How might your peer respond to the colleague’s challenge? In other words, how might your peer justify their original path, given the arguments presented against that path? 
  Then, thinking more broadly, state at least two challenges hospitals face in reducing HAIs. Why do you think these challenges are particularly difficult to overcome?  

  Please cite all sources referenced using AMA.

Student Resources

Policies