An introductory course to epidemiology, consisting both of lectures and practical exercises
Learning outcomes
To provide the students with an understanding on epidemiological concepts and abilities to critically interpret reports from epidemiological studies
Contents
• The scope of epidemiology and its basic concepts • Concepts and measures of disease occurrence • Measurement of associations between exposures and outcomes • Defining exposure and outcome, validity of measurements • Systematic error (bias), random error and confounding • Essential elements, strengths, and weaknesses of typical epidemiological research designs o Ecological studies o Cross-sectional studies o Case-control studies o Cohort studies o Randomised controlled trials and other intervention studies • Scientific inference: distinction between association, causality, confounding, or inconclusive results
Teaching methods
Teaching method
Contact
Online
Lectures
24 h
0 h
Exercises
16 h
0 h
Recommended literature
Teaching language
English
Modes of study
Participation in the practical exercises, examination
Evaluation
and evaluation criteria
Numeric 1-5.
Practical exercises graded on a scale of pass / fail. Exam is graded on a scale of 1 – 5 or failed.
Recommended year of study
1. year autumn
Study materials
Relevant sections from each optional book
Santos Silva, I dos, Cancer Epidemiology: Principles and methods. IARC & WHO 1999;
Gordis L, Epidemiology. 3. ed. Elsevier Saunders 2004;
Hennekens CH, Buring JE, Epidemiology in Medicine. 1987;
Webb P, Bain C, Pirozzo S, Essential Epidemiology: an introduction for students and health professionals. Cambridge University Press 2005.