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Epidemiology Course for Public Health Practice

What makes the world turn? It’s data, disease, and the science of epidemiology.

(EPIDEM.AE1) / ISBN : 978-1-64459-513-8
This course includes
Interactive Lessons
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About This Course

Receive a proper introduction to Epidemiology! 

This epidemiology course introduces the world of diseases, data, and detective work. You’ll explore disease patterns, learn prevention strategies, and discover how to trace an outbreak’s roots.

From ancient theories to modern surveillance, this Epidemiology study guide covers it all – because finding what makes us sick is key to keeping us well.

Skills You’ll Get

  • Analyze disease patterns and trends to understand how diseases spread
  • Identify risk factors and modes of disease transmission
  • Apply mathematical methods to calculate rates, risks, and prevalence
  • Conduct outbreak investigations with step-by-step methodologies
  • Evaluate the effectiveness of prevention strategies and vaccines 
  • Interpret epidemiologic data to make informed public health decisions
  • Develop a strong foundation in ethical research practices and data collection

Download Course Outline

1

Introduction

  • About This Course
  • Icons Used in This Course
  • Where to Go from Here
2

Entering the World of Epidemiology

  • Introducing Epidemiology
  • Recognizing How Numbers Can Help Study Disease
  • Focusing on Prevention Rather Than a Cure
  • Delving into Study Finding
  • Figuring Out What You Know about Epidemiology: Some Q&As
3

Epidemiology 101 — Understanding the Basics

  • Defining Epidemiology — What to Expect from Your Coursework and Beyond
  • Realizing Why Epidemiology Is Important
  • Understanding How Epidemiology Tools Are Applied
  • Contrasting the Roles of a Physician and Epidemiologist
  • Seeking Medications
  • Considering How a Disease Is Transmitted
  • Searching for Sources of Epidemiologic Data
4

Exploring the Development of Epidemiological Thinking

  • Meeting Hippocrates — the First Epidemiologist
  • Tackling the Miasma Theory
  • Examining Contributions to Medicine and Public Health – Thomas Sydenham
  • Using Concepts of Environmental Epidemiology — Noah Webster
  • The Germ Theory — Washing Hands Is Essential
  • Working on Workers’ Diseases — Bernardino Ramazzini
  • The Birth of Vital Statistics: No Labor Pains Involved
  • Examining the Start of Epidemiology and Public Health in the United States
  • Reforming Public Health in England
  • Looking At Modern Epidemiology
5

Eyeing the Milestones in Public Health

  • Finding the Treatment of Scurvy — James Lind
  • Discovering Sources of Cholera in London’s Golden Square — John Snow
  • Uncovering Causes of Pellagra — Joseph Goldberger
  • Describing the 1918 Influenza Pandemic
  • Eradicating Smallpox
  • Finding Smoking as a Cause of Lung Cancer
  • Feeling the Beat of the Framingham Heart Study
6

Recognizing Diseases and Controlling Them

  • Identifying the Modes of Transmission
  • Eyeing the Chain of Infection: Can You Break It?
  • Examining the Natural History of Disease
  • Listing Common Notifiable Diseases
  • Controlling Waterborne Diseases
  • Tackling Problems of Airborne Infections
  • Curving Vector-Borne Diseases
  • Limiting Parasitic Infections
  • Controlling Sexually Transmitted Infections
  • Dealing With Emerging Infectious Diseases
  • Identifying Diseases Caused by Heavy Metals
7

Tackling the Epidemiologic Triangle

  • Scrutinizing an Acute Disease Model
  • Inspecting a Chronic Disease Model
  • Understanding How Climate Change Can Affect Health
8

Inspecting Descriptive Epidemiology: Person, Place, and Time

  • Knowing Person Factors
  • Focusing on Place Factors
  • Checking Time Factors
9

Viewing Disease Patterns

  • Defining the Epidemiologic Transition
  • Grasping Why Epidemiologic Transition Happens
  • Studying Some Chronic Health Conditions
  • Understanding How Epidemiologic Transition Affects Healthcare
10

Linking Demography and Disease

  • Defining Demography — Why It’s Important
  • Using Demographic Data to Identify Population at Risk
  • Tackling Population Pyramids: Not the Ones in Egypt
  • Projecting Population – Simple Math
11

Digging into Math: Calculating Rates and Risks

  • Addressing Some Basics When Calculating Descriptive Epidemiology
  • Calculating Crude Morbidity and Crude Mortality Rates
  • Figuring Out Commonly Used Rates
  • Measuring Incidence and Prevalence
  • Standardizing Rates
12

Focusing on the Levels of Prevention

  • Identifying Primary Prevention
  • Recognizing Secondary Prevention
  • Examining Tertiary Prevention
13

Preventing Disease with Vaccine

  • Getting the Lowdown on Immunity
  • Planning Shots for Children, from Birth through Adolescence
  • Looking Closer at Cancer-Preventing Vaccines
  • Identifying Common Vaccine-Preventable Diseases
  • Preventing Disease for World Travelers
14

Recognizing Methods of Disease Surveillance

  • Differentiating between Survey, Surveillance, and Monitoring
  • Defining the Types of Surveillance
  • Conducting Surveillance: The How-to
15

Investigating an Outbreak

  • Conducting an Epidemic Investigation
  • Digging Out Cases by Surveillance, Step-by-Step
  • Using Makeshift Hospitals
  • Walking through an Outbreak Investigation
16

Identifying Disease by Screening

  • Defining Screening
  • Naming Ingredients of a Good Screening Test
  • Looking Closer at Some Common Screening Programs
  • Evaluating Screening Tests
17

Figuring Out Whether an Association Is Causal

  • Establishing Causality
  • Understanding Hill’s Criteria for Causality
  • Making Rothman’s Causal Pie
18

Investigating the Types of Epidemiologic Studies

  • Looking At the Anatomy of Epidemiologic Studies
  • Conducting a Cross-Sectional Study
  • Plotting a Case-Control Study
  • Leading a Cohort Study
  • Figuring Out an Ecological Study
  • Developing a Questionnaire
19

Encountering Bias and Confounding

  • Defining Bias
  • Clarifying What Confounding Means
  • Reviewing Bias-Affecting Research Findings
  • Steering Clear of Bias in the Initial Stages of Research
  • Controlling for Confounders
20

Focusing On Ethics in Health Research

  • Comprehending the Evolution of Ethical Norms in Research
  • Grasping the Importance of a Code of Ethics
  • Using Informed Consent
21

Ten Careers with a Degree in Epidemiology

  • Epidemiologist
  • Environmental Epidemiologist
  • Surveillance Data Analyst and Epidemiologist
  • Infection Control Officer
  • Research Scientist
  • Research Associate
  • Data Analyst
  • Program Manager
  • Chief Medical/Quality Officer
  • Data and Research Coordinator
22

Ten Tips for Acing Your Epidemiology Classes

  • Ask and Answer Questions in Class
  • Practice, Practice, and Practice
  • Take Good Class Notes
  • Get Information Online
  • Apply the Knowledge
  • Make a Cheat Sheet
  • Use a Scientific Calculator
  • Memorize Some Definitions and Steps
  • Get Involved in Research
  • Participate in Group Work

Any questions?
Check out the FAQs

Read more about our online epidemiology course in this section.

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An epidemiology study investigates the patterns, causes, and effects of health and disease conditions in specific populations to prevent or control health issues.

The 7 uses of epidemiology uses: 

  • Identifying the cause of diseases 
  • Tracking public health trends
  • Evaluating healthcare interventions
  • Guiding public health policies
  • Planning healthcare services
  • Assessing environmental risks
  • Promoting disease prevention

The main types are descriptive epidemiology (studying the “who, when, and where” of diseases), analytic epidemiology (exploring “how and why”), and experimental epidemiology (testing preventive and therapeutic interventions).

The science of epidemiology aims to control and prevent disease, understand health trends, improve population health, and guide public health policy.

The rate ratio is computed by dividing the incidence rate of one group by that of another (e.g. exposed vs unexposed group). This helps compare risks across groups.

Yes, this course equips you with clinical epidemiology skills like disease analysis, prevention strategies, and data interpretation, vital for public health roles.

Our epidemiology for public health practice course prepares you for roles like epidemiologist, infection control officer, public health analyst, surveillance data specialist, or research scientist.

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