Analysis & Epidemiology

Department
  • European Master in Health Economics and Management
Course unit code
  • IHSM-EU-HEM-M2.4
Level of course unit
  • Master
Semester when the course unit is delivered
  • 2
Number of ECTS credits allocated
  • 5.0
Name of lecturer(s)
  • Wong An Qi Angela, BSc MA
  • Dr. Zoller Claudia
  • Dr. Pocecco Elena
  • Rochon Justine
Learning outcomes of the course unit
  • By the end of this course, students will be able to
    1. demonstrate basic knowledge and awareness of the role of epidemiology and its contribution to public health
    2. understand definitions, concept and applications of epidemiology;
    3. differentiate between the most common disease categorization schemes
    4. critically discuss public health surveillance techniques and indicators
    5. put risk appraisals critically into question
Mode of delivery
  • -
Prerequisites and co-requisites
  • none
Course contents
  • This course introduces the basic concepts of epidemiology and bio-statistics as applied to specific public health problems around the world. Emphasis is placed on the history and evolution of epidemiolo-gy and biostatistics, the principles and methods of epidemiologic investigation, appropriate summaries and displays of data, and the use of classical statistical approaches to describe the health of popu-lations. Topics include the dynamic behavior of disease; usage of rates, ratios and proportions; methods of direct and indirect adjust-ment, and clinical life table, which measures and describes the extent of disease problems. The global burden of disease will be analyzed based on computer models. Different epidemiologic study designs for investigating associations between risk factors and disease outcomes will be introduced, including criteria for causal inferences. The appli-cation of these disciplines in the areas of health services, screening, surveillance, and environmental policy are discussed, as well as legal and ethical issues in the context of epidemiology and biostatistics.
Recommended or required reading
  • Essentials of Epidemiology in Public Health: Aschengrau, Seage.
    Basic epidemiology: R. Bonita, R. Beaglehole, T. Kjellström. 2nd edi-tion. World Health Organization
Planned learning activities and teaching methods
  • The course comprises an interactive mix of lectures, discussions and individual and group work.
Assessment methods and criteria
  • To monitor the students’ learning this course will provide ongoing assignments as a basis for feedback and grading (formative assessment) and/or will evaluate the students learning at the end of the course or an instructional unit via exams, final project reports, essays or seminar papers (summative assessment).
Language of instruction
  • English
    • AACSB/FIBAA