Course info

This course - "Introduction to Epidemiology" has three 3 credits. The first phase of the course on this platform covers 2 credits; the second phase covers 1 credit and is for Database Management (taught by Prof Biju Soman)

Objectives of the course

1. Introduce students to the subject and methods of Epidemiology, emphasizing how it forms one of the foundations of public health practice and research;

2. Emphasize the distinctive components of the epidemiological approach: measurement, comparison, and inference, as well as the different roles of epidemiology in description of a situation, looking for trends over time, exploring associations, predicting outcomes, investigating epidemics, and establishing causal links in disease occurrence;

3. Introduce students to elements of epidemiological study design, and basic concepts such as reliability, validity, bias, and confounding; and

4. Introduce some of the basic software for epidemiological data analysis.

Teaching format

Each class meeting will be supported by readings, and/or exercises. The exercises are for practice. Students are encouraged to attempt them and get them evaluated for their learning; but the marks will not count for the evaluation.

Course Evaluation

This will be based on written examination for 70 marks. Marks from Database Management (taught by Prof Biju Soman) for 30 marks will be added to this. The final grade will reflect the student’s comparative position in the class as also their overall performance. The final grades will be prepared only after the evaluation of the Database Management course.

Field activity

Depending on feasibility, some epidemiological data collection exercises may be included as a field activity that may also serve as a preparation for the 'Health care system in India' course.