Pharm.D. Program

PHP540 Principles, Methods and Applications of Epidemiology

Detailed Course Description

The purpose of this course is to familiarize students with basic principles of epidemiological research and the application of this research to public health and the profession of pharmacy.  Through lectures, active group discussions and reading the medical literature, this class seeks to teach students the basic tenets of epidemiological thinking and provide opportunity for practical application to the student’s own areas of interest and practice.  

Activities/Class format
This class utilizes a combination of instruction methods, including didactic lectures, class discussions as well as smaller group discussions.  Students will be evaluated through class participation, a short in-class presentation (on an epidemiological risk factor), problem sets (six) and the mid-term and final exams.  The final grade will be determined with each of these components contributing as follows:

Class Attendance/Participation = 5%
Risk Factor Presentation = 10%
Problem sets = 35%
Midterm exam = 25%
Final exam = 25%

Course Objectives:

1. To provide students with an understanding of the basic principles and methodology of epidemiology.
2. To familiarize students with the process of epidemiological research (i.e. hypothesis generation, literature review, study design, evaluation, etc.)
3. To introduce students to common epidemiological study designs and provide a basic understanding of the strengths, weaknesses and common uses for each of these study designs.
4. To familiarize students with sources of bias that may influence the validity of epidemiological research.
5. To discuss the application of epidemiological methods to areas of public health, pharmacy and health services research that the students are interested in.