Course Syllabus

 

 

COURSE NUMBER: CPTR 500              

 

CREDIT HOURS: 2                         SEMESTER: Fall 2021

 

COURSE TITLE: Fundamentals of Epidemiology

 

CLASS HOURS AND LOCATION: Mondays 3:00 PM-4:50 PM

Online:

https://zoom.us/j/99137153857?pwd=NW5QamZacFpEVVZnZUR6djV1dzRGdz09

Meeting ID: 991 3715 3857

Passcode: 328711

In-person Class (Dates TBD): CNR 5001  

INSTRUCTOR NAME: Ambar Kulshreshtha, MD, PhD

CONTACT INFORMATION

EMAIL: akulshr@emory.edu  (preferred)

PHONE (mobile): 214-504-5208

OFFICE HOURS: By appointment, Fri: 2.00-3.00 pm

 Teaching Assistant(s): Vinita Subramanya

 EMAIL: vsubr22@emory.edu

OFFICE HOURS: Wed, 4.00-5.00 pm,

LINK:https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84593692473?pwd=Zmg1U1Y2VXA0d0JwdlFRSnNzNXZ2UT09

Required Textbook:

None required. All information and exam materials are drawn from the lecture materials.

Recommended Text:

If you wish to supplement my materials with a textbook for your own knowledge, you may refer to:

  • Greenberg RS, Daniels SR, Flanders WD, Eley JW, Boring JR. Medical Epidemiology, 4th Ed. Lange Medical Books, New York, 2005.
  • Gordis et al., Epidemiology (any edition).
  • Rothman, K. J., Greenland, S., & Lash, T. L. (3rd or 4th edition) Modern epidemiology (3rd or 4th edition) Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer Health/Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
  • ActiveEpi online learning tool (http://activepi.herokuapp.com/)

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course introduces the principles and methods of epidemiology. It will also   include concepts and methods used for population-based research. Epidemiologic study designs and data collection methods are described as well as approaches to data analyses. The concepts of bias and confounding are explored with examples from the clinical epidemiology literature. 

COURSE COMPETENCIES:

·       Define the data that formulate research hypotheses.

·       Use evidence as the basis of the critique and interpretation of results of published studies.

·       Identify potential sources of bias and variations in published studies.

·       Formulate a well-defined clinical or translational research question to be studied in human or animal models.

·       Propose study designs for addressing a clinical or translational research question.

·       Assess the strengths and weaknesses of possible study designs for a given clinical or translational research question.

·       Identify a target population for a clinical or translational research project.

·       Identify measures to be applied to a clinical or translational research project.

·       Design a research data analysis plan.

·       Assess threats to internal validity in any planned or completed clinical or translational study, including selection bias, misclassification, and confounding.

·       Describe the concepts and implications of reliability and validity of study measurements.

·       Evaluate the reliability and validity of measures.

·       Assess threats to study validity (bias) including problems with sampling, recruitment, randomization, and comparability of study groups.

·       Describe the basic principles and practical importance of random variation, systematic error, sampling error, measurement error, hypothesis testing, type I and type II errors, and confidence limits.

·       Scrutinize the assumptions behind different statistical methods and their corresponding limitations.

·       Generate simple descriptive and inferential statistics that fit the study design chosen and answer research question

 

LEARNING OBJECTIVES/OUTCOMES:

By the end of this course, students will be able to:

  • Describe the different measures of frequency and association used in epidemiology
  • Describe the structure, strengths, and limitations of the main epidemiological study deisgns to address relevant epidemiologic questions
  • Understand the concept of interaction
  • Recognize the major threats to validity of epidemiologic studies
  • Understand methods to correct for biases in epidemiologic studies
  • Understand random error and statistics
  • Describe the main data analysis techniques used to analyze epidemiological study data 

EVALUATION

Participation 15%

Homework 20%

Midterm 30%

Final exam 35%

 

Final Grade Point Cutoffs*

A

95-100

A-

90-94

B+

85-89

B

80-84

B-

75-79

C

70-74

F

<70

*Grades rounded to the nearest whole number

COURSE STRUCTURE

Lecture

The course includes one weekly lecture delivered online. We will notify you for any planned in-person sessions. Lecture slides will be made available before the class session. Lecture video recordings will be made available after the class session.

Homework

Weekly homework assignments and are due on Canvas by 3PM on the due date. Late assignments will not be accepted. The lowest homework score will be dropped when calculating the course grade. Working with your peers to understand and solve assignments is highly encouraged. Please ensure your final work product is your own – refer to the honor code below. Solutions will be available on Canvas after the due date.

Exams

A take-home midterm and final exams will be given. The final exam is cumulative, and additional details will be provided toward the end of the semester. Exams are due on Canvas by 3PM on the due date. Late exams will not be accepted. Exams are to be completed individually.

COURSE POLICIES

Attendance is expected and is part of your participation grade. If you must miss a class, please email me ahead of time. You will be responsible for getting any notes from classes that you miss. As the instructor of this course I endeavor to provide an inclusive learning environment. However, if you experience barriers to learning in this course, do not hesitate to discuss them with me and the Office for Equity and Inclusion, 404-727-9877.  

LANEY GRADUATE SCHOOL POLICIES

Accessibility and Accommodations

Accessibility Services works with students who have disabilities to provide reasonable accommodations. In order to receive consideration for reasonable accommodations, you must contact the Office of Accessibility Services (OAS). It is the responsibility of the student to register with OAS. Please note that accommodations are not retroactive and that disability accommodations are not provided until an accommodation letter has been processed.

Students who registered with OAS and have a letter outlining their academic accommodations are strongly encouraged to coordinate a meeting time with me to discuss a protocol to implement the accommodations as needed throughout the semester. This meeting should occur as early in the semester as possible. 

Contact Accessibility Services for more information at (404) 727-9877 or accessibility@emory.edu. Additional information is available at the OAS website at http://equityandinclusion.emory.edu/access/students/index.html

 HONOR CODE

You are bound by Emory University’s Student Honor and Conduct Code. The Georgia CTSA CPTR Program requires that all material submitted by a student fulfilling his or her academic course of study must be the original work of the student.  Violations of academic honor include any action by a student indicating dishonesty or a lack of integrity in academic ethics. Academic dishonesty refers to cheating, plagiarizing, assisting other students without authorization, lying, tampering, or stealing in performing any academic work, and will not be tolerated under any circumstances.

The Laney Graduate School Honor Code states: “A writer’s data, facts, ideas, and phraseology should be regarded as his/her property. Any person who uses a writer’s data, facts, ideas, or phraseology without giving due credit is guilty of plagiarism.”

Link: http://gs.emory.edu/handbook/honor-conduct-grievance/honor/index.html

COURSE CALENDAR AND OUTLINE

DATE

LECTURE TOPIC

ASSIGNMENTS

(DUE BY 3PM)

Aug. 30

#1a: Introduction

#1b: Measures of Frequency & Association

·       Distribute HW #1 

 

Sep. 6

NO CLASS (Labor Day)

 

Sep. 13

#2a: Overview of Study Designs

#2b: Clinical Trials

·       HW# 1 due

Distribute HW #2

Sept. 20

#3: Cohort Studies

·       HW #2 due

·       Distribute HW #3

Sep. 27

#4: Case-Control Studies

·       HW #3 due

·       Distribute HW #4

Oct. 4

#5a: Cross-Sectional Studies

#5b: Review for Midterm

·       HW #4 due

·       Distribute HW #5

Oct. 11

NO CLASS (Fall Break)

 

Oct. 18

#6: Interaction

·       Take-home midterm assigned

·       HW #5 due

Oct. 25

#7a: Systematic Error (confounding)

#7b. Systematic Error (selection bias)

·       Take-home midterm due

 

Nov. 1

#8: Systematic Error (information bias))

·       Distribute HW #6A/B

Nov. 8

#9: Random Error and Statistics

·       HW #6A/B due

·       Distribute HW # 7

Nov. 15

#10: Data Analysis Considerations

·       HW #7 due

·       Distribute HW #8

Nov. 22

#11: Review for Final Exam

 

·       HW #8 due

 

Nov. 29

 

·       Take-home final exam assigned

Dec. 6

 

·       Take-home final exam due