Introductory description

The aim of this module is to introduce students to two of the fundamental processes that underpin epidemiology. Epidemiology explains the population biology of pathogens and applies this to public health decision-making to explain current policy in regards to immunisation, sexually transmitted infections and alcohol consumption.

Module aims

Outline syllabus

This is an indicative module outline only to give an indication of the sort of topics that may be covered. Actual sessions held may differ.

Concepts and examples of epidemiology and public health will span human and animal diseases, infectious and non-infectious diseases (although with emphasis on infectious diseases). There are three equally weighted areas:

• Assessing the Evidence: Introduction to the concepts of measurement and causality.
• Predicting the Dynamics: Development of the concepts of non-linearity in infectious
  disease dynamics.
• Protecting the Population Health: Introduction to the concepts of public health.

Learning outcomes

By the end of the module, students should be able to:

• Level 5 understanding of research techniques used to study and model epidemiological issues
• Level 5 understanding of measurement and causality
• Level 5 understanding of concepts of how infectious diseases are dynamic and how individual risk depends on the epidemic within the population
• Level 5 understanding of the concepts of public health, indirect benefits of interventions and policy design

Indicative reading list

Coggon, D., Rose, G. and Barker, D. J. P. (eds). Epidemiology for the Uninitiated, 5th Ed. (BMJ Publishing Group, 2003). ISBN 0-7279-1604-1. Contains 80 pages.
Keeling, M. J. and Rohani, P. Modeling Infectious Diseases in Humans and Animals (Princeton University Press, 2008). ISBN13: 978-0-691-11617-4

Subject specific skills

Understand how important the balance of the immune system is what happens when the normal status quo is disrupted in disease examples

Interpret and weigh the evidence for and against disease causality, diagnosis and screening.

Emphasise the individual / population differences in disease, diagnosis and pathogen ecology, and explain that most disease comes from small, common risks.

Explain the ideas of non-linear dynamics inherent in transmission dynamics of infectious disease, and the concept of transmission routes of infectious disease.

Show, by example, how public health policy in the UK is based on our current understanding of causality and dynamics.

Integrate all aspects of the module and have a coherent understanding of the complex interactions between the disease causing agent, the host immunological response and population biology and public health.

Transferable skills

Quantitative understanding of data, independent learning / self-directed learning, adult learning and understanding source material