Graduate Course Directory and Schedules

This course is designed for MPH Epidemiology and Biostatistics majors. The course is intended to give students a good understanding of the epidemiology of the major chronic diseases in developed countries. It covers three aspects of chronic disease: 1) epidemiology methods used in their study, 2) epidemiologic findings and current status of epidemiologic research into various chronic diseases, and 3) the epidemiology of the major risk factors for chronic diseases. The course is based on presentations by researchers and public health practitioners expert on specific chronic disease topics. Students will gain familiarity with some of the classic epidemiologic studies and with some of the innovations to obtaining knowledge contributed by epidemiology.

This course is designed to introduce students to public health in a seminar-style (presentation-discussion) exploration of the basic principles, structures, and functions of public health, and selected important issues in the public health community. This will involve inviting public health and preventive medicine professionals from OHSU, PSU, and the community to present, and facilitate discussion of, their perspectives and current work related to these public health topics and issues.

Students will apply epidemiologic and biostatistical principles to the analysis of a public health dataset. Hypotheses are formulated based on datasets provided to the class and a brief literature review of the public health need for the research. Students work in small groups to plan, organize, and conduct analyses leading to final oral and written presentations of their findings. Class time held in the computer lab allows for hands-on experience with data quality assessment, preparation of datasets and variables for analysis, and multivariable modeling. Emphasis is on planning and communicating analytic plans that reflect the causal models generated by students and allow for assessment of confounding and interaction.

Prerequisites:

1. EPI 512 Epidemiology I
2. EPI 513/613 Epidemiology II: Methods
3. EPI 514/614 Epidemiology III: Causation
4. BSTA 511/611 Estimation & Hypothesis Testing for Applied Biostatistics
5. BSTA 512/612 Linear Models
6. BSTA 513/613 Categorical Data Analysis
7. For those taking EPI 636, the additional prerequisite is BSTA 515 Data Management & Analysis in SAS.

This is the third course in the epidemiology research methods series and is designed to develop your ability to apply your knowledge and skills to the evaluation of cause. Students will become familiar with epidemiologic concepts of disease causation, develop skills in assessing the epidemiologic literature to arrive at causal conclusions, and learn to use those assessments and conclusions to arrive at justifiable plans for action. Early in the academic quarter, lecture presentations and readings will provide the key epidemiologic concepts and principles involved in making judgments about causation. Discussions in Small Groups will focus on seminal journal articles to reinforce students’ understanding of these concepts. Case studies will also be covered in Small Groups, in which students will review and discuss sets of papers on public health topics that require a rigorous assessment of cause. For each of these topics, students will complete formal written papers (assessments) and participate in discussions using an evaluation framework developed for this course. This framework involves assessing the quality and validity of the epidemiologic evidence to support causation and recommending a course of action to protect public health. Students will share the responsibility of leading the Small Groups, and will be assigned a week to lead the class discussion.

Prerequisites:

1. EPI 512/612 Epidemiology I
2. EPI 513/613 Epidemiology II: Methods
3. BSTA 511/611 Estimation & Hypothesis Testing for Applied Biostatistics
4. BSTA 612/612 Linear Models

This course provides students with an opportunity to apply epidemiologic principles to infectious disease, including implementation of control measures based on epidemiologic investigation. It includes a didactic section on specific infectious diseases, followed by a classroom study of both endemic and epidemic outbreaks. There will be in-class exercises on each of the infectious diseases, including the testing of hypotheses based on epidemiologic findings leading to a discussion of control measures.

Recommended Prerequisite: EPI 512, “Epidemiology I”

This course provides an introduction to research design and proposal writing. It builds upon concepts of epidemiology and biostatistics to enable students to develop a study plan to conduct public health research that is efficient, effective, and ethical. Writing a research proposal is a skill necessary in the professional practice of public health. During this course, students will prepare a written proposal that includes a concise statement of the research question, testable hypotheses, appropriate specific aims, and a plan of work. Students will learn how to formulate a logical argument to establish the significance of their question and to defend their approach. All of the elements of the study plan will be developed, including choice of design, sample size and power, sampling design and recruitment of subjects, measurement of predictor and outcome variables, control of bias and confounding, and statistical analysis. Limited time will be spent on an introduction to budget development and project management. The major product of the course is the completion of a research proposal, which will be prepared according to the submission requirements of a federal funding agency.

Doctoral students register in the EPI 640 section.

Recommended Prerequisite: EPI 512, “Epidemiology I”

This advanced doctoral-level course synthesizes across students’ prior training in epidemiology, biostatistics, applied research, and the disciplines/content areas that are required for students’ doctoral research. Building on this foundation, and drawing from doctoral students’ and the instructor’s expertise, this course aims to facilitate the intellectual development required to conduct and present original epidemiologic research.