Aim

The students acquire the knowledge and competencies that are essential in order to:

• Conduct epidemiologic research.
• Be informed on scientific research issues.
• Study scientific magazines.

Learning outcomes

The course constitutes an introduction to Epidemiologic research. 

Upon course completion, the student will be able to: 

Calculate and interpret the indicators of disease frequency and disease association (e.g. prevalence, incidence, relative risk, attributable risk)

1. Evaluate descriptive epidemiologic data taking into consideration the characteristics of persons, time, and place. 
2. Point out the advantages and disadvantages of different epidemiologic study designs in the investigation of disease etiology (e.g. clinical trials, cohort studies, case-control studies, cross-sectional studies). 
3. Formulate etiologic hypotheses between various causative factors and various diseases. 
4. Determine sources of systematic and random error in epidemiologic research and propose strategies of control.
5. Locate complex problems that result at the application of scientific documentation.

Contents

Measurement of Disease Frequency. Measurement of Disease Association. Descriptive Studies. Cohort Studies. Case-control studies. Intervention studies. Systematic error. Confounding error. Random error-Causality.

Educational Methods

• Team based learning
• Seminars

Criteria for successful completion

• Attendance in the seminars (at least 90%).
• Midterm written exams.
• Final written exams.