Handbook

Epidemiology is a foundation discipline in public health. It is the study of who, where, what, why, and how of illness and disability in human populations: who is affected and most susceptible, where is it occurring, what are the causes, why is it occurring, and how is it spreading? Once we know this information, we can use the data gathered to plan and evaluate the effectiveness of strategies to prevent illness and disability from occurring in the first instance or to manage the symptoms when it has already developed.

This course introduces students to epidemiological principles and methods such as basic tools for measuring illness and risk factors in the population, interpreting and assessing the quality of scientific health evidence by critiquing a range of study designs, and reporting on epidemiological research.