Core Courses

Basic Principles of Epidemiology (3 credits)

Course will introduce students to the basic concepts and principles of epidemiology and how these concepts are applicable for their own particular interests and careers in epidemiology related fields. 

By the end of the course, students will be able to: Explain considerations for establishing the association between an attribute and a health outcome as causal; Calculate and interpret various measures of disease frequency and association; Explain the usefulness and relative advantages and limitations of various epidemiological study designs; Identify potential sources of bias which can occur in various study designs; Constructively evaluate research and scientific reports from the literature.

Maternal and Child Health (3 credits)

This course will focus on current health problems and diseases affecting women and children. It will use a life course approach to identify interventions that can improve the health of women and children. Organizations and programs available to combat health and nutritional problems related to women and children will be evaluated.

At the end of the course students will be able to: Analyze the causes and effects of the major health problems that are present during pregnancy, infancy, childhood and adolescence; Analyze the impact of the biological and sociological factors that modifies maternal & child health family planning interactions; Describe the purpose and projects of organizations and agencies that impact maternal and child health; Prioritize factors that need to be considered when developing public health programs for women & children; Organize and present information that describes the MCH needs of a community.

MCH Epidemiology (3 credits)

This course will introduce students to methodologic issues in epidemiologic research on reproduction, childhood conditions, and women's health and cover information specific to conditions in each of these areas. The class will include lecture modules with voice over, discussion, written assignments, and a presentation.

Specific objectives are for the student to be able to: Discuss methodologic considerations for the conduct of epidemiologic research in areas of Maternal & Child Health; Have a general knowledge of the descriptive epidemiology of issues affecting women and children; Constructively evaluate research and scientific reports from the literature; Formulate a research question, analyze a dataset, present analytic results in a table, and describe results in text.