Analysis & Epidemiology

Department
  • Master's Program International Health & Social Management
Course unit code
  • IHSM-EU-HEM-M2.4
Number of ECTS credits allocated
  • 5.0
Name of lecturer(s)
  • Dr. Alvarado Miriam, PhD, Dr. Mosenhauer Natacha, Clifford Astbury Chloe, PhD, Rochon Justine
Mode of delivery
  • -
Recommended optional program components
  • none
Recommended or required reading
  • Essentials of Epidemiology in Public Health: Aschengrau, Seage.
    Basic epidemiology: R. Bonita, R. Beaglehole, T. Kjellström. 2nd edition. World Health Organization
    Hawe, Penelope, and Louise Potvin. "What Is Population Health Intervention Research?" Canadian Journal of Public Health, vol. 100, no. 1, Jan. 2009, pp. I8-14. Springer Link, https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03405503.;
    Rutter, Harry, et al. "The Need for a Complex Systems Model of Evidence for Public Health." The Lancet, June 2017. CrossRef, https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(17)31267-9.Skivington, Kathryn, et al. "A New Framework for Developing and Evaluating Complex Interventions: Update of Medical Research Council Guidance." BMJ, Sept. 2021, p. n2061. DOI.org (Crossref), https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.n2061.
Level of course unit
  • Master
Year of study
  • Spring 2026
Semester when the course unit is delivered
  • 2
Language of instruction
  • English
Learning outcomes of the course unit
  • By the end of this course, students will be able to
    1. Demonstrate basic knowledge and awareness of the role of epidemiology and its contribution to public health
    2. Understand definitions, concepts and applications of epidemiology, including evaluation
    3. Explain the value of evaluation in population health and identify an appropriate evaluation approach for a given context
    4. Differentiate between the most common disease categorization schemes
    5. Critically discuss public health surveillance techniques and indicators
    6. Put risk appraisals critically into question
Course contents
  • This course introduces foundational concepts in population health evaluation and epidemiology, emphasizing how both disciplines inform evidence-informed decision-making in public health contexts. The course begins with an overview of evaluation in population health, including the value and challenges of evaluation, major evaluation approaches (e.g., natural, theory-based, and systems-informed), and the development of context-appropriate evaluation plans. Students will explore stakeholder engagement, theories of change, and study risk registers as tools for planning and assessing evaluations. The course then introduces core concepts of epidemiology and biostatistics as applied to specific public health problems around the world. Emphasis is placed on the history and evolution of epidemiology and biostatistics, the principles and methods of epidemiologic investigation, appropriate summaries and displays of data, and the use of classical statistical approaches to describe the health of populations. Topics include the dynamic behavior of disease; usage of rates, ratios and proportions; methods of direct and indirect adjustment, and clinical life table, which measures and describes the extent of disease problems. The global burden of disease will be analyzed based on computer models. Different epidemiologic study designs for investigating associations between risk factors and disease outcomes will be introduced, including criteria for causal inferences. The application of these disciplines in the areas of health services, screening, surveillance, and environmental policy are discussed, as well as legal and ethical issues in the context of epidemiology and biostatistics.
Planned learning activities and teaching methods
  • The course comprises an interactive mix of lectures, discussions and individual and group work.
Work placement(s)
  • none

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