Epidemiology

Module title	Epidemiology
Module code	HPDM121Z
Academic year	2022/3
Credits	15
Module staff	Dr Abby Russell (Lecturer) Dr Janice Atkins (Lecturer)

Duration: Term	1	2	3
Duration: Weeks			6

Number students taking module (anticipated)	20

Module description

This module will form the foundation of the science of public health. You will be exposed to epidemiology through the study of distributions and determinants of disease in populations and learn to apply the tools epidemiologists use to investigate health and disease in populations how they support public health decision-making for population health. .
No pre-requisites or specialist knowledge are required to undertake this module, which is well suited to interdisciplinary learning. Delivery is via six focused sessions of expert-led small group learning, interspersed by personal study undertaken at your own pace.

Teaching will draw on a range of high-quality recorded lectures, interspersed with consolidation sessions, workshops and group work. Synchronous sessions will be held via Teams or Zoom.
This module is delivered by distance learning via our online platform. A blended version of this module is also offered (HPDM121).

Module aims - intentions of the module

In this module you will understand:

• Causality in public health and challenges to understanding causality
• Sources of evidence in epidemiology
• Key forms of bias in epidemiological research
• The contribution of different study designs and data sources to understanding epidemiologic relationship
• How health, wellbeing and risk and protective factors are measured
• How tests and their performance influence public health decisions
• The role of genetics and genomics in shaping epidemiology

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

1. Apply epidemiological methods to breadth of settings and situations in public health
2. Identify key sources of data for epidemiological and public health investigation purposes

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

3. Understand how causality can be inferred or induced from evidence and the implications of this for population health
4. Diagnose and interpret forms of bias affecting the reliability of quantitative research results
5. Interpret key concepts of hypothesis testing, effect modification and confounding

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

6. Identify limitations of research results, data sources or existing practices and programmes
7. Critically appraise suitability of epidemiological research for reliability and application

Syllabus plan

Whilst the module’s precise content may vary from year to year, an example of an overall structure is as follows:
• Introduction to epidemiology: history and the epidemiological transition, hypothesis testing, definitions of disease occurrence
• Sources of epidemiological data and study designs
• Epidemiological study designs and implications for bias
• Causality: confounding, interaction and effect modification; graphical approaches to understanding causality
• Diagnostic and test performance and genetic epidemiology
• An introduction to genetic epidemiology

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities	Guided independent study	Placement / study abroad
15	135	0

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Category	Hours of study time	Description
Scheduled learning & teaching activities	15	All student taught sessions
Guided independent study	115	Session preparation and follow up work utilising resources provided on ELE
Guided independent study	20	Reading and assignment preparation
Face-to-face scheduled lectures will delivered via MS Teams/Zoom, with learning consolidated by self-directed learning resources and ELE activities. Small-group discussion in tutorials and seminars will be delivered by synchronous group discussion on Teams/ Zoom; or asynchronous online discussion.

Formative assessment

Form of assessment	Size of the assessment (eg length / duration)	ILOs assessed	Feedback method
Class discussions and small group work activities	Each taught session	3,4	Facilitator and peer feedback in class

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Coursework	Written exams	Practical exams
50	50	0

Details of summative assessment

Form of assessment	% of credit	Size of the assessment (eg length / duration)	ILOs assessed	Feedback method
Take-home, open-note exam	50	45 minutes	1-7	Written
Critical appraisal exercise	50	1000 words	1-7	Written

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Original form of assessment	Form of re-assessment	ILOs re-assessed	Timescale for re-assessment
Take home, open-note exam (50%), 45 minutes	Take-home, open-note exam	1-7	Typically within six weeks of the result
Critical appraisal exercise (50%), 1000 words	Critical appraisal exercise	1-7	Typically within six weeks of the result

Re-assessment notes

Please refer to the TQA section on Referral/Deferral: http://as.exeter.ac.uk/academic-policy-standards/tqa-manual/aph/consequenceoffailure/

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

Gordis, L. Epidemiology, 5th ed. Elsevier

Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources

ELE – College to provide hyperlink to appropriate pages

Web based and electronic resources: Web based and electronic resources will be available

Indicative learning resources - Other resources

Other resources: An up to date reading list of journal articles will be provided on ELE.

Key words search

Public health, population health, epidemiology, genetic epidemiology, causality, bias, statistical approaches, disease risk, study design, appraisal of causal evidence

Credit value	15
Module ECTS	7.5
Module pre-requisites	None
Module co-requisites	None
NQF level (module)	7
Available as distance learning?	Yes
Origin date	09/07/2021
Last revision date	20/10/2021