Welcome to the Module of Epidemiology 2

Instructors

Joseph Ntaganira, MD, DTM, MPH, PhD

Full Professor

B.P. 7616 KIGALI

Email: jntaganira@ur.ac.rw or jntaganira@nursph.org

Tel: 078 886 4720

Contact Hours: 15

Purpose

The purpose of this course is to introduce MPH/MSc candidates to basic epidemiology principles, concepts, and methods. The course combines theoretical knowledge with practical applications, permitting students to demonstrate their competencies through both individual work and group interactions. Competencies are evaluated on students’ ability to define and identify determinants of disease, threats to internal validity and external validity, describe and use epidemiologic analytical study designs.

Objectives

1. Students should be able to define the different theories of causality.
2. Students should be able to contrast the difference between cause and association
3. Students should be able to define and identify the major sources of errors, bias, and confounders in epidemiological research.
4. Students should be able to compare and contrast the key study designs used in epidemiological research.

1. Describe and use analytical studies: case-control, cohort, experimental study designs, randomized, controlled trials (clinical and community trials)

6. Students should be able to identify an epidemiological research problem and elaborate the research question appropriate to addressing that problem.

Expected learning outcomes

By the end of the course unit, the learner should be able to:

a)       Define and use measures of association

b)       Discuss the theories of causality of Koch, Bradford Hill and Rothman

c)       Define types of bias and identify their impact

d)       Describe methods of reducing bias

e)       Describe the properties of a confounding factor

f)         Describe methods to identify a confounder

g)       Describe and use epidemiological studies (Analytical studies).