Epidemiology

• Credit value: 15 credits at Level 6
• Convenor: Professor Carolyn Moores
• Assessment: quantitative computer-based tests (30%), critical appraisal of a research paper (30%) and a case study (40%)

This module provides an opportunity for you to expand your understanding of the quantitative analysis of health and disease in human populations. It will challenge you not only to grasp the fundamentals of how epidemiological measures are defined, determined and interpreted, but also to apply these fundamentals to study design. You will learn to apply epidemiological methods to analyse specific human health challenges, will consider the associated ethical issues, and will appreciate how these approaches are essential for tackling today’s global health challenges.

By the end of this module, you will be able to:

• demonstrate an integrated understanding of how epidemiological measures are defined, determined and interpreted
• delineate the key principles of epidemiological study designs and evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches
• analyse key error sources in epidemiological studies and explain their consequences on study conclusions and applications
• provide an integrated account of the application of epidemiological methods to human health challenges, drawing on specific examples
• analyse ethical issues in a range of epidemiological studies and explain how such issues can influence study findings, and may be mitigated
• analyse epidemiology-focused primary research papers and critically assess the methodological robustness and clarity of the presented data.