California
State University, Northridge
Department
of Health Science
HSci
488, Epidemiology
Fall, 2007
Instructor:
Jane Rosenblatt
Office: Jacaranda
Hall 2546
Phone: 677-3050
Office Hours: Monday 3:00-4:00; T, Th 10:30-11:00, Tues 2:00-4:00
email:
jane.rosenblatt@csun.edu
At the completion of the course, the student should be able
to:
· Explain how epidemiology contributes to knowledge of disease etiology and natural history.
· Characterize disease by person, place and time and understand the interaction of host, agent, and environment.
· Understand and calculate measures of morbidity and mortality.
· Assess validity and reliability in measurements and screening tests.
· Assess causality and association in epidemiological studies.
· Describe epidemiological study designs including cross-sectional, case-control, cohort, and randomized clinical trials.
· Calculate and explain risk estimates.
· Formulate problem statements and hypotheses.
· Describe transmission of infectious disease and techniques in investigating outbreaks.
· Understand demographic techniques.
Required Text: Epidemiology, Leon Gordis; Third Edition; 2004
Supplemental
Readings: Reading package to be
purchased at the Matador Bookstore.
There
will be two (2) examinations, one (1) midterm worth 100 points, and a final
worth 125 points. There will be no
make-up exams or individual extra credit assignments.
There may be randomly suggested extra credit assignments.
These will not be required. You
are responsible for the assigned readings (both required and supplemental).
A short paper worth 20 points will be assigned later in the semester. The outline for this paper is presented below.
Points will be deducted for late papers.
Papers will not be accepted if more than one week late.
This
is primarily a lecture course.
You
are required to have completed any prerequisite classes before enrolling in this
class.
Cheating
on exams will not be tolerated and will be handled according to University
policy.
Final
grading will be calculated using the following scale:
B+ - B- 89-80%
C+
- C- 79-65%
D+ - D- 64-55%
F
below 55%
Please inactivate all cell phones and pagers while in class. Please do not read newspapers or other extraneous materials while in class.
The course outline schedule, which is flexible, is given below. The midterm date is approximate. Additional assignments may be required.
Week |
Topic |
Text |
Reading
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Aug. 27 |
Introduction to
Epidemiology |
Ch.1 |
pp. 4-10 |
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Sept. 3 |
Descriptive
Epidemiology |
Ch.2 |
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Sept. 10-17 |
Study Designs,
Data Collection, Biases |
Ch. ,7,8,9-13 Ch. 15 |
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Sept. 24- Oct. 1 |
Hypothesis
Testing, Measure Causes of
Morbidity & Mortality Throughout Life |
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pp. 100-105; |
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Oct. 8 |
Causation of
Disease and Screening Tests |
Ch. 5, 18 14,4 |
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MIDTERM (actual
date to be announced) |
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Oct. 15-22 |
Transmission of
Infectious Disease, Sexually Transmitted Diseases (HIV/AIDS) |
Ch. 2 |
pp. 51-54; 88-91 |
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Oct. 29-Nov. 5 |
Sero-Epidemiology, Slow Viral Diseases |
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pp. 388-397 |
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Nov. 12 |
Community and
Institutional Data and Surveillance |
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pp. 303 - 327 |
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Nov. 19 |
Demographic
Analysis |
PAPER DUE |
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Nov. 26 |
Chronic Disease |
Ch.19 |
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Dec. 3 |
The Immune
System,Occupational
Epidemiology
Complete
coursework and review |
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May 24 |
Final Exams: 12:30 class 11:00 class |
Dec. 13 12:45-2:45 Dec. 11: 10:15-12:15
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This paper should be 2-4 double-spaced pages in length.
1. Decide on a specific disease (can be infectious, chronic, or environmental).
2. Go to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on the Internet. The address is: http://www.cdc.gov
Determine whether the disease is reportable. If so, what was the total number of cases reported in 2006? (or the latest year reported) If the information is not available on this site, is there an estimate somewhere else?
3. Develop a bibliography of support groups for the disease you have chosen if there are support groups for this disease. (Include web addresses for each site.) If there are no support groups, discuss why this might occur.
4. If possible, describe the time, place and person for this disease. Discuss the disease in detail (in your own words). This should be at least one full page.
5. Develop a list of at least 3 web sites relating to the disease not including the CDC. To do this, go to the Internet, use a search engine such as Yahoo, Google,etc. and find the disease of interest. (You can do this through the library page). Use these sites to obtain the information for your paper.
6. Discuss the reliability and validity of the information on each site. (This will be discussed later in the semester.) Be aware of the content, credentials, and organization of the website.
7 Categorize each of the web sites as to whether it is providing information for the public and/or for health professionals
The documentation should allow someone else (me) to be able to duplicate your search. Please note the URLs on your paper.
More information and suggestions concerning the Internet will be given later on.
Spelling
and grammar count.