Credit Points 10

Legacy Code 401175

Coordinator Andrew Page Opens in new window

Description This unit extends the basic principles of epidemiology introduced in 401076 'Introduction to Epidemiology' and equips students with practical analytical skills to design and conduct epidemiological studies. The unit considers the principle models of causation and analytical approaches to epidemiological study design and analysis. Students will use causal diagrams and evidence from the literature to develop analytic strategies for specific study designs, develop practical skills in calculating and interpreting measures of association and effect modification, and be introduced to principles and strategies for quantitative bias analysis.

School Medicine

Discipline Epidemiology

Student Contribution Band HECS Band 2 10cp

Level Postgraduate Coursework Level 7 subject

Pre-requisite(s) PUBH 7016 OR
PUBH 7015

Restrictions

Students must be enrolled in a postgraduate program.

Assumed Knowledge

Introductory skills in epidemiology, including measures of disease frequency and association, epidemiologic study designs, and principles of bias and confounding.

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this subject, students should be able to:

1. Describe the principle models of causation in epidemiology
2. Apply causal criteria in appraising epidemiological evidence
3. Calculate and interpret epidemiological measures of association and effect measure modification
4. Compare and contrast conceptual approaches to the conduct and design of epidemiological studies
5. Develop appropriate analytic strategies to assess the strength of an association between a given exposure and outcome
6. Conduct quantitative bias analysis of an observed association, including assessment of unmeasured confounding, selection bias, and measurement bias

Subject Content

1. Models of causation in epidemiology
2. Epidemiological measures and concepts of interaction
3. Directed Acyclic Graphs (DAGs) to guide study design and statistical analysis
4. The design, conduct and analysis of studies in epidemiology
5. Analytic approaches to confounding, selection bias, and measurement bias