Epidemiology 10:832:335:01
M/Th 8:10-9:30
Campbell Hall, A4
Fall 2012
Course Instructor:
Professor Amelia Greiner, PhD MS
Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
Room 535 Civic Square Building
33 Livingston Ave
848-932-2380
amelia.greiner@rutgers.edu
Office Hours:
Thursdays 10-12 and by appointment
Course objectives:
This course covers the principles and methods of epidemiology, the study of the distribution and
determinants (causes) of disease and injury in human populations. Upon completion of the course, students
will be able to:
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Identify types and sources of data for investigating public health issues
Calculate typical outcome measures
Understand the difference between cause and association
Describe the types of epidemiological study designs along with their strengths and weaknesses
Identify the opportunities and challenges of linking epidemiology to public policy
Critically read and evaluate the results of studies in public health journals
Textbook:
This book provides a useful overview to the field and will enhance your understanding of the lectures:
Robert H. Friis. Epidemiology 101. Boston: Jones and Bartlett Publishers, 2009/2010.
ISBN 0-7637-5443-9. Note: this book may be purchased at the Rutgers Bookstore or a retailer of your
choice. It may be rented through the bookstore for a considerable discount.
Readings and films
All additional readings will be available on Sakai.
I will do my best to connect what we are discussing in class to current events and policy. I will assign both
journal articles and newspaper/magazine articles that are relevant to the topic at hand. Any reading that I
assign will both be discussed in class and can be included on the exam. I see no point in loading you with
excessive reading, so when I do assign an article, read it carefully. Come to class with questions about what
you don’t understand, what was upsetting about it or interesting. If you see an interesting article, please send
it to me.
Over the past several years, a number of films have been made that engage with public health topics.
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During the semester, we will watch a clips from a few of these. We will discuss the content, relate it to what
we’re discussing in class and these films, like the articles, may be covered on the midterm and final exam.
Use of a syllabus and Sakai for this course
This course will rely heavily on Sakai, particularly the announcement function. You MUST get in the habit
of checking your Rutgers-associated email if you want to keep up with this course. The paper
syllabus handed out in class is subject to change and announcements of any changes will be made
in class and via Sakai. Important class announcements, assignments and quizzes will be distributed
through Sakai and Sakai only. Get in the habit as early as possible of checking Sakai daily.
Assignments
The course schedule below includes several assignments throughout the semester aimed at cementing
concepts and issues central to epidemiology. As the ability to work in groups is an essential skill, this course
will include at least one group project. The rest of the assignments are to be completed on your own.
Assignments are accepted during the class period on the day which they are due. Students should come to
class with assignments completed. Only hard copies of the assignment will be accepted. If you are not
able to turn in the assignment in person, have a classmate turn it in for you, or drop it off in my office
before it is due. Emailed versions of the assignment are not accepted.
I am happy to answer questions about the assignments during office hours or before the assignment is due,
but I will likely not have time at the beginning of class the day that the assignment is due to address
assignment questions. Please make sure to start your assignments well enough in advance that you leave
time for questions.
Guidelines for Assignments
Read and answer all questions fully. You will often be asked to interpret what the result of a particular
calculation means.
Typed assignments are preferred. If you are unable to submit a typed assignment, please print clearly.
Assignments without names will be given a grade of 0.
For a question involving a calculation, you must show the formula and calculations, not just the answers, in
order to receive full credit.
Chapter Quizzes
To help keep you up to speed with the material, online quizzes will be assigned regularly throughout the
course. These will be based on readings and lecture material. The chapter tests are open book/open notes;
however, they are timed and you will not do well if you do not do the readings in advance and prepare by
studying.
Late assignments and chapter tests will be given up to 1/2 credit if completed within one week
only. No credit is given after that time.
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Midterm and Final
Exams are based on the text, lecture notes, in-class discussions and readings. These exams will occur in
class. They will involve calculations, multiple choice, true/false, short answer and short essay.
One 8.5 x 11 inch sheet of paper will be allowed in class for calculation references and notes during the
midterm and final exam. No other notes, cell phone, internet or computer use is permitted.
No collaboration with other classmates is permitted during any exam, regardless of in-class or online format.
Any such collaboration is considered cheating and is a violation of Rutgers Academic Integrity policy. See
details below.
The date of the final exam will be announced as soon as the registrar releases the schedule.
Make up and rescheduling exams
Do not make other appointments on exams days as I only administer a test early or give make-ups for truly
extenuating circumstances and these must be discussed with me two weeks prior to the test date. In general, make-up
exams taken after the test date carry a 10% penalty.
In the event of an emergency or serious illness on the day of an exam, you must notify me prior to the start
of the exam and provide the requested verification or you will receive a grade of “0” for that exam. Oversleeping,
forgetting the date of the exam, having a cold, not being prepared, etc do NOT count as reasons to be
offered a make up exam.
Grading Policy
Full Credit is given for assignments that are complete, correct, and submitted on time (“on time” means
the assignment is turned in before or during the class period when it is due). I will not accept faxed or emailed homework assignments.
Half Credit will be given for homework that is complete, correct, and submitted within one week of the
due date (including that which is turned to our office on the due date but received after the class period has
begun).
No Credit will be given for homework that does not comply with the assignment guidelines or which is
submitted more than 1 week late
There are NO extra credit opportunities for this class. Instead, there are multiple ways to maximize your
performance. Grading is based on attendance, the timely and correct submission of assignments, as well as
grades attained on quizzes and two examinations.
Final Exam
Midterm
Assignments
Quizzes
Group projects
Attendance
25%
20%
15%
15%
15%
10%
If you are concerned about your grade
Attend office hours as soon as any concern arises. Panicked emails at the end of the term with no obvious
previous effort to address sliding grades are not an effective means of addressing grade concerns.
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Final Grading Scale
93 or higher A
88-92
B+
83-87
B
78-82
C+
73-77
C
63-72
D
Academic Integrity
I take academic integrity seriously. Your work must reflect your own writing and ideas and properly cite
other sources as appropriate. All assignments must adhere to standards of academic ethics. You are
responsible for understanding Rutgers University policy on academic integrity
http://academicintegrity.rutgers.edu/integrity.shtml#I
Academic integrity is violated if you turn in work and ideas that is not your own, when you plagiarize
material, or when the same work is submitted for different courses without my permission. Any student
who submits work that constitutes plagiarism will be subject to disciplinary sanctions, which are painful for
everyone involved. These range from failure of the assignment, to failure of the course and dismissal from
the school.
Taking information from an Internet site and placing it into text without proper citation is plagiarism and
students are subject to the same consequences as they would face for copying information from a text or
journal article without proper citation. If you are unsure of the rules of citation, please ask or visit the
following website from the Rutgers Writing Program:
http://wp.rutgers.edu/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=333&Itemid=1669
Collaborating in the course
Part of learning involves discussing course material with other students. By “collaboration,” I mean working
together to try to figure out or understand a certain issues relevant to the course. Simply copying someone
else’s assignment or quiz answers is cheating and will likely only undermine your ability to perform well on
the final exams.
While collaboration is encouraged to understand class material, it is not allowed in any form during the
midterm or final. These examinations are meant to be a test of how well you alone have grasped the central
concepts in the course.
Special accommodations
Any student who needs accommodation due to TBI, a chronic psychological, visual, mobility and/or
learning disability or is Deaf or Hard of Hearing should make an appointment with the Coordinator at
Rutgers Office of Disability Services (848-445-6800 or dsoffice@echo.rutgers.edu).
Class Rules
Attendance and participation:
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I will take attendance regularly throughout the course, though not every day. Your attendance grade
will be derived from this sheet.
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Ask questions and participate. This is more exciting for everyone.
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Arrive to class as on time on possible. If you are late, please take your seat quickly and quietly. Catch
up with your friends after class.
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If you have to miss a class, please use the University absence reporting website
https://sims.rutgers.edu/ssra/ to indicate the date and reason for your absence. An email is
automatically sent to me.
Electronic Devices:
Cell phones and texting are disruptive to the class. Be sure to turn your cell phone ringer and notifications
off before class begins. It is also distracting and disrespectful to text, or use an iPad or notebook computer
for anything other than taking notes or seeking answers to questions posed in class. Be sure to restrict your
use to these tasks only. Students answering email, texting or doing work for other classes will be asked to
close their devices.
Calculators
You will need a calculator for this course. For any exams, you are not permitted to use cell phones or internetenabled devices such as the iTouch or the iPad as calculators during exams. (I’ll ask you to put these items under your
seat or zipped into a backpack during tests.) Also, calculators may not be shared during quizzes or examinations. I
encourage you to bring a scientific calculator to every class.
Calendar of Lectures Topics, Readings, Quiz/Problem Sets, and Exam Dates – subject to change
Date
In class Lecture & Exam schedule
Homework
(all required readings and quizzes are on
Sakai)
9/6
9/10
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Introductions
Review syllabus
In class-notecard
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Lecture 1: Scope and History of
Epidemiology
Discussion: “Eras and paradigms in
Epidemiology”
Lecture 2: Basic Outcome measures
I
Group signups and intros
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Read: Chapter 2: Understanding
Fundamentals of Epidemiology
Chapter 1
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Work on Quiz 1 (lectures 1, 2)
Read: TBA
Chapter 2
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9/13
Suggested reading
in Friis:
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Read: “Eras and paradigms in
Epidemiology” article
Read: Chapter 1 - Understanding
Fundamentals of Epidemiology
5
9/17
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Lecture 3: Basic Outcome measures
II
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Assignment 1 - Outcome Measures
Rate, Ratio, Incidence, Prevalence
Read: Concepts concerning causation
Chapter 2
Chapter 5
9/20
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Lecture 4: Cause and association I
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Read: Chapter 9 Causal Inference Understanding Fundamentals of
Epidemiology
9/24
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Lecture 5: Cause and association II
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Work on Quiz 2 (lectures 3, 4 and 5)
9/27
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Lecture 6: Data sources 1
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Chapter 3
10/1
10/4
Discussion:
 “Race and the Census”
 “Privacy vs. Public Health” & “Is
De-identification sufficient?”
 Lecture 7: Data Sources II
Read: “Race and the Census”
Read: “Privacy vs. Public Health” or
“Is De-identification sufficient?” or
(assigned by group)
Read: Chapter 5 “Source of Data for
Public Health Practice.” Epidemiology
for Public Health Practice
Work on Quiz 4 (lecture 6, 7)
Chapter 3
10/8
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Lecture 8: Descriptive Epi I
10/11
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Lecture 9: Descriptive Epi II
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Work on Quiz 5 (lecture 8 and 9)
Read: “Should young athletes be
screened for heart disease?”
Chapter 4
10/15
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Assignment 2 – Screening
P 130-133
10/18
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Assignment 3 – Analytic vs.
Descriptive Epi
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Lecture 10: Screening
Discussion: “Should young athletes
be screened for heart disease?”
Lecture 11: Reading Epi Papers and
Discussion of Group Project 1
MIDTERM EXAM
covering Lectures 1-11, class
discussion, and readings
Lecture 12: Intro to Analytic Epi
and Study Designs;
Discussion: TBA
10/29
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No Class – meet with your group
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Group Assignment 1 – Literature
Review
11/1
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Lecture 13: Case Control Studies I
11/5
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Lecture 14: Case Control Studies II
10/22
10/25
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Chapter 4
Study for EXAM
Chapter 6
Chapter 6
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Work on Quiz 6 (lectures 12, 13 and
14) and submit answers by noon on
Tuesday 11/6
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Chapter 6
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Lecture 15: Cohort Studies Part I
Risk ratio vs. odds ratio exercise
Lecture 16: Cohort Studies Part II
Discussion TBA
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Read: TBA
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Lecture 17: Ethics in Experimental
(Intervention) Studies
Discussion of ethics articles
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Lecture 18: Data Interpretation
Issues
Discussion on: “The Evidence
Gap” & “Treating an Illness is one
thing”
Lecture 19: Infectious disease Epi I
Clips
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Read: “Unethical trials in Guatemala
articles” & “Prison as laboratory”
Assignment 4 – Analytic Studies, Risk
Ratios, Odd Ratios
Work on Quiz 7 (lectures 15, 16 and
17)
Read: “The Evidence Gap” or
“Treating an Illness is one thing”
(assigned by group)
Read: “Mystery Disease in Cambodia”
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Group Assignment 2 - Outbreak
Investigation
Chapter 8
Lecture 20: Infectious Disease Epi
II
Group work on Group Assignment
2
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Read TBD
Assignment 5 – sample exam
questions
Chapter 8
Lecture 21 - Environmental and
Occupational Epidemiology
Discussion: TBD
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Read/ Listen : “Meet the Dealer who
Helps Addicts Quit”
Read: “Controversy over HPV
vaccine”
Chapter 7
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Lecture 22 : Epidemiology in public
policy
Discussion
12/10
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Review session
TBA
FINAL EXAM, comprehensive
11/8
11/12
11/15
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11/19
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11/22
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11/26
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12/3
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12/6
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Chapter 6
Finish Chapter 6
Work on Quiz 8 (lecture 19, 20, 21, 22)
Chapter 10
For Add Drop dates, see the Office of Academic Services: http://sasundergrad.rutgers.edu/academics/registration/index.html
The Academic Calendar is available from the Registrar at: http://scheduling.rutgers.edu/calendar.shtml
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