CGH 302: Epidemiology
Fall 2013
Schedule:
Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9:00 AM – 11:50 AM
ACB 214
*Nov 14: class will be in Burkle14
Office Hours:
By appointment
Instructor:
Kari-Lyn K. Sakuma, Ph.D., MPH
Assistant Professor
School of Community & Global Health
karilyn.sakuma@cgu.edu
TA:
Mark Dust
School of Community & Global Health
mark.dust@cgu.edu
Textbook:
Friis, R.H. & Sellers, T.A. Epidemiology for Public Health Practice: Fifth Edition. Boston: Jones and Bartlett.
Available at the bookstore or through Amazon and other online retailers.
Online Course Management
Announcements and digital handouts will be provided through Sakai. Slides will be provided and posted to
Sakai AFTER each class session. If you have trouble accessing Sakai, please contact Maggie Hawkins
(Margaret.hawkins@cgu.edu) for assistance.
Course description:
This course is an introduction to the methods and applications of epidemiology, with an emphasis on
applications to community and global health issues. The field of epidemiology is concerned with the
distribution and determinants of health and diseases, morbidity, injuries, disability, and mortality in populations.
Epidemiologic studies are applied to the control of health problems in populations; therefore, a thorough
understanding of epidemiology is essential for research and practice in community and global health. In this
course, students will learn the core concepts of epidemiology including measures of morbidity and mortality,
sources of data, study designs, measures of effect, screening measures, and practical applications. Students
will apply this knowledge to a current community/global health problem of their choice.
Learning objectives:
After taking this course, students should be able to:
 Describe the role that epidemiology serves in the discipline of public health, and be able to describe a
public health problem in terms of magnitude, people, time, and place.
 Apply proper terminology and definitions used in epidemiology.
 Identify key sources of data for epidemiologic studies.
 Identify various study designs used in epidemiology and describe their strengths and limitations.
 Calculate the basic statistics used in epidemiology, including morbidity and mortality rates, incidence and
prevalence, sensitivity and specificity of screening tests, and measures of effect.
 Explain the importance of epidemiology for informing scientific, ethical, economic and political discussion of
health issues.
 Comprehend ethical principles pertaining to the collection, maintenance, use and dissemination of data and
other epidemiological information.
 Interpret, articulate, and critique results of epidemiological analyses found in public health studies.
 Develop written and oral presentation based on epidemiological studies for both public health professionals
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and educated lay audiences.
Course components:
Requirement
Percent of grade
Mid-term exam
20%
Final Exam
20%
Epi in the news assignment
15%
Group Study Critique
20%
Group In-Class Activity
20%
Class Participation
5%
Total
100%
Grading system
Letter grades are assigned by these standards:
Letter
Grade
A+
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
C-
Percent
Scale
Interpretation
97-100
93-96.9
90-92.9
87-89.9
83-86.9
80-82.9
77-79.9
73-76.9
70-72.9
4.0
4.0
3.7
3.3
3.0
2.7
2.3
2.0
1.7
Truly exceptional performance; rarely given
Excellent performance.
Very Good performance.
Good performance.
Acceptable performance.
Marginally acceptable performance.
Passing but below expectations for graduate work.
NO EXTRA CREDIT! You can earn a good grade without extra credit if you do quality work throughout the
term. Grades are EARNED not given.
Class Structure:
 Generally, the first 2hrs of class will be devoted to lectures and in-class assignments.
 The last 50 minutes will generally be spent reviewing concepts covered in class and/or working on your
group projects or assignments.
Evaluative Criteria:
Mid-term exam (20%) and Final Exam (20%):
 All exams will be primarily multiple choice questions but will also include short-answer questions.
 Exams will cover all material in the textbook and lectures.
 Each exam will cover material presented since the previous exam. The final exam may be cumulative due
to the nature of the advanced lectures.
o Both exams will be CLOSED BOOK but you can have a single, 8½ X 11 sheet of paper (front &
back) for notes.
o Except for calculators, NO laptops or other electronic devices will be allowed during the quizzes.
You cannot use your phone or computer as your calculator.
Epi in the News Assignment (15%)
Due by 9am on 11/26/2013
 Assignments received after 9am will be marked down 5%. For every day an assignment is late, an
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additional 5% will be deducted from the grade.
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Directions: Find an example of a news story about an epidemiological study.
o Sources may include newspaper, magazine (not scientific journals) or internet (from professional
news agencies).
Write no more than two pages (typed, font size 12, single spaced) describing the following aspects of the
study:
1) What was the research question under study? (Identify exposure and outcome explicitly.)
2) What was the source of the data used in the study? (Identify person, place and time elements.)
3) What study design was used?
4) What were the key results and conclusions? (Be concise but thorough.)
5) Choose two ‘criteria for causation’ that are relevant to the epidemiologic study and describe the
extent to which each is (or is not) met.
If adequate information is not presented in the article to answer any of the above questions, please do your
best to provide an answer and state what information would be required to more fully answer the question.
Please attach a hardcopy of your chosen news article to your typed assignment.
Study Critique (20%)
Due by 9am on 12/17/2013
 Assignments received after 9am will be marked down 5%. For every day an assignment is late, an
additional 5% will be deducted from the grade.
 This is a group assignment.
 Groups will be determined the first week of class start.
 Since this is a group project, everyone in the group will receive the same grade.
o For example, if someone plagiarizes a section of the critique then everyone gets the failing grade.
 Project Description
o Describe a current community/global health issue. This can be a disease (e.g., cancer), a behavior
(e.g., sedentary behavior), or an environmental condition (e.g., exposure to a toxic chemical).
o Describe the extent of the problem using epidemiologic measures (e.g., incidence, prevalence).
o Choose TWO epidemiologic studies to critique.
 Answer the following questions in a written essay format.
1. Identify the primary research question being addressed by the investigation.
2. Identify the primary independent (exposure) and dependent (disease outcome) variables being
examined (i.e. if “this,” then “that”).
3. Describe the subjects involved in the investigation.
4. Explain how the exposure and outcome variables were defined and measured.
5. Identify the basic type of study design utilized.
6. Identify the key results, i.e. the reported association between the exposure and the outcome.
7. Recognize potentially confounding variables, potential sources of differential misclassification (i.e.
selection bias and measurement bias), and potential sources of non-differential misclassification. Also
recognize efforts to deal with each of these; and evaluate the adequacy of these efforts.
8. Recognize situations in which confounding, measurement bias, and/or selection bias are NOT likely
explanations for the findings and explain why.
9. Determine whether the interpretation of the results and conclusions of the author(s) are justified by the
findings.
10. Summarize the major strengths and weaknesses of the study.
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Please use a professional, scientific writing style, and make sure the writing is your own. Be concise.
Longer is not better. Critiques should not be longer than 10 pages (12 point font, single-spaced, don’t
forget to use appropriate citations).
You are expected to present your critique to the class on 12/17/2013.
Most students find it helpful to use PowerPoint presentations with bullet points, tables, and/or graphs to
organize their presentations.
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Presentations should be around 20 minutes with 5 minutes for questions.
Please turn in a paper copy of the two articles your group chose to critique, the written critique, and a copy
of the slides presented to the class.
In-Class Activity (20%)
 Teaching is the best way to learn something inside and out. You will be assigned to a group at the
beginning of the semester and will be expected to teach, demonstrate, and answer questions surrounding
the lecture topic to the rest of the class. Creativity is key! This class activity should last no more than 20
minutes.
Schedule of classes
Date
Instructor Topic
10/29
Sakuma
Introduction
History and scope of epidemiology
Practical applications of epidemiology
-Group presentation example
10/31
Sabado
Measures of morbidity and mortality used in epidemiology
11/5
Sakuma
Descriptive epidemiology: Person, place, time
-Group A presentation (Ch. 3)
11/7
Sakuma
Sources of data for use in epidemiology
-Group B presentation (Ch. 4)
11/12
Sakuma
Study designs:
Ecologic, cross-sectional, case-control
11/14
Dust
Study designs:
*Burkle
Cohort, experimental
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-Group C presentation (Ch. 6)
11/19
Sakuma
Measures of effect
Data interpretation issues
-Group D presentation (Ch. 7)
-Group E presentation (Ch. 8)
11/21
Mid-Term Exam
11/26
Epi in the News DUE at 9am
Sakuma
Mid-term Exam Review Answers
Study Critique Exercise and Example
THANKSGIVING BREAK
12/3
Sakuma
Screening for disease in the community
Epidemiology of infectious diseases
12/5
Sabado
Psychologic, behavioral, social, genetic epidemiology
-Group F presentation (Ch. 11)
-Group G presentation (Ch.12)
12/10
Sakuma
Ogata
Environmental and Occupational Epidemiology;
Epidemiology as a profession
12/12
12/17
Sakuma
Class Recap- Review for Final
Critique Papers are Due by 9am
Group Critique Presentations
Final Exam
12/19
Reading
Chapters 1,2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapters
7, 8
Chapters
9, 10
Chapters
11, 12
Chapters
14 (skim), 15
Chapters
13, 16
Course Policies:
 Any student requesting academic accommodations based on a disability is required to register with the office of
Disability Services. A letter of verification for approved accommodations can be obtained from Disability
Services. Please be certain the letter is delivered to me as early in the semester as possible. The Disability
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Services office is located in Harper Hall, Lower Level, Room 14. The phone number is (909) 607-8779 or you may
email them at disabilityservices@cgu.edu. The website is: http://www.cgu.edu/pages/1154.asp.
Academic Integrity: Students of Claremont are expected to do their own work and respect the intellectual
properties of others. You are held to the University’s Code of Academic Integrity. All students are responsible
for reading and following the Student Conduct Code, which can be found at
http://www.cgu.edu/pages/1132.asp. Violation of academic integrity can result in serious consequences such
as, but not limited to receiving an “F” on the assignment and/or in the final grade of the course, or being
expelled from the University. There is a “zero tolerance” policy in this class. Academic misconduct will be
reported to the University for Independent Review. Misconduct can include using unapproved notes or talking
during exams, using materials in your papers without proper citation, and plagiarizing others’ work or using your
own work from other classes and turning it in for credit in this class.
Unexcused late work. There will be no make-up in-class assignments or presentations offered or accepted.
There will be no extra credit offered. FINAL EXAMS CANNOT BE MISSED. THE FINAL EXAM IS ON DEC 19 from
9am to 11:50am. Acceptable excuses such as medical emergencies must be accompanied by a note by a
physician or health clinic.
E-mail Courtesy: Please do not email at 10pm the night before an exam expecting an immediate answer. Please
give us at least 24 hours during the work week to respond to emails. We may get to it prior to then but do not
rely on instant contact 24/7. I know this may be difficult but like you, we have many other responsibilities that
need our attention and extending this courtesy to us will be greatly appreciated.
E-mailed papers and papers delivered to mailboxes or left in the offices of the professor or teaching assistant
will not be considered “received” or “turned in” until the professor or teaching assistant get it, open the
document, and acknowledge receipt of it.
If you send any files or attachments, please include the course number, content or file, and your name in the
electronic file name as follows: CGH302_<type of doc>_<lastname>.doc (i.e., CGH302_finalpaper_Sakuma.doc).
Grammar, spelling and writing ability are important. Please edit all written assignments and turn-in written
materials that are error-free and meet the quality standards of the university.
OPEN DOOR: I strongly encourage you to speak with me and/or the teaching assistant if you have any questions
or concerns about any particular assignment, concept, or perhaps about the class in general. If you are having a
difficult time in this class or meeting the demands of the coursework, please communicate with me or the
teaching assistant. You may email us and make an appointment or you can simply catch one of us before or
after class. Our doors are open.
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