TRACKS
_____________________________________________________________________
INFECTIOUS DISEASE EPIDEMIOLOGY
Dr. Shruti Mehta, Director
The development of antibiotics, improved access to safe food, clean water, sewage disposal and
vaccines has led to dramatic progress in controlling infectious diseases. Despite these remarkable
achievements, infectious diseases remain the leading causes of death in many parts of the world.
Emerging diseases, such as antibiotic-resistant bacteria, SARS coronavirus, and avian and swine
influenza viruses have been identified and some have become established in both the developed
and developing world.
The aim of the infectious disease track is to build upon the core epidemiology curriculum to provide
students with the requisite knowledge of the epidemiology, analytical and laboratory methodology,
immunology and pathogen biology necessary to understand the dynamic interactions of infectious
agents and their hosts, vectors and environment. Capitalizing on the wide range of infectious
disease interests at the school, students in this track take a range of courses offered in the
Department of Epidemiology and other departments to obtain a broad and thorough understanding
of infectious disease epidemiology.
A strength of Infectious Disease Epidemiology is the substantial involvement of faculty with
preeminent national and international studies of infectious diseases. The Department is particularly
strong in the area of HIV/AIDS, where faculty established vanguard studies, including the
Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study (MACS) and AIDS Linked to the Intravenous Experience (ALIVE)
that have made fundamental contributions to the epidemiology of HIV/AIDS in the United
States. Other areas of focus include other chronic infections such as hepatitis infections and
tuberculosis as well as acute infections including dengue, cholera, malaria, influenza.
Research studies within the program range from the molecular to behavioral, from population-based
surveys to long-term observational studies to large scale cluster-randomized trials to test behavioral
and pharmacologic interventions. Through seminars and discussions with faculty, students become
familiar with ongoing projects within the Infectious Disease Epidemiology concentration. These
projects afford unique opportunities to gain research experience not obtained through coursework,
as well as valuable settings for masters and doctoral thesis projects.
In the Infectious Disease Epidemiology track, masters and doctoral students are required to
complete a minimum number of credit hours in required and elective courses in four broad
categories as listed below. These four categories are 1) required core courses in infectious disease
epidemiology; 2) biology and pathogenesis of infectious diseases; 3) advanced analytical and
statistical methods (for PhD and ScD students); and 4) electives in infectious disease epidemiology.
Students should meet with their academic advisors to plan an enriching program that will meet their
individual academic goals. Required and elective courses may be revised periodically.
INFECTIOUS DISEASE EPIDEMIOLOGY
ACADEMIC GUIDE
2013-2014
TRACKS
_____________________________________________________________________
Required Core Courses in Infectious Disease Epidemiology
All students are required to take the courses listed below:
Course
340.627
340.609
340.653
Title (credits)(term)
Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases (4)* (2nd)
Concepts and Methods in Infectious Disease Epidemiology (3) (3rd)
Epidemiologic Inference in Outbreak Investigation (3) (4th)
260.611
Principles of Immunology I (4) (1st)(suggested 2nd year)
AND
Principles of Immunology II (4) (2nd)
OR
Immunology, Infection and Disease (3) (2nd)(suggested 2nd year)
260.612
260.631
340.660
340.717
183.631
Practical Skills in Conducting Research in Clinical Epidemiology & Investigation (3) (1st)
(suggested 2nd year)
OR
Health Survey Research Methods (4) (2nd) (suggested 2nd year)
Fundamentals of Human Physiology (for non-MD doctoral students) (4) (2nd)
(suggested 2nd year)
Biology and Pathogenesis of Infectious Diseases
All students are required to take at least one of the courses listed below:
Course
340.654
260.622
260.623
260.627
260.636
260.650
Title (credits)(term)
Epidemiology and Natural History of Human Viral Infections (6) (3rd in class, 1st online)
Principles of Bacterial Infection (3) (4th)
Fundamental Virology (4) (1st, suggested 2nd year)
Pathogenesis of Bacterial Infection (4) (2nd)
Evolution of Infectious Disease (3) (1st)
Vector Biology and Vector Borne Diseases (3) (3rd)
Advanced Analytical and Statistical Methods for PhD and ScD Students
in Infectious Disease Epidemiology
PhD and ScD students are required to take at least one of the courses listed below:
Course
Title (credits)(term)
340.677
Infectious Disease Dynamics: Theoretical and Computational Approaches (3) (4th)
340.728
Advanced Methods in the Design and Analysis of Cohort Studies (4) (1st)
140.641
Survival Analysis (3) (1st)
140.655
Analysis of Longitudinal Data (4) (3rd)
140.656
Multilevel Statistical Models in Public Health (4) (4th)
140.658
Statistics for Psycho-social Research: Structural Models (4) (2nd)
140.662
Spatial Analysis and GIS I (3) (3rd)
140.663
Spatial Analysis and GIS II (4) (4th)
INFECTIOUS DISEASE EPIDEMIOLOGY
ACADEMIC GUIDE
2013-2014
TRACKS
_____________________________________________________________________
General Electives in Infectious Disease Epidemiology
All students are required to take one of the courses listed below:
Course
340.646
340.651
340.612
340.641
340.744
340.769
340.770
182.640
223.662
223.663
223.665
223.682
223.687
223.689
260.652
260.656
380.761
380.762
Title (credits)(term)
Epidemiology and Public Health Impact of HIV and AIDS (4) (1st, in class; 2nd online)
Emerging Infections (2) (4th)
Epidemiologic Basis for Tuberculosis Control (2) (3rd)
Healthcare Epidemiology (4) (2nd)
Advanced Topics on Control and Prevention of HIV/AIDS (4) (2nd)
Professional Epidemiology Methods (4) (3rd)
Public Health Surveillance (3) (4th)
Food and Water-Borne Diseases (4) (3rd)
Vaccine Development and Application (4) (2nd)
Infectious Diseases and Child Survival (3) (3rd)
Infection, Immunity and Undernutrition: Interactions and Effects (4) (3rd)
Clinical and Epidemiological Aspects of Tropical Diseases (3) (4th)
Vaccine Policy Issues (3) (3rd)
Biologic Basis of Vaccine Development (3) (4th)
Principles of Public Health Ecology (4) (2nd)
Malariology (4) (4th)
Sexually Transmitted Infections in Public Health Practice (4) (4th)
HIV Infection in Women, Children, and Adolescents (4) (4th)
ACADEMIC GUIDE
2013-2014
TRACKS
_____________________________________________________________________
INFECTIOUS DISEASE EPIDEMIOLOGY
Required Courses by Term
First Term:
Course
340.751
Title (credits)
Epidemiologic Methods 1 (5)
140.621
140.651
Statistical Methods in Public Health I (4)*
OR
Methods in Biostatistics 1 (4)
340.863
340.728
Doctoral Seminars Epidemiology (3) (2nd yr doctoral students only)
Advanced Methods for Design and Analysis of Cohort Studies (4)
340.717
340.660
Health Survey Research Methods (4) (2nd yr doctoral students) (offered 2nd term)
OR
Practical Skills in Conducting Research in Clinical Epidemiology & Investigation (3)
260.611
260.623
260.636
340.728
330.657
140.641
340.646
340.845
Principles of Immunology I (4)
Fundamental Virology (4)
Evolution of Infectious Disease (3)
Advanced Methods for Design and Analysis of Cohort Studies (4)
Statistics for Psycho-social Research: Measurement (4)
Survival Analysis (3)
Epidemiology and Public Health Impact of HIV and AIDS (4) (also offered online in 2nd term)
Applied Aspects of Cohort Studies (4)
Second Term:
Course
340.752
Title (credits)
Epidemiologic Methods 2 (5)
140.622
140.652
Statistical Methods in Public Health II (4)
OR
Methods in Biostatistics II (4)
140.658
340.863
550.865
340.627
Statistics for Psycho-social Research: Structural Models (4)
Doctoral Seminars in Epidemiology (3) (2nd year doctoral students only)
Public Health Perspectives on Research (2)
Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases (4)
260.631
Immunology, Infection and Disease (3)
OR
Principles of Immunology II (4)
260.612
ACADEMIC GUIDE
2013-2014
TRACKS
_____________________________________________________________________
INFECTIOUS DISEASE EPIDEMIOLOGY
Course
183.631
260.627
340.744
223.662
Title (credits)
Fundamentals of Human Physiology (4) (non-MD, 2nd year doctoral students)
Pathogenesis of Bacterial Infections (4)
Advanced Topics on Control and Prevention of HIV/AIDS (4)
Vaccine Development and Application (4)
Third Term:
Course
340.753
Title (credits)
Epidemiologic Methods 3 (5)
140.623
Statistical Methods in Public Health III (4)
OR
Methods in Biostatistics III (4)
140.653
340.863
340.609
340.654
260.650
140.662
140.655
340.612
340.769
182.640
223.663
223.665
223.687
260.650
Doctoral Seminars (3) (2nd yr doctoral students only)
Concepts and Methods in Infectious Disease Epidemiology (3)
Epidemiology and Natural History of Human Viral Infections (6) (also offered online
1st term)
Vector Biology and Vector-Borne Diseases (3)
Spatial Analysis and GIS I (3)
Analysis of Longitudinal Data (4)
Epidemiology Basis of Tuberculosis Control (2)
Professional Epidemiology Methods (4)
Food and Water-Borne Diseases (3)
Infectious Diseases and Child Survival (3)
Infection, Immunity and Undernutrition (4)
Vaccine Policy Issues (3)
Vector Biology and Vector-Borne Diseases (3)
ACADEMIC GUIDE
2013-2014
TRACKS
_____________________________________________________________________
INFECTIOUS DISEASE EPIDEMIOLOGY
Fourth Term:
Course
340.754**
Title (credits)
Methodologic Challenges in Epidemiologic Research (5)
140.624
140.654
Statistical Methods in Public Health IV (4)
OR
Methods in Biostatistics IV* (4)
340.715
340.653
340.677
140.663
140.656
260.622
340.651
340.764
223.682
223.689
260.656
380.761
380.762
Problems in the Design of Epidemiologic Studies (4) (2nd year doctoral students)
Epidemiologic Inference in Outbreak Investigations (3)
Infectious Disease Dynamics (3)
Spatial Analysis and GIS II (4)
Multilevel Models in Public Health (4)
Principles of Bacterial Infection (3)
Emerging Infections (2)
Public Health Surveillance (3)
Clinical and Epidemiological Aspects of Tropical Diseases (3)
Biologic Basis of Vaccine Development (3)
Malariology (4)
Sexually Transmitted Infections in Public Health Practice (4)
HIV in Women, Children, and Adolescents (4)
550.860 Research Ethics (1 )++ course is offered each term. This course meets the School
requirements. Students may also take 306.665 or 360.670 to satisfy the ethics requirement.
** Required for doctoral students only
Black=department/school wide requirements
Red=ID EPI required courses
Blue=ID EPI requirement – one biology and one advanced analytical course
Purple=ID EPI electives
ACADEMIC GUIDE
2013-2014