Epidemiology (3 cr.)
10:832:335 – Section 1- Fall 2013 - HYBRID
Tuesdays 2:50-4:10 Frelinghuysen Hall A6 & Online via eCollege
Instructor: Amy Abruzzi, MPH & Doctoral Candidate (Epidemiology, UMDNJ)
Phone: (215) 499 1809 (sorry this number can’t receive text messages)
Email: abruzzi@rci.rutgers.edu
and abruzzi@alypso.net
Office Hours: 30 minutes before or after class, and other times on Tuesday by appointment
Course Web Site: http://eCollege.Rutgers.edu
Technical problems: eCollege tech support, available 24/7
**Note to Mac users: students have sometimes reported problems using Safari as their internet browser. Please call the eCollege tech support as soon as possible to see if there are any reported problems with the version of your browser. Be sure to download and test a substitute such as Firefox well in advance of any quiz deadlines.
Course Description:
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 this course, students will have an understanding of common study designs, be able to calculate typical outcome measures, and be able to critically read the public health literature and evaluate the results of epidemiologic studies.
Learning Goals: Upon completion of Epidemiology a student should be able to… i
1.
Describe the historical roots of epidemiologic thinking and their contribution to the evolution of the scientific method.
2.
Explain how ethical principles affect epidemiologic research.
3.
Use rates and proportions to express numerically the amount and distribution of health- and non-health-related outcomes.
4.
Use the distribution of a health-related outcome in groups to generate hypotheses that might provide a causal explanation.
5.
Explain basic statistical and epidemiologic concepts of estimation, inference, and adjustment to establish association.
6.
Explain how to use evidence of an association to make a judgment about whether an association is causal using the principles of contributory cause.
7.
Describe the basic epidemiologic study designs that are used to test hypotheses, identify associations, and establish causation.
8.
Describe the concepts of measurement of test performance and be able to apply the concepts of testing and screening in different settings.
9.
Apply the concepts of benefits, harms, and cost to a public health decision.
10.
Describe the broad applicability of epidemiologic methods to clinical and basic science as well as public policy.
Adapted from Riegelman RK and Albertine S, Recommendations for Undergraduate Public Health Education (October 2008). Accessed 17 August
2012.
http://www.aacu.org/public_health/documents/Recommendations_for_Undergraduate_Public_Health_Education.pdf
Text: This book provides a useful overview to the field and will enhance your understanding of the lectures:
Merrill, Ray. Introduction to Epidemiology. 6 th edition. Jones & Bartlett. 2013
IMPORTANT!: You will also need: iClicker. Available at the Rutgers Bookstore.
Course Materials on eCollege (access with your Rutgers NetID account):
♦ The syllabus, including a calendar of class lectures topics, readings, weekly assignments and examination dates.
♦ Lecture notes and handouts.
♦ Weekly untimed quiz (homework)
♦ Links to helpful web sites, video links, podcasts or other interesting materials when appropriate
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Grading:
The course is based on a total of 650 points arranged over 14 weeks of instruction:
♦ Two Unit exams, each worth 200 points = 400 points total
♦ Ten untimed quizzes, each worth 10 points = 100 points total
♦ Ten participation sessions, each worth 10 points = 100 points total
♦ Final essay: 50 points
Grading is based on the timely and correct submission of all assignments and group participation. Final grades, but not grades on individual items (such as weekly quizzes or Unit exams) may be curved.
Final Grade cut-points:
Your final grade for this class will be assigned using this system:
A: 585 to 650 points (90 - 100%)
B+: 559 to 584.9 points (86 - 89 %)
B: 520 to 558.9 points (80 - 85 %)
C+: 494 to 519.9 points (76 - 79 %)
C: 455 to 493.9 points (70 - 75 %)
D: 390 to 454.9 points (60 - 69 %)
F: 389.9 or less points (59 % or lower)
I automatically round up to the next grade when you are within 0.5 points of the next cut-point. So, an average of 558.5 =
559 points = B+.
I also consider your overall work record (including timeliness of submissions) and the quality of your participation when your final grade is assigned.
Class rules:
Attendance and participation:
Students are expected to attend every class and participation counts toward your final grade (for details on points, see below under Guidelines). 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. A weekly sign in sheet will also be used in this class. Repeated absences will require a note from the Dean of Students. In addition, if you have to arrive late or leave early, please notify me ahead of time.
Electronic Devices:
I believe we all learn better with fewer distractions.
.
If you have a documented learning disability that makes using an electronic device necessary during class, please furnish me with a letter from the Office of Disability Services. You will need a calculator for this class. Homework typically requires it and so will portions of the in-class examinations. Sorry, but you can’t use cell phones or internet-enabled 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.
Students with Learning Disabilities:
Please turn your paperwork in to me within the first two weeks of school or notify me within this period that you are in the process of obtaining a letter. In addition, arrangements will have to be made with the Office of Disability Services for a proctor.
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Guidelines for Assignments and Projects
This class is a hybrid, which means that we meet for only one class session per week (instead of two). You are expected to do additional work outside of our class meeting time learning the lectures in addition to what you’d normally expect to spend on homework. The class is divided into two units, typically with an untimed quiz (homework) per week, class participation, and a unit exam. While each exam focuses on the content of the materials discussed and assigned within that unit, the concepts are increasingly cumulative. A take home essay question will be due at the end of the term, and is cumulative in nature in that it requires students to apply and synthesize concepts from the entire course. In general, my emphasis is on the lecture notes, text and any additional in class activities. The text book is very good and intended to enhance your understanding of the lectures.
Unit Exams (200 points each, together, worth 400 points) and Make-up Policy:
Two in-class Unit exams will be given in class on the designated days. These tests are largely a combination of true and false, multiple choice, matching and include calculations similar to the online quizzes plus short answer responses. In
addition, there will be a smaller take-home or online portion that is included in the above point count. The exams focus on the lectures and discussion readings covered in that unit. Please don’t 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 for the in-class portion taken after the test date carry a 10% penalty and I am only able to administer them on Tuesdays, prior to class. In the event of an emergency or serious illness on the day of an in-class 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.
Quizzes (homework) (10 points each, worth 100 points total):
Homework is administered online in the form of ten untimed quizzes, available through our eCollege course site. Each quiz will become available prior to class on the day is it assigned and contain 8 to 10 questions, which are worth a point a piece. Questions tend to emphasize calculations and the interpretation of data, and may be reasonably thought of as
“problem sets”. Quizzes may be taken an unlimited number of times before the due date, and of course you are expected to use your notes and text book. Each quiz must be submitted by Mondays at 11:59 PM. I will review the answers in class later that afternoon. Do not skip questions as they will register as a zero towards your score. There are no make-
ups for missed quizzes, but you will be allowed to drop your lowest Quiz grade.
Participation points (approximately 10 points a session, worth 100 points total):
Most weeks you will need to bring your iClicker to class in order to participate and receive your points. A random ID check/weekly sign-in sheet will also be used to confirm you are present. Sorry, but if your clicker is used without your attendance, you will forfeit you participation points for the entire semester. Participation centers around the assigned lecture or other material you were asked to study in advance of attending the class. There are no make-ups for missed participation sessions, but you will be allowed to drop your TWO lowest sessions.
Final essay: 50 points
A 3 page take-home essay
th
Privacy statement:
The course web site may contain student information that is protected by the Family Educational Rights to Privacy Act
(FERPA). Disclosure to unauthorized parties violates the federal privacy laws. Email sent via our course website may make student names and email addresses visible to other students in class. Please remember that this information is protected by these federal privacy laws and must not be shared with anyone outside of class.
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All dates are
Tuesdays
Calendar of Lectures Topics, Readings, Quiz/Problem Sets, and Exam Dates in 2013
Please print syllabus, lecture notes, etc. before coming to class.
In class Lecture & Exam schedule
(please print lecture slides and worksheets before coming to class)
Homework
(all required readings and quizzes are on eCollege)
Suggested reading in
Merrill:
Week 1, starting
9/3
Week 2, starting
9/10
Week 3, starting
9/17
Week 4, starting
9/24
Week 5, starting
10/1
Week 6, starting
10/8
Week 7, starting
10/15
Week 8, starting
10/22
Review syllabus & hybrid class setup iClicker Participation on Lecture 1: Scope and History of Epidemiology (10 points)
Presentation of Lecture 2: Basic Outcome measures iClicker Participation on Lecture 3:
Inferring cause and preventing disease (10 points)
Presentation of Lecture 4: Working with Rates iClicker Participation on Lecture 5:
Descriptive Epi (10 points)
In Class: 40 Years war on Cancer
Presentation of Additional slides: “Breaking down the All-cancer death rate” iClicker Participation on Hill’s Criteria (10 points)
Presentation of Lecture 6: Screening iClicker Participation on Lecture 7: Data sources (10 points)
Wrap up Unit 1
What to review for Exam
In class EXAM on Unit 1, covering Lectures
1-7 (200 points)
(*take home and/or online portion will also be assigned)
Unit 2 begins
Review Exam
Presentation on Lecture 8: Intro to Study
Designs
 Do Lecture 1


 Submit Week 3 Quiz (lectures 3








Submit Week 2 Quiz (lectures 1 and 2) by 11:59 PM on Monday
9/16
Do Lecture 3 and 4) by 11:59 PM on Monday
9/23
Do Lecture 5
Submit Week 4 Quiz (lecture 5) by 11:59 PM on Monday 9/30
Do Hill’s criteria handout
Submit Week 5 Quiz (lecture 6) by 11:59 PM on Monday 10/7
Do Lecture 7
Submit Week 6 Quiz (lecture 7) by 11:59 PM on Monday 10/14
Study for EXAM
Do Lecture 9
Chapter 1, 2
Chapter 4
Chapter 6
Chapter 5
Chapter 12
Websites to be assigned
Start
Chapter 7
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Week 9, starting
10/29 iClicker Participation on Lecture 9: Case control studies Part I (10 points)
Presentation on Lecture 9: Case control studies,
Part II
Week 10, starting
11/5 iClicker Participation on Lecture 10, Cohort studies: part I (10 points)
Presentation on Lecture 10, Cohort Studies, part
II
Week 11, starting
11/12
Week 12, starting
11/19
Presentation on Lecture 11: Experimental
(Intervention studies)
Wrap up of study designs iClicker Participation on Study Designs,
Risk ratio and Odds Ratio worksheet (10 points) iClicker Participation on Lecture 12:
Infectious disease Epidemiology Part I (10 points)
Presentation Lecture 12, Part II (outbreak investigation)
11/26 No class this week (Thursday classes meet today)
 Submit Week 9 Quiz (lectures 8
& 9) by 11:59 PM on Monday
11/4
 Do Lecture 10, Part I
 Submit Week 10 Quiz (lectures
10, part I and II) by 11:59 PM on
Monday 11/11
 Do Risk ratio vs. odds ratio exercise; review designs
Submit Week 11 Quiz (lecture
11) by 11:59 PM on Monday
11/18
 Do Lecture 12, part I
 Submit Week 12 Quiz (lecture 12
Part I and II) by 11:59 PM on
Monday 12/2
 Do Lecture 13
Reminder: Final Essay due on
12/3(50 points)
Thanksgiving break
Finish Chapter
7
Start Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapters 3 and
8
Week 13,
Starting
12/03
Week 14, starting
12/10 iClicker Participation on Lecture 13:
Environmental and Occupational
Epidemiology (10 points)
Final Essay due (50 points)
Presentation on SMRs (in class exercise)
What to review for exam


Submit Week 13 Quiz (lecture
13) by 11:59 PM on Monday 12/9
Study for exam
EXAM on Unit 2, covering Lectures 8-14 and discussion readings (200 points)
(*take home and/or online portion will also be assigned)
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
Chapter 11
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Academic Integrity:
Honesty and Integrity are an essential part of the educational experience. It is expected that students will complete all exams, and assignments in accordance with Rutgers University’s academic rules and regulations. See the current Rutgers
University Academic Catalog for details. Any evidence of academic misconduct, including cheating, failure to cite sources, plagiarism, stealing ideas, or deliberately slanting research results will result in appropriate action as dictated by Rutgers
University. Please note that 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. Rutgers provides a wealth of resources to help students understand proper citation format and coping with the pressures of academic life. For the most up-to-date policy information on Academic Integrity http://academicintegrity.rutgers.edu/files/documents/AI_Policy_9_01_2011.pdf at Rutgers, see:
Academic Misconduct: A Bloustein School Perspective
Academic misconduct includes cheating, plagiarism, failure to cite sources, fabrication and falsification, stealing ideas, and deliberate slanting of research designs to achieve a pre-conceived result. We talk about misconduct and ethical behavior in classes and expectations are set forth in student handbooks and catalogues. We are not repeating that material here. Note, however, that penalties for misconduct can range from failing an assignment/exam or dismissal from the university. The
Bloustein School is appending this memorandum to your course syllabus because we recently have detected obvious cases of plagiarism. We have found far fewer cases of other forms of academic misconduct, but we find several every year. It is imperative that you understand that unethical academic conduct is intolerable, and it is completely preventable.
Academic misconduct almost always happens for two reasons. One is ignorance of academic rules and practices. For example, in virtually every recent plagiarism case in the School, material has been taken from an Internet site and placed in text without appropriate note or attribution. You must learn the proper rules for attribution. If you are not sure, ask your instructor! If you do not know the rules that govern the use of data sets, attribution, analysis and reporting of these sets, the faculty will help you. There is no such thing as a stupid question regarding this subject.
Pressure is the second common reason for academic misconduct. Students, faculty, every one of us is subject to deadline, financial, self-worth, peer, and other pressures. If you are potentially allowing pressure to drive you to misconduct, please step back and resist that urge. You can cope with pressure in a positive way by reaching out to friends, counselors, and faculty members. Within the Bloustein School community, you will find understanding people and positive direction.
The Bloustein School plays an important role in the planning and public policy agenda. Our work and our students must be above reproach. Updated 2/8/05
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