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COURSE OUTLINE

COURSE OUTLINE

ENH 122: EPIDEMIOLOGY I - Winter 2015

School of Occupational & Public health, Ryerson University

Course day/location:  Monday 3 – 6 p.m. / DSQ #3 (Theatre complex, north side Dundas Square)

Profs:   Jordan Tustin, HBSc, BASc, MHSc, PhD (c), CPHI (C)

              Tim Sly,  DPHI, MSc, PhD, CPHI(C)  

[NOTE:  The first three classes (Jan 12, 19, & 26) will be taught by Dr. Tim Sly.  This is because Prof. Tustin, also an epidemiologist, is currently completing a tour of duty in the West African country of Liberia. Prof Tustin is scheduled to resume lecturing at week 4, Feb 2].   

Contact (Prof Tustin): Room:  POD-253    Tel: 416- 979-5000 x 3021    E-mail: jtustin@ryerson.ca

        Office hours: Mondays 12 - 2 p.m., Thursdays 2 - 4 p.m.

Contact (Prof Sly):   E-mail: tsly@ryerson.ca      Office hours by appointment.

*Note: the Graduate Assistant (GA) will also have office hours as needed beginning in February 2015.  The day and time will be communicated to you in class.

Epidemiology

In this course we will become familiar with the basics of epidemiology, the essential set of "methods" underlying all of the public health sciences.  This is one of very few undergraduate programs in Canada that have epidemiology as a main focus.

To the public, epidemiology is the process made somewhat sensational by popular media whereby an investigator tracks down the source of a rare killer-disease or an epidemic.  It is true that epidemiologists do those things, but the field encompasses much more than that. It is a method of investigation that can be applied to the study and understanding of all aspects of illness and wellness.  We seek answers to questions such as "Why are these people ill, but those are not?", "What are the exposure factors that seem to increase the risk illness (or wellness)?", "HOW did they become ill?", "WHAT can be done to reduce the risk of this illness spreading?", and "How can we prevent or reduce the likelihood of such an outbreak in the future?"   The process also extends to exploring and testing the best methods to increase the population's health in many different ways. 

Epidemiology is therefore a method or system of investigating the factors that influence illness (and ‘wellness’) in humans.  It employs skills from microbiology, medicine, sociology, statistics, and many other sciences and social sciences.   

Modern epidemiology also studies primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention, and the risks associated with future and uncertain exposures. Recent links with geographical information systems allow epidemiologists to visually assess illness hot-spots and risk factors over wide areas, while newly-developed collaborations with molecular biologists allows us to understand how genetic and other sub-cellular factors play a role in exposure, risk, and disease.   

This course will start a journey into the complex and fascinating world of epidemiology. You will see the applications throughout the rest of your program and I can promise you that you will see and use applications from this course during your career in public health, occupational health, nursing, nutrition, and other health sciences. You may even become inspired to continue the subject into graduate studies!

Objectives

At the end of the course, you should be able to:

(i) - correctly define and describe many common terms and concepts used in epidemiology

(ii) - describe the early key steps and advances made to reach the present day understanding of epidemiology

(iii) - describe the epidemiological characteristics of certain diseases presented during the course;

(iv) - carry out a simple investigation of a communicable disease outbreak using epidemiological methods.

The course structure

During the 3-hour lectures, we will address several new aspects of disease control, using text, visuals, internet links, graphics, video, and case studies. Attendance is expected. Those who miss classes invariably do poorly on the exams.  Please note that important information will be provided in class that may not be detailed in your course materials.

Tests and examinations

A mid-term test worth 30% will be held on February 23, 2015. An assignment worth 30% will be due on March 31, 2015. Details about the assignment will appear later. The final examination will be worth 40%. Specific details, dates, expectations will be discussed in class.  Results of any graded course work will be posted on Blackboard.  

Missed tests and exams

Please do NOT book holidays, weddings, or anything else which will interfere with tests and exam times. (Special make-up exams will be considered ONLY in extreme cases, and will require full documentation. If you are planning illness or your own demise, please arrange it after the test.)  Religious observances require ADVANCED notification.  In cases of verified illness, documentation is required using the official Ryerson medical certificate. Please submit the official Ryerson medical certificate within three days of missed test/exam to the SOPHe office.

Calculators   

Calculators used in tests and exams must conform to the School's calculator policy, meaning that calculators that are able to transmit and receive information (for example through wi-fi, Bluetooth, wireless, or IR) are prohibited, as are calculators that are part of smart-phones or tablets. The use of calculators or tablets for storing and bringing information into the examination room will be considered a serious attempt at academic misconduct.  

Texts

1. The 19th edition of the Control of Communicable Diseases Manual, published by the American Public Health Association in 2004, Editor: David L. Heymann. The paperback edition ISBN 0-87553-242-X. This is one of the most important reference books for any health professional dealing with communicable disease anywhere in the world. It will be needed for this course (ENH122), and also for ENH322, ENH422, and ENH522, and you will find it to be a valuable source of information for many other courses too, as well as a constant reference when you are in the field. These manuals should be available at the beginning of the course through the Ryerson Bookstore.

2. Other weekly course readings will be assigned and available via course websites. , will be comprised of selected readings from textbooks available as e-books on the Ryerson library website, as well as journal articles, governmental reports and any other pertinent information accessible to you on-line.

Contacting your professors or the GA

Prof Tustin: Office hours will be posted and I expect you to make an effort to see me or the GA in person. Questions not covered by the course outline or extensively discussed in class will be reviewed and answered on Blackboard Announcements on a weekly basis. I will accept email requests for issues or concerns not related to course content.

Prof Sly: I will arrange meetings by appointment, and I am also prepared to answer questions by email for clarification.

GA: To be announced later in the course.

As a guide to fair access in communication, the following points are presented.

■ You are strongly encouraged to seek clarification of something brought up in class, but before you send an e-mail or come in during office hours, please make sure you check the course notes and for this information first. Frequently we find that a ‘confused’ person has not even looked at these sources, and the answer is right there!

■ Calculations or analyses: TRY them first, check the sources and when you really are stuck, come and explain exactly where you got lost. It is usually solved very quickly. But please don’t come along saying "I really don’t understand anything of this!" without actually having tried it!

■ Missed classes: This is not a high school, and no-one is taking attendance. YOU are responsible for obtaining the missing material from classmates, and for catching up before the next unit. We simply do not have the time to run through three hrs of missed class on a 1-to-1 basis. If you miss a class, get notes from colleagues and dig into the readings. Of course we will help clarify if something is puzzling you, but please do the routine legwork yourself first.

■ By all means give us suggestions, and feedback, and make contributions about recent news and events that might have some bearing on the course material.

■ If you contact the prof (or the GA) using email, please maintain a reasonably polite and acceptable tone of communication.  In addition please include ‘ENH 122’ in the subject line.

Modules

1.  ORIGINS of EPIDEMIOLOGY: an important look at where it began and how it influences what we use today, and an introduction to pioneers, key figures, and selected important epidemic diseases.

2.  DESCRIPTIVE EPIDEMIOLOGY: Tracking health and disease by person, place, and time.

3.  MEASURING MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY: Rates and ratios, incidence, prevalence, duration, mortality, etc.

4.  ANALYTIC EPIDEMIOLOGY: Basic study designs: Observational v experimental; cross-sectional v longitudinal, retrospective v prospective.  

NOTE, in addition, and all through the course, we will use and illustrate elements of "EPIDEMIOLOGY TRADECRAFT" in the form of principles, processes, practices, problem solving, etc. that are rarely found in textbooks.  Also, all through the course we will explore the EPIDEMIOLOGY OF IMPORTANT EPIDEMICS AND PANDEMICS, both ancient and modern, and review case studies and definitions.

University policies

All students are expected to conform to all Ryerson University policies.  It is the students’ responsibility to be up-to-date with these policies.

Important Academic Policies can be found at:
SOPHe Student Handbook

http://www.ryerson.ca/sophe/current/

Student Code of Academic Conduct
http://www.ryerson.ca/senate/policies/pol60.pdf

Ryerson Student Guide

http://www.ryerson.ca/studentguide

 

Grading

Grades are a measure of your knowledge of the course material. If you do not have the knowledge, you do not qualify for the credit for this course.  Grades will be posted on the course’s Blackboard site. The official final grade is released by the Registrar.

Any requests for the reassessment of your work must be made to the Instructor within ten (10) working days of the date the graded work is returned to the class.  It is your responsibility to discuss your work with the Instructor and you will be asked to put your request in writing detailing where you believe the grading is incorrect. A reassessment may result in the grade remaining the same, being raised or being lowered. Please see the Student Handbook for further information.

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