This document provides information about an introductory epidemiology course titled "Fundamentals of Epidemiology". The 2-credit course is taught online with two required on-campus sessions. It covers basic epidemiologic concepts including study designs, measures of disease occurrence and association, and applications of epidemiology. Students are evaluated based on homework, exams, group project, and discussion board participation. The course aims to describe epidemiology methods and their use in public health.

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Date of last revision: December 5, 2016
DEPARTMENT: Executive Master of Public Health
COURSE NUMBER: EPI 504D Sections 1 & 2
COURSE TITLE: Fundamentals of Epidemiology
CREDIT HOURS: 2
Instructor Information
Section 1 Section 2
Name: Linda Ahdieh Grant Name: Drew Voetsch
Email: linda.ahdieh.grant@emory.edu Email: avoetsc@emory.edu
Phone: (404) 989-4160 Phone: (202) 499-8189
Mailing Address: 1518 Clifton Road Mailing Address: 1518 Clifton Road
Atlanta GA 30322 Atlanta GA 30322
Office Hours: By e-mail Office Hours: By e-mail
Course Description
Epidemiology 504D is an introductory epidemiology course covering the underlying concepts
and methods of epidemiology and the applications of epidemiology to public health. Topics
covered in the course include: study design (clinical trials, cohort studies, case-control studies,
and cross-sectional studies), measures of disease occurrence and association, bias,
confounding, interaction, and analysis of two-by-two tables.
Prerequisite(s)
None
Course Competencies
This course addresses the following Core competencies:
1. Use analytic reasoning and quantitative methods to address questions in public health and
population-based research.
2. Describe the use of epidemiology methods to study the etiology and control of disease and
injury in populations.
3. Develop the capacity for lifelong learning in public health.
Learning Objectives
• Describe and/or identify the essential features of basic epidemiologic study designs and
recognize the advantages and limitations of each
• Calculate appropriate measures of disease occurrence, disease association, and
attributable risk
• Describe the concepts of bias, confounding, and interaction in epidemiologic studies and
be able to provide strategies to minimize the effects of these when present in a study

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Date of last revision: December 5, 2016
• Demonstrate understanding of the contributions of epidemiology to the field of public
health
• Describe key assumptions and limitations of assessing causality
Evaluation
Students are evaluated based on their performance on weekly homework (20%), a group
project (20%), a midterm exam (25%), a final exam (25%), and on-campus attendance and
discussion board participation (10%).
STUDENT HONOR AND CONDUCT CODE
The RSPH requires that all material submitted by a student in fulfilling his or her academic
course of study must be the original work of the student. For more information about the
School's Student Honor and Conduct Code, go to:
http://www.sph.emory.edu/rollins-life/enrollment-services/honor-code/index.html
If you have any questions about this specific course, contact the instructor.
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal anti-discrimination statute that
provides comprehensive civil rights protection for persons with disabilities. Among other things,
this legislation requires that all students with disabilities be guaranteed a learning environment
that provides for reasonable accommodation of their disabilities. If you believe you have a
disability requiring an accommodation, please contact the Access, Disabilities Services and
Resources office in 110 Administration (404-727-9877). That office can guide you in determining
the process for documenting, obtaining and using accommodations at Emory University.
On-Campus Meeting Times
There are two on-campus class sessions for this class. Attendance is required for all on-
campus class sessions.
Opening On-campus Sessions
• Friday, January 6, 12:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
• Saturday, January 7, 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Closing On-campus Sessions
• Friday, April 7, 12:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
• Saturday, April 8, 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Text/Readings
Leon Gordis, Epidemiology, 5th Edition (ISBN: 978-1455737338)
Additional chapters/articles to supplement the textbook will be posted on Blackboard.
Computer Requirements
Computer hardware, software, and peripherals compatible with Blackboard usage are required.
Please consult the Blackboard Help site and/or the EMPH Online Orientation course for general
information about operating systems, browsers, communication software, and printers. Some
courses may require the installation of plugins and/or software which can be installed only by
those with administrative rights to their computers. Please note that an iPad or similar mobile
device does not provide the needed functionality for all of the Blackboard tools.

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Date of last revision: December 5, 2016
Evaluation, Grading Policy, and Assignments OR Evaluation and
Grading
Evaluation:
Assignment Individual/Group Points Due Dates
Weekly Homework Individual 20%
Every Sunday by
midnight
Midterm Exam Individual 25% February 12, 2017
Final Exam Individual 25% April 7, 2017
Group Project Group 20% April 8, 2017
On-Campus
Attendance &
Discussion Board
Participation
Individual 10% Ongoing
Grading Scale
Grade
Percentage
Range
Quality Points
A 95-100 4.0
A- 90-94.9 3.7
B+ 85-89.9 3.3
B 80-84.9 3.0
B- 75-79.9 2.7
C 70-74.9 2.0
F <70 0.0
Assignment Details
The information below is intended to provide a brief description of the assignments for this
course. More detailed information is posted under the Assignments link in Blackboard.
Weekly Homework:
After you have done the assigned reading and watched the lecture for the week, complete
homework on Blackboard. You can consult lecture notes and textbook to complete homework,
but please do not discuss with others. You can open the homework multiple times and come
back to it as many times as you want. Make sure to save each answer before you exit the
homework screen. When you are satisfied with your answers, submit the homework for
grading. The homework must be submitted each Sunday at 11:59 p.m. in your time zone. New
material introduced each week builds on what you have learned in prior lessons. Weekly
homework is given to make sure you understand concepts for the exams and for the final
project. The lowest weekly homework grade will be dropped.

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Date of last revision: December 5, 2016
Discussion Board: Students are expected to respond thoughtfully to assigned discussion
board questions. Initial posts are due by 11:59pm of Wednesday during the week in which they
are assigned. Students are expected to submit 1 substantive original post and submit 3
responsive posts per semester (comments to peers are due by Sunday 11:59pm).
Midterm Exam:
The midterm exam is open book and open note. You can ask questions on Blackboard, but
please do not give out hints or answers. You have one week to complete the midterm exam.
Final Exam:
Final exam will be given during the closing on-campus weekend. It will be a closed book exam.
You will be permitted to create a one-page summary (front and back) of key formulas and
definitions that they can bring to the exam. You will be permitted to use a calculator. Smart
phones, laptops, or other devices that connect to the internet are not permitted. Calculators will
be permitted.
Group Project:
The group project will explore the role of epidemiology in a current public health issue. There
will be three parts to the project. The first part will require a description of the background and
possible epidemiologic methods to address the issue. The second part will require analysis and
interpretation of summary data that will be provided. The third part will require discussion and
recommendations based on the findings. The three project parts will be included in a poster that
will be presented on the closing weekend. Each student will work in a group of no more than 5
students on the project. We will discuss the projects in detail during the opening weekend. Parts
1 (Feb. 5) and 2 (Mar. 5) will be submitted during the semester for feedback from the
instructors. Group members will also evaluate each other on his/her contributions (amount,
quality, and timeliness) to the project. Project grade will reflect individual student’s contribution
based on peer evaluation.
Late Assignments:
Assignments passed in late without the instructor’s previous knowledge and approval will be
reduced by 10% per day. If you have an emergency that delays your turning in assignments,
please contact the instructor as soon as possible.
Office hours:
We will have office hours before the midterm and the final. Sample exam questions will be
provided one week prior to each exam, and will be reviewed on office hours on Saturday,
February 4 (for midterm) and Saturday, April 1 (for final). Additional office hours may be
scheduled after the midterm exam to discuss the project.
Verbal and Written Communications
Communicating effectively in writing and verbally is critical to public health research and
practice. Graduates of the Executive MPH are expected to demonstrate these skills in written
assignments and oral presentations. Requirements for acceptable performance in this course
include the following:
Proofread: Clarity and accuracy are expected in submission of assignments throughout this
course. Errors of grammar or spelling may result in a lower grade.
Note: Keep in mind that spell check and grammar check features of software programs
such as Microsoft Word are not sufficient. Please read over all submissions carefully for
content, spelling, punctuation, and grammar before turning them in.

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Criteria for written assignments: The following criteria will be used in grading written
assignments: (Instructor edits as appropriate)
• Relevance to the issues
• Scope and thoroughness
• Logic and organization of thought
• Reference to the scientific literature in the areas related to the course
• Proper citations format (please follow track or instructor guidelines for all quotes and
citations)
• Integration of principles and theories described in class and in readings
• Overall writing style
• Correct grammar and spelling
Criteria for oral presentations: The following criteria will be used in grading oral presentations:
(Instructor edits and provides details)
• Organization of material
• Relevance to the issues
• Scope and thoroughness
• Analysis and conclusions
• Presentation skills
• Adherence to time limits
Communicating with the Instructor
There are two primary modes of communication for this class – the "Course Q&A" section of the
discussion board and electronic mail. To ensure that your questions are answered as promptly
as possible, please follow the communications guidelines below:
• Course Q&A section of the discussion board: A special section of the discussion board
has been set up for questions/answers about the course. This area will be monitored
daily. You are strongly encouraged to respond to your peers if you know the answer
or can provide guidance.
• Personal email to the instructor: Email should be used only for messages that are private
in nature. Please allow 24-48 hours for response time.
General Guidelines and Suggestions
Backing up Work: It is recommended that you compose your assignment and discussion
responses in Word, save them, then copy and paste into the appropriate forum area. Always
keep a copy on disk of all assignments or e-mails you post to the course site. Always check the
discussion areas after you have posted a response to make sure they are showing up.
Lesson Materials / Assignments: It is recommended that you print out the lesson assignments
before you plan to work on them. That way, if your internet connection is slow, or if you
temporarily cannot reach the course site you will have the assignments in hard copy and can
continue to work. Any online readings should also be printed out ahead of time so you have
them at your disposal when you are ready to read them.
Overall Course Policies
• All work must be turned in according to the schedule. If an emergency arises which
keeps you from posting work at the appropriate time, please discuss the problem with
the instructor via e-mail

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Date of last revision: December 5, 2016
• This class requires active participation. You are expected to be present and contributing
to the class discussion every 2 – 3 days. If you need to be away from the class for more
than this period of time, please let the instructor know, via mail, in advance so that you
will not be considered "absent."
• All lecture notes and other information presented within this course are the property of
the instructor, and is protected by copyright.
• While this class does not cover content that is emotionally charged, it is important to
remember that you are in a learning community composed of a wide range of beliefs and
experiences, and every person has a right to express those beliefs/experiences within
the discussion boundaries. No denigration or silencing of others will be allowed.

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Date of last revision: December 5, 2016
Course Schedule
Dates Unit Topics Readings Deliverables Due
Opening On-Campus
Classes
Jan 6 & 7
Introduction to Epidemiology
and Selected Topics
Review of Course Logistics
Chapter 1: Introduction
Chapter 2: Dynamics of Disease
Transmission
Module 1: Jan 9 – 15
Measuring the occurrence of
disease – morbidity and
mortality
Chapter 3: Measuring the occurrence of
disease: I. Morbidity
Chapter 4: Measuring the occurrence of
disease: II. Mortality
Homework 1
Module 2: Jan 16 – 22
Jan 16 – MLK Holiday Randomized trials
Chapter 7: Assessing the efficacy of
preventive and therapeutic measures:
randomized trials
Chapter 8: Randomized trials: some further
issues
Homework 2
Module 3: Jan 23 – 29 Observational designs
Chapter 9: Cohort studies
Chapter 10: Case-control studies and other
study designs
Homework 3
Module 4: Jan 30 – Feb 5 Measures of association
Chapter 11: Estimating risk: is there an
association?
Chapter 12: More on risk: estimating the
potential for prevention
Chapter 13: Comparing cohort and case-
control studies
Homework 4
Project Part 1
Module 5: Feb 6 – 12
MIDTERM
Module 6: Feb 13 – 19 Causal inference - confounding,
bias, interaction
Chapter 14: From association to causation:
deriving inferences from epidemiologic
studies
Homework 5

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Date of last revision: December 5, 2016
Chapter 15: More on causal inferences: bias,
confounding, and interaction
Module 7: Feb 20 – 26 Natural history of disease
Chapter 6: The natural history of disease:
ways of expressing prognosis
Homework 6
Module 8: Feb 27 – Mar 5 Screening
Chapter 5: Assessing the validity and
reliability of diagnostic and screening tests
Chapter 18: The Epidemiologic Approach to
Evaluating Screening Programs
Homework 7
Project Part 2
Module 9: Mar 6 – 12 Spring Break
Module 10: Mar 13 – 19 Evaluation
Chapter 17: Using Epidemiology to Evaluate
Health Services
Module 11: Mar 20 – 26 Current topics in epidemiology Chapter 19: Epidemiology and Public Policy
Module 12: Mar 27 – Apr 2 Prepare for the final exam and project presentations
Closing On-Campus
Classes
Apr 7 & 8
FINAL
Group Project
**Discussion Board questions will be posted throughout the semester in Blackboard.
All deliverables are due on Sundays by 11:59 p.m. except the group project and the final exam that will take place during the closing
on-campus classes.
You may be responsible to read only some parts of the textbook chapters. Please see Blackboard course site for details.