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Course description

This course gives an insight in the basic terminology and principles used in epidemiology. Also, the principles of bias and confounding are addressed. This course can best be followed at the start of the PhD track.

Learning objectives

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

• Use and explain the basic terminology and principles used in epidemiology
• State important historical developments in health sciences in general, and epidemiology in particular

In particular, you will be able to:

• Distinguish between, and apply, the different measures of frequency, association and impact that are commonly used in epidemiological research
• Calculate these measures using simple numerical examples
• Tell apart and explain the different aspects of epidemiological research (causal and descriptive).
• Tell apart and state the (dis)advantages of the different study designs used in epidemiological research: cohort, case-control and cross-sectional studies.
• Read and interpret (simple) epidemiological scientific papers, and recognize in these papers which study design was used
• Apply the correct measures of frequency and association belonging to the different epidemiological study designs
• Explain the meaning of the terms ‘bias’ and ‘confounding’ and distinguish between them

Course program

The online course is a 3 week part-time course with a study load of 14 hrs/w. Web lectures, articles, assignments and group discussions are the learning methods that will be used. There are interim deadlines and the course ends with an exam.

Start: 1 February 2021

End: 19 February 2021

Course material

Compulsory study material: ‘Epidemiology – An Introduction’ by K.J. Rothman, Oxford ľ¹Ï¸£ÀûÓ°ÊÓ Press, 2nd edition, June 2012, ISBN-13: 978-0199754557.

Group size

8 to 30 participants

Number of credits

1.5 EC

Course certificate

Participants will receive a certificate when they completed the practical exercises (self-study), attended at least 80% of the classes and passed the exam.

Course fee

We offer 5 places for free for PhD candidates registered with the Graduate School of Life Sciences via MyPhD. Be quick, these 5 places tend to be taken soon. Important: you can only use one of these places for 1 course organised by the Julius Center (Introduction to Epidemiology, Introduction to Statistics, Modern Methods in Data Analysis, Study Design in Etiologic Research).

More information and registration

For more information please send an e-mail to msc-epidemiology@umcutrecht.nl.

Registration is closed. Course fully booked.