Disease Detectives: Introduction to Public Health and Epidemiology
Department: Public Health
Instructor: Hannah Barca
Instructor Emails: hbarca@ucsd.edu
Dates: July 7 - July 25
Schedule: 9am - 4pm (Lunch from 11:30am - 1:30pm)
Location: 8980 Via La Jolla Drive, La Jolla 92037
Room: TBD
Course Description
From mental health to infectious disease, we will dive into real-world issues at the population level through the lens of public health.
This course will provide you with an introduction to the public health field, especially epidemiology. Students will learn an overview of the history of public health, important topics in public health, career paths in the field, and foundational epidemiologic methods (including identifying health problems, developing hypotheses, understanding study designs, conducting foundational data analysis, and interpreting findings). The course will engage students in collaborative learning through group discussion, case studies, in-class activities, and a group project. Additionally, students will participate in real world public health activities through a field trip to either the San Diego County Department of Public Health or the Birch Aquarium (environmental public health) as scheduling allows.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this course students will be able to:
- Explain the history of public health with historical milestones
- List facts and trends in important public health topics
- Discuss population health and how health outcomes are measured
- Describe the social ecological model and the social determinants of health
- Quantify health-related outcomes in a population using epidemiologic measures
- Differentiate among the major epidemiologic study designs
- Judge whether an association obtained from a basic epidemiologic study is likely to be biased
- Communicate scientific/public health information in oral and written forms
- Etc…..
Course Topics
- History of Public Health
- Eras of Health Knowledge (ex: Miasma Theory, Germ Theory)
- Historical Milestones (ex: John Snow Cholera Outbreak)
- Important Topics in Public Health
- Chronic Diseases (ex: cardiovascular disease, diabetes)
- Mental Health (ex: depression, anxiety, PTSD)
- Infectious Disease (ex: HIV and other STIs, COVID-19)
- Environmental Health (ex: air pollution, greenspace, WASH [water, sanitation, and hygiene])
- Social Determinants of Health (ex: social ecological model, health behaviors)
- Foundational Epidemiologic Methods
- Measures of Disease Frequency (e.g., prevalence, risk, odds)
- Study Designs (e.g., cross-sectional, cohort, case-control)
- Types of Bias (e.g., measurement error, confounding)
- Measurement (e.g., scales/questionnaires, sensitivity, specificity)
- Taking Public Health Further
- Communicating Science/Dissemination
- Career Paths in Public Health
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Prerequisites
A growth mindset/willingness to learn in an inclusive environment. No advanced math skills are required.
*Courses vary by experience and exposure to content. Instructors have the ability to change content and pace to serve the needs of students. Courses have been modified for online teaching.