Introduction to epidemiology

This introductory course in epidemiology is intended for those who have little or no prior epidemiological training, but have moved into a student or staff role that requires an understanding of these epidemiological principles for their work.

The course will take you from the basic principles of epidemiology, to the design, interpretation, and appraisal of epidemiological research. No prior knowledge is required, although a background in biological sciences or medicine may help understand the topics in health.

This course will cover

• fundamental principles in epidemiology (including measures of disease occurrence and association)
• bias and confounding
• statistics (chance, power, meta-analysis)
• different types of epidemiological study designs (descriptive, case-control, cohort, randomised control trials).

It will also apply these principles in a critical appraisal of a research paper, along with a week-long group project on a study design exercise of a current question in the field.

The first four days of this five day online course consist of approximately two live sessions, followed by one hour of self-directed learning in the form of exercises, readings or pre-recorded videos. The final day will focus around group presentations of a week-long practical exercise.

£90 for OU students, £250 for OU staff/external students, £350 for external academics.

For more details and to register: ndph.ox.ac.uk/study-with-us/introduction-to-epidemiology