Master of Public Health Program

Upon satisfactory completion of the MPH degree, all graduates will be able to demonstrate a broad knowledge and skills base in the core areas of public health, with particular emphasis in a selected field of public health, and will be able to:

• Apply epidemiologic methods to the measurement of disease rates, prevention of infectious diseases, and the development and evaluation of health programs and policies;
  
  
• Apply statistical methods of estimation and hypothesis testing and explain the basics of correlation and regression for the purpose of analyzing the health of populations;
  
  
• Analyze how environmental contaminants (chemical, physical and other exposures) interact with biological systems and their effect on human populations for the purpose of evaluating risk reduction strategies;
  
  
• Assess the impact on health policy options of social, political, technological, economic and cultural forces, and apply basic management techniques to address organizational challenges to providing health care;
  
  
• Examine public health issues and responses from a social and behavioral sciences perspective and explain social, cultural, political, economic, and behavioral determinants of disparities in health status among population sub-groups; and
  
  
• Demonstrate knowledge and skills for effective practice in their selected field of study.
  
  

Within the context of these overall learning objectives of the MPH program, the Department of Epidemiology has identified additional objectives for its students.

Master of Public (MPH)

The MPH program in Epidemiology (EPI) is designed to prepare students for careers in public health by providing them with the skills to conduct research in the cause, prevention, and amelioration of human disease. These goals are achieved via a curriculum which emphasizes mastery of methods of epidemiological research, and is enriched by "substantive" courses in contemporary issues in epidemiological research such as AIDS, tuberculosis, cancer research, and genetics.  Graduates of the MPH in EPI complete 45 credit hours and a field practicum.

Upon satisfactory completion of the MPH in EPI, graduates will be able to:

• Discuss the role of epidemiology within the broader field of public health, and identify its relationship to the fields of medicine, social and behavioral sciences, environmental science, and health policy;
  
  
• Explain and analyze the distribution and determinants of both chronic and infectious diseases in a wide variety of populations throughout the world;
  
  
• Apply principles of disease prevention within populations.
  
  

In addition to general knowledge and skills noted, graduates will be able to apply concepts, theories and quantitative methods to the following specific areas.

Problem Conceptualization and Critical Thinking

• Create and develop a conceptual framework for research in epidemiological problems;
  
  
• Apply principles of causal inference to epidemiologic data;
  
  
• Review epidemiological literature in a defined problem area using advanced bibliographic and informatics resources;
  
  
• Critique published epidemiological studies as to their strengths and weaknesses;
  
  

Study Design, Analysis, and Interpretation

• Apply fundamental epidemiologic study designs including ecologic, cross-sectional, cohort, and case-control, and explain their uses for solving epidemiological problems;
  
  
• Choose a study design appropriate for a particular epidemiological research question;
  
  
• Implement or observe closely the implementation of one or more epidemiological study designs in the field;
  
  
• Distinguish among basic measures of association, including rate ratio, risk ratio, incidence density ratio, odds ratio, attributable risk, and population attributable risk;
  
  
• Identify situations in research studies in which confounding and effect modification may be influential, and apply designs and statistical methods appropriate to quantitative assessment of confounding and effect modification;
  
  
• Use appropriate statistical methods for analysis of epidemiological data;
  
  
• Use standard statistical software packages for epidemiological research;
  
  
• Calculate and interpret basic population measures of health and disease occurrence including incidence, prevalence, and survival;
  
  
• Make appropriate comparisons of disease rates within and between populations;
  
  
  

Substantive Course Work

• Discuss contemporary issues in epidemiological research in at least three "substantive" areas such as AIDS, tuberculosis, cancer epidemiology, and genetic epidemiology;

Ethical treatment of human subjects

• Identify potential ethical problems in research studies
  
  
• Evaluate alternative approaches to solving ethical dilemmas
  
  
• Apply the principles underlying ethical treatment of human subjects in research; and
  
  
• Write protocols for submission to Institutional Review Boards

Master of Science (MS)

The MS in EPI is a research degree.  The program is designed to offer students training in the concepts and research methods of epidemiology, and graduates of the program often go on to become independent researchers.  The MS program enrolls students with advanced training in other fields, including medicine, nursing, dentistry, psychology and sociology.  Students are required to have an advanced degree, such as the MD, DDS, DO, MSN, or PhD.

The learning objectives for students enrolled in the MS program are the same as those for students enrolled in the MPH program, except, MS students concentrate on research methodology specific to the discipline of Epidemiology and take at most two "substantive" courses.

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

The PhD program in EPI prepares individuals to be independent researchers in academia, government, industry, or other settings.  Entrants to the program will already have met most or all of the requirements of the MPH degree in EPI.  Graduates will demonstrate expertise in initiating and developing original research by preparing a dissertation based upon original research at a level consistent with professional practice.  Graduates will also be capable of teaching epidemiology at the graduate level, both general methods as well as substantive courses in their own areas of expertise.    The PhD program shares the learning objectives of the MPH program.

Upon satisfactory completion of the PhD in EPI, graduates will be able to:

• Identify important public health issues which merit epidemiological study and develop an appropriate study design:

-          Formulate the study question or questions

-          Critically review the relevant literature and identify key issues that need to be addressed

-          Describe the public health significance of the problem

-          Design an epidemiologic study appropriate to address the issue, with suitable attention to issues of population and subject selection, and recruitment

-          Develop a cohesive research proposal in a standardized format (e.g., PHS 398) to address this issue, and which incorporates the foregoing elements, with an appropriate budget;

• Carry out an epidemiological study in the field:

-          Develop procedures for protection of the rights of human subjects, including application for approval by the relevant Institutional Review Board

-          Design and implement protocols and procedures for data collection, quality control, and data management

-          Train and supervise workers who will assist in the execution of the study;

• Analyze and report the results of an epidemiological study:

-          Identify and apply statistical methods appropriate to analysis of data in a specific epidemiological study (e.g., analysis of categorical data, linear and logistic regression, survival methods)

-          Summarize in writing the research findings in a form suitable for publication in a peer-reviewed journal

-          Make an oral presentation of the goals, design, results, and conclusions of an epidemiological study to other epidemiologists and researchers

-          Communicate the results of an epidemiological study to non-epidemiologically trained health practitioners or to the general public fully and accurately, and in a style appropriate to their audience; and

• Teach graduate students and health professionals in an academic setting.