EPI 100: Principles of Epidemiology Summer Session A, 2008 (June 24 - July 31)  Course Description

For those taking the course at home, plan a vacation to UCLA that includes July 31, 2008, the day of the in-class final examination (see below).

Course: Principles of Epidemiology  

Epidemiology is the study of the distribution and determinants of health-related states or events in specified populations and the application of this study to the control of health problems. The course will follow closely the book, Epidemiology, by Leon Gordis (see below) and will feature both in-person (Option One) and web-based (Option Two) lectures that rely exclusively on MS PowerPoint animated text, graphics, and WMA and MP3 sound files.  For those attending in-person lectures, the presentations are given by Professor Ralph Frerichs with a computer projector. A teaching assistant (Jessica Miller) will be available during the hour before class (i.e., 5-6 pm) to answer individual questions or concerns.  In-class discussion sessions for those selecting option one will focus on health problems that are making news, and ways that epidemiology is being used to address these problems.  On the morning following class, the presentations will be posted for review. On the weekend, the notes for the coming lectures will be posted for printing and bringing to class (option one) or guiding the web-based lecture (option two).  Sample questions for the various quizzes will be posted on the web.

Prerequisite: one full biological sciences course

Also useful would be a prior statistics or biostatistics course.

Essential is:

1) a Windows computer with speakers for sound files (Intel-based Mac users -- see below),

2) modem (preferably DSL or cable) access to the Internet, and

3) an ink jet or laser printer for home or office use. 

For those selection Option One, written notes will be posted as PDF files on the Internet for you to print and bring to class. For those selecting Option Two, all of the lecture notes, graphic presentations, and sound files will be posted on the internet.  The animated text, graphics, and audio WMA and MP3 files featured in class will be available for review after each lecture, but just on the Internet rather than on a CD or transfer of individual files.  Please do not request the Powerpoint files per se; they will not be released.

Prerequisite: For Intel-based Mackintosh users

The Powerpoint material that is posted on the web and easily seen with Internet Explorer does not appear correctly with Safari.  Yes, I realize that the Mac is a wonderful computer (I too own one, as does my wife, daughter and daughter-in-law), but alas, Safari will not show the animation features of the web-located Powerpoint Presentations featured in EPI 100. If you plan not to attend the class in-person, and instead want to follow on the web, be sure to create a Windows partition on your hard drive with Boot Camp, assuming of course that you own the Intel-based Mac (I am not sure what to do with earlier versions of the Mac).  Since you likely do not have Powerpoint in your Windows directory, you need to install "Microsoft Office Animation Runtime" which lets you view the animation features without Powerpoint.  To do so, go to the Microsoft website, search for the program (i.e., office animation runtime) and install msorun.exe.  Once you have everything set, try running the following program found on the John Snow site which uses similar programming: (http://www.ph.ucla.edu/epi/snow/Snowpart1_files/frame.htm). 

Fee and enrollment: the fee (i.e., unit and campus fee) for the 4 unit course is set by the University of California.  For enrollment, see: www.summer.ucla.edu. For the UCLA fee structure, see: www.summer.ucla.edu/EnrollRegister/feechart.htm.

Enrolled students will have full access to class room lectures and advising (one hour before each class) and to presentations on the internet.  A web-access code will be given to enrolled students via email following the first session (i.e., after June 24, 2008).  A different web-access code will be given to continued enrolled students via email at the beginning of Week 3 (i.e., July 8-10, 2008). The University charges the same amount, whether the student decides to attend all lectures in person, or to hear and view them on-line.  The option to attend lectures and use the services of Jessica Miller, the Teaching Assistant (TA) remains open to all students, regardless of declared learning style. The Summer Session policy regarding registration and dropping of course is available at:http://www.summer.ucla.edu/Calendar/current.htm. Online Registration for Summer Session begins February 1, 2008 for UCLA Students and March 1, 2008 for other students.

Quick Review of Enrollment Status: the course is limited to 150 students. To view the enrollment status, click here.

Select Term: Summer 2008

Select Subject Area: Epidemiology

Course number: EPI 100

Course outline: click here if you have an Adobe Reader (6/18/08)

Dates: June 24 through July 31, 2008 (six weeks)

Time: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday from 6:00 to 8:30 pm

The course Teaching Assistant (TA -- Jessica Miller, an Epidemiology doctoral student) will be available in the lecture auditorium for one hour from 5-6 pm on T, W, and Th of each week to offer assistance with the Gordis book, the course lectures, or other matters. This an optional service for those wanting additional help.

Location: CHS (Center for the Health Sciences) 23-105

The evening lectures are presented in 23-105, a large auditorium on the second floor, third corridor in the Center for Health Sciences building. All lectures are posted the following day on the course website.  The course teaching assistant will be available to answer questions in the auditorium one hour before class (i.e., 5-6 pm). 

Instructor: Professor Ralph R. Frerichs

Dr. Frerichs is a professor in the Department of Epidemiology at the UCLA School of Public Health. He has pioneered the development of microcomputer applications for management oriented epidemiologists and decision-makers in less-developed countries. Included among these applications are rapid surveys and epidemiologic spreadsheet models for focused research. He also has developed HIV sentinel surveillance strategies, now in use in several Asian and South American countries, and evaluated tests for rapid, non-invasive HIV assessment to be used for surveillance and screening purposes. Earlier in his career, Professor Frerichs conducted numerous cohort studies in Bogalusa, Louisiana, determining the natural history of cardiovascular risk factors in children, and was principal investigator of a large cohort study of Los Angeles adults to assess the epidemiology of mental depression and help-seeking behavior. He also headed a large environmental study in Southern California of the health impact of recycled wastewater. In past decades, Dr. Frerichs has worked with various agencies on epidemiologic- and management-related activities in Honduras, Bangladesh, Myanmar (formerly Burma), Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines, islands of Micronesia, Brazil, Kenya and Mongolia. He has been a strong advocate for early HIV detection at the personal and community level and has shared widely his views by written and electronic modes of communication. Professor Frerichs has chronicled on the internet the life and times of John Snow, the prominent British epidemiologist, linking reactions to cholera in Snow's time with current views of HIV infection. He has also documented the United States anthrax outbreak of 2001 as part of his website on epidemiology and bioterrorism. Finally, he is very interested in the use of the internet for education of epidemiologic concepts and principles, focusing on UCLA students, health professionals and the general public.

Teaching Assistant: Jessica Miller, MPH, PhD (candidate)

Jessica is a doctoral student in Epidemiology and is well versed in explaining the sometimes-complex notions of the course. She enjoys sharing her knowledge with fellow students, and will be available to answer questions each class day (i.e., T, W, Th) from 5-6 pm in Rm. 23-105 CHS.  Her consultation is an optional component of the course, for those wanting additional help.  Jessica received her B.A. from the University of Maryland and M.P.H. from UCLA.  She has work experience with such varied conditions as human monkeypox, pulmonary tuberculosis and Parkinson's disease. 

Required Text: Gordis, L. Epidemiology. Elsevier-Saunders, Philadelphia, 4th Ed., 2008 (available May 16, 2008).

Copies of the text will be available at the UCLA Biomed Book Store (308 Westwood Plaza, CHS 13-126, Los Angeles, CA 90095; 310-825-7721), following book shipment on May 16, 2008. The book may also be purchased via the Internet from Amazon, Barnes and Noble or others, often for a lower price.  Please note: the quizzes and final examination will be based on the new 4th Edition of the Gordis book (2008).  Those relying on earlier editions may miss some important material.   

Highly Recommended Text: Posta, Miquel (Ed): Dictionary of Epidemiology, Oxford University Press, New York, 5th Ed., 2008.

The book, to be published in May, 2008, may be purchased at the UCLA book store (towards the end of May or early June) or via the Internet from Oxford University Press.  It is an excellent reference for describing and explaining the many terms used in the field of epidemiology.

Grading: letter grade only

OPTION ONE: Quizzes 20%, Final Exam 80%.  Five quizzes (20%) will be given on weekly reading assignments every Tuesday for 30 minutes, starting July 1, 2008. The lowest scoring quiz will be removed. The final examination (80%) will be comprehensive, covering all readings and lectures, and will be given at UCLA during the last class on Thursday, July 31, 2008 from 6 to 8:30 pm.

OPTION TWO: Final Exam (100%). The final examination (100%) will be longer than Option One. It will be comprehensive, covering all readings and lectures, and will be given at UCLA during the last class on Thursday, July 31, 2008 from 6 to 9:00 pm.

Attendance at UCLA: voluntary (other than for examinations)

Lectures and discussion will be provided during the course by Professor Frerichs at the designated time and place. The teaching assistant will offer personalized help for one hour before class.  Those unable to attend or not interested in attending will be able to review the visual and audio material on the internet. We will not provide educational consultation via email; this service is offered only in-class (i.e., Professor Frerichs) or pre-class (i.e., Jessica Miller, the TA).  Option one: one quiz can be missed, but in-class attendance is mandatory for the other four quizzes and the final exam. Option two: attendance at UCLA is mandatory only for the final exam on July 31, 2008.  

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