Undergraduate Courses

Course Descriptions

Epidemiology 2200A/B: Introduction to Epidemiology

  • The calculation and interpretation of basic epidemiologic measures, the strengths and weaknesses of various study designs, and the critical appraisal of published medical and epidemiologic studies. Prerequisite/Corequisite: Biology 2244A/B, the former Health Sciences 2800 or the former Health Sciences 201, Psychology 2810, the former Sociology 231, Statistics 2035, 2141A/B, 2143A/B, 2858A/B, the former 2122A/B.*
    Anti-requisite: the former Epidemiology 3300B.

Biostatistics 3100A: Biostatistical Methods for Epidemiology

  • Epidemiologists work with categorical data (e.g. healthy, sick, dead) and with time to event data (e.g. time to death). This course introduces analytic methods of such data, expanding on aspects of study design and analysis introduced in Epidemiology 2200A/B. It requires a prior introduction to analyses of continuous data.
    Prerequisite: Statistics/Biology 2244A/B, Epidemiology 2200A/B.
    Corequisite: Epidemiology 3200A.

Biostatistics 3110B: Multivariable Methods

  • This course covers frequently used multivariable regression models (linear for continuous outcomes and logistic for binary outcomes) in health research. By the end of the course students will (i) understand and critique applications of regression models appearing in the biomedical literature and (ii) carry out their own analyses.
    Prerequisite: Biostatistics 3100A, Epidemiology 3200A.

Epidemiology 3200A: Epidemiology II

  • An examination of the major research issues in epidemiology studies focusing on principal sources of bias (sampling, measurement, and confounding) and other technical issues (e.g. effect-measure modification) in estimates of exposure-outcome associations. Understanding general and design-specific issues is accomplished through critical appraisal of published papers in selected topic areas.
    Prerequisite: Statistics/Biology 2244A/B with a mark of at least 75%, Epidemiology 2200A/B.
    Corequisite: Biostatistics 3100A.

Epidemiology 3210B: Analytic Epidemiology

  • This course will teach the fundamentals of observational study designs (case-control and cohort). The course will be problem-based and taught using published studies as examples. Course assignments and projects will include development and critique of protocols.
    Prerequisite: Biostatistics 3100A, Epidemiology 3200A.

Epidemiology 3315B: Epidemiology of Major Diseases

  • A survey course covering the descriptive epidemiology (incidence and prevalence) and analytic epidemiology (risk and protective factors) of the infectious and chronic disease that are leading causes of death and disability. Effects of personal characteristics (age, gender), place (developing versus developed countries) and changes in occurrence over time are emphasized.
    Prerequisite: Epidemiology 2200A/B and either Biology 2244A/B or Statistical Sciences 2244A/B.

Epidemiology 3330G: Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis

  • Introduction to the process of systematic reviews and meta-analysis, including formulating a research question, defining inclusion and exclusion criteria for the search, literature search method, data extraction, qualitative and quantitative synthesis of evidence.
    Prerequisite: Biology 2244A/B or Statistical Sciences 2244A/B, and Epidemiology 2200A/B, with a minimum mark of 75% in each.

Epidemiology 3400A: Introduction to Biostatistical Computing

  • This course introduces students to the use of both commercial software (i.e., SAS and Stata) and open-source software (R via RStudio) for data management, exploratory data analysis, data generation, and inferential statistical analysis. Examples will be used throughout the course to illustrate the advantages and disadvantages of each software.
    Prerequisite: Biology 2244A/B or Statistical Sciences 2244A/B, and Epidemiology 2200A/B with marks of at least 75% in each; and registration in a module in Epidemiology and Biostatistics.

Epidemiology 4310A: Public Health

  • A course on the fundamental principles and methods of Public Health (e.g. disease surveillance, outbreak investigations) as practiced by agencies such as Public Health Agency of Canada and local Health Units. Assignments will be based on actual public health problems. Both local and international perspectives will be introduced.
    Prerequisite/Corequisite: Biostatistics 3100A, Epidmiology 3200A.

Epidemiology 4320B: Clinical Epidemiology

  • An introduction to methods for the design, analysis and interpretation of studies that evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of diagnostic tests and the outcomes of new treatments and health technologies. The course will also explore health policy and will follow examples of translation of knowledge generated by clinical epidemiology studies.
    Prerequisite/Corequisite: Biostatistics 3100A, Epidemiology 3200A.

Epidemiology 4600A: Introduction to Health Economics

  • A course focusing on the economics concepts and methods relevant to understand health policy decisions from an economic perspective. This course will cover following topics: microeconomic tools for health economics, demand for and supply of healthcare, health insurance, market failure in the health sector and methods of economic evaluation.
    Prerequisite: Biostatistics 3100, Epidemiology 3200A.

Epidemiology 4615B: Health Economics II

  • This course will cover topics related to the theoretical economic foundation of cost-utility and cost-benefit analyses, and decision analytic models and statistical methods for the economic evaluation of health interventions. Application of Decision Tree Model, Markov Model and Microsimulation Model and uncertainty in health & medicine will be considered.
    Prerequisite: one of Epidemiology 4600A or Economics 2261A/B.

Epidemiology 4715A: Design and Analysis of Clinical Trials

  • Introduction to the statistical and clinical issues in the design and analysis of controlled clinical trials involving human subjects.
    Prerequisite: Biostatistics 3110B.

Epidemiology and Biostatistics 4900E: Research Project and Seminar

  • An applied research course in which students use skills in identifying and clarifying a research question, methodologically critical review of literature, identifying data sources, conducting appropriate statistical analyses, interpreting results, and presenting findings orally, in posters, and in written technical reports or journal manuscripts.
    Prerequisite: Biostatistics 3110B, Epidemiology 3210B, & registration in Honors Specialization in Epidemiology and Biostatistics.

 

Note:
"A" courses are offered in the fall term
"B" courses are offered in the winter term
"G" courses indicate an essay component to the course

*To request special permission to register for this, or any Epidemiology and Biostatistics undergraduate course, please contact the Undergraduate Chair, Igor Karp, PhD.