Epidemiology Courses
________________________________PH 2610 Introduction to Epidemiology
Credits: 3
This course introduces students to principles and concepts in epidemiology through lectures, discussions, assigned readings, and exercises. Students are given the opportunity to acquire an understanding of epidemiologic principles and concepts, the vocabulary of epidemiology, methods of epidemiologic investigation, and the design, interpretation, and evaluation of epidemiologic research.
This is a designated core course.
This course is also offered at the Brownsville, Dallas, El Paso, and San Antonio Regional Campuses.
________________________________PH 2611 Introduction to Epidemiology Lab
Credits:
Students must be enrolled in the PH 2610 Lecture class. This class is primarily designed for Epidemiology students. The class will complement the 2610 Lecture class –but is independent of that class. The class will be problem-based, offering instructions on how to solve common epidemiology problems faced by epidemiologists working in public health. Emphasis will include descriptive epidemiology and statistical methods for describing measures of association.
________________________________PH 2612
Credits:
PH 2615 Field Research Methods in Epidemiology
Credits: 4
This course focuses on the principles and activities necessary to carry out information collection, data processing and analysis for an epidemiologic study. Once a research project is proposed, it must be implemented and managed in an ethical manner consistent with the principles of the scientific method. This course addresses practical aspects of epidemiologic research, that is, how you get it done. Systems theory, epidemiologic methods, principles of survey research, operations research methods, and computer uses in research are covered. The final product from the class is the development of an epidemiologic field Manual of Procedures for a study.
Prerequisites: PH 2610 or equivalent and PH 1610 or equivalent.
This course is also offered at the El Paso Regional Campus.
________________________________PH 2710 Advanced Epidemiologic Methods I
Credits: 4
This course covers advanced concepts in epidemiologic methods with an emphasis on observational studies. Topics include causal inference, measures of disease frequency, measures of association, study design, precision and validity in epidemiologic studies, introduction to stratified and logistic regression analysis, concepts assessing effect modification and confounding, interpretation of epidemiologic study results, and manuscript development.
Prerequisites: PH 2610, PH 1725, and PH 1726 or equivalent.
This course is also offered at the Brownsville, El Paso, and San Antonio Regional Campuses.
________________________________PH 2711 Advanced Epidemiologic Methods II
Credits: 4
This course provides an opportunity to learn the basic elements of epidemiologic data analysis in a laboratory setting. Students in this course address research questions by analyzing data from a variety of study designs. Students will be expected to acquire experience with the following types of data analysis; stratified analysis, logistic regression, proportional hazards modeling, and meta-analysis. The course also covers examination of confounding and effect measure modification, strategies for model building, and interpretation and presentation of results.
Prerequisites: PH 2710.
This course is also offered at the Brownsville Regional Campus.
________________________________PH 2712 Experimental Methods in Epidemiology
Credits: 3
The central objective of this course is to enable students to evaluate and interpret evidence concerning preventive or therapeutic measures, especially those recommended for public health application. It concerns principles and methods of experimental studies in epidemiology and public health, from simple clinical trials to prevention trials in multiple communities. Applications span diverse areas, including cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and infectious diseases. A standard text and selected readings concerning specific experimental studies and related topics are used. Students participate actively in a seminar format, critique published reports, and undertake a collaborative project to develop a research protocol for an experimental study.
Prerequisites: PH 2710 or consent of instructor.
________________________________PH 2720 Epidemiologic Proposal Development
Credits: 3
The course defines the components of a scientific proposal, utilizing the National Institutes of Health's (NIH) guidelines for the development of research grant applications. Proposals must be for an epidemiologic study. Students have the opportunity to learn how to develop each section of a proposal through lecture materials, reviewing and discussing examples of successful and unsuccessful proposals, and finally the preparation of their own research proposal. The course concludes with a mock NIH study section, in which students serve as reviewers for their colleague's proposals.
Prerequisites: PH 2610, PH 2710, PH 1725 and PH 1726, or consent of instructor.
This course is also offered at the El Paso and San Antonio Regional Campuses.
________________________________PH 2730 Epidemiology and Control of Infectious Disease
Credits: 4
This course is designed as an introduction to the epidemiologic aspects of infectious diseases and provides information regarding prevention and control of these diseases. At the end of the course, students have an understanding of the epidemiologic aspects of infectious diseases including incidence, distribution, and pattern of disease occurrence as well as different modes of transmission and associated risk factors. They should understand the importance of surveillance systems in detecting epidemics, the application of epidemiological methods to determine the risk and associated factors, and the significance of prevention and control programs for infectious diseases. Students gain knowledge and skills in carrying out epidemic investigations through a series of case study assignments.
This course is also offered at the El Paso Regional Campus.
________________________________PH 2740 Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology and Prevention
Credits: 3
This course focuses on epidemiologic, public health, preventive, and clinical aspects of leading cardiovascular diseases (CVD). Topics to be presented and discussed include pathophysiology of leading CVD, CVD survey methods, national and international trends in CVD mortality and morbidity and their public health implications, risk factor concept and major population-based epidemiologic studies of CVD in the U.S. and elsewhere, CVD risk factors (blood pressure, lipids, cigarette smoking, physical activity, coagulation factors, nutrition, obesity, genetic, psychosocial, and emerging new risk factors), major strategies in prevention of CVD, design, implementation, and evaluation of community-based CVD prevention programs, identification of major target groups for preventive interventions, secondary prevention of CVD and summary of major CVD clinical trials. Instruction will be in the form of lecture presentations, reading assignments, exercises, discussions, and individual consultations.
Prerequisites: PH 2610 or consent of instructor.
________________________________PH 2750 Epidemiology and Natural History of HIV Disease and Treatment
Credits: 1-3
This course focuses on the application of epidemiologic methods to the study of natural history and treatment of HIV. Therefore, this class extensively reviews the epidemiologic and statistical methods used in cohort studies (time to event and longitudinal data).
This course is offered at the El Paso Regional Campus.
________________________________PH 2760 Epidemiology and Prevention of Injuries
Credits: 1-3
This course reviews the current concepts and methods used in surveillance, research and public practice dealing with injury prevention and control: Haddon's matrix and approaches to injury prevention; sources of data, and their limitations; and epidemiologic designs and analysis used to deal with intentional and unintentional injuries as subjects of study. The course draws from the local experience of the Trauma Registry of El Paso, and datasets available to students, including Fatality ARS and other.
This course is offered at the El Paso Regional Campus.
________________________________PH 2810 Pathology and Public Health
Credits: 3
This course is an overview of the pathophysiology of disease. The first third of the semester is devoted to studying pathophysiologic processes. Thereafter, for each body system, 2-3 diseases are examined and studied in detail, including clinical, histologic and anatomic changes that occur, as well as public health implications of each. Each student presents a final research project on a disease process or type, including the pathology and public health aspects. The final grade is based on attendance, participation, exams, and class projects.
Prerequisites: College biology or zoology or PH 2275.
________________________________PH 2815 Genetics and Human Disease
Credits: 3
This course introduces principles and methods of human genetic analysis with special reference to the contribution of genes to the burden of disease. Although molecular, biochemical and morphogenic processes controlled by genes will be briefly surveyed, the aim is to describe the analytical processes whereby genetic mechanisms are inferred and genes on chromosomes are located.
Prerequisites: Consent of instructor; general genetics and statistics required.
Cross-listed with UTHSC GSBS GS110013
________________________________PH 2820 Molecular and Cellular Approaches to Human Genetics
Credits: 3
This course provides a comprehensive overview of human genetics and the role of genes in human disease. The course is taught by instructors from SPH and UT M.D. Anderson Cancer Center and consists of a series of lectures from instructors and guest lecturers. While a wide range of topics are covered, many lectures focus on cancer biology and genetics.
Prerequisites: Consent of instructor. This course requires undergraduate level biochemistry, cell biology, and genetics.
Cross-listed with UTHSC GSBS1 GS110023
________________________________PH 2825 Introduction to Genomics and Bioinformatics
Credits: 2
This course will introduce some fundamental approaches and statistical/computational methods commonly used in genomics data analysis. The topics include sequence alignment, homology search in public databases, phylogeny reconstruction, gene mapping and micro-array data analysis.
Prerequisites: Consent of instructor.
Cross-listed with UTHSC GSBS1 GS110032
________________________________PH 2850 Population Genetics
Credits: 2
This course will discuss the principles of population genetics and statistical methods for analyzing genetic samples of individuals from one or more populations. Students will learn classical theory of population genetics and a modern approach known as coalescent theory, the cornerstone for analyzing DNA sequence samples from populations.
Prerequisites: Genetics and statistics, and consent of instructor
Cross-listed with UTHSC GSBS GS110042
________________________________PH 2910 Introduction to Microarrays and Computational Systems Biology
Credits: 2
Complex biological systems depend on gene function and on biochemical signaling and information exchange through metabolic, genetic, and protein networks and their different levels of organization. This course will develop a novel conceptual framework to quantitatively describe network properties and methods for integrating experimental and theoretical/computational approaches. A system biology approach integrating genomic and proteomic data will be used to identify genes responsible for complex diseases and to uncover and understand complex physiology and dynamic disease processes of molecular biological networks, cells, tissues, whole organism, and clinical phenotypes.
________________________________PH 2915 Evolution of DNA and Protein Sequences
Credits: 3
The course will provide basic principles for understanding factors that govern the evolution of DNA and protein sequences. Students will learn about the formation and evolution of multigene families and other evolutionary phenomena. They will also be introduced to statistical methods and computer programs for analyzing DNA and protein sequence data.
Prerequisites: Consent of instructor.
Cross-listed with UTHSC GSBS GS110103
________________________________PH 2920 Human DNA Variation
Credits: 2
This course will provide a review of genetic variation in human DNA: related terms and concepts; methods for detecting variation, including Southern blotting and PCR; types of DNA variation, including disease causing mutations; methods for analyzing variation; and applications, including linkage mapping and genetic counseling.
Prerequisites: General genetics and biochemistry or consent of instructor; PH 2815 and PH 2820 are recommended.
Cross-listed with UTHSC GSBS GS110062
________________________________PH 2925 Statistical Genetics
Credits: 2
Statistical procedures of estimating genetic parameters and testing hypotheses and aspects of population genetics are discussed. The topics covered include segregation analysis, test of genetic linkage, estimation of gene frequencies, genetics of quantitative characters, inheritance of complex characters, paternity testing, and genetic counseling.
Prerequisites: Calculus, statistics, and consent of instructor.
Cross-listed with UTHSC GSBS GS110072
________________________________PH 2950 Genetic Epidemiology of Chronic Disease
Credits: 2
This course will serve to expose students to the evidence and logic involved in inferring the contribution of genetic mechanisms to those diseases of public health importance. Emphasis will be on developing a framework for assessing the impact of genes on common disease, but will not include detailed methodological developments or statistical techniques. The format will be a weekly 2-hour session in which a single disease will be examined. In this way students will be introduced to a broad spectrum of diseases and learn to recognize the similarities and uniquenesses inherent to each. Sessions will be comprised of lectures and discussions.
Cross-listed with UTHSC GSBS GS110092
________________________________PH 2955 Current Topics in Human and Molecular Genetics
Credits: 1
This course consists of research presentations by students and Texas Medical Center faculty carrying out research in the area of human and molecular genetics. Registered students not presenting their research will write review papers on one of the topics covered during the semester. This course is required for second year or higher students in Human and Molecular Genetics; affiliated and other students by consent of the instructor.
Cross-listed with UTHSC GSBS1 GS110631
________________________________PH 2960 Seminar in Genetics and Population Biology
Credits: 1
Students analyze and present individual topics or research.
Prerequisites: Consent of instructor.
Cross-listed with UTHSC GSBS GS110711
________________________________PH 2998 Special Topics in Epidemiology
Credits: 1-4
Special Topics in Epidemiology are offered by one or more members of the epidemiology faculty, and vary each semester. Previous topics have included: Epidemiology of Aging; Occupational Epidemiology; Cancer Epidemiology; Epidemiologic Study Using Claims-Based Healthcare Data; Applied Genetic Methods in Public Health; Causation; Judging Epidemiologic Evidence; Child and Adolescent Mental Health; Diet and Chronic Disease; Injury Epidemiology; Nutritional Epidemiology; Perinatal Epidemiology; Maternal and Child Health; Social Epidemiology; Rapid Assessment Methods in Public Health; Work Organization Epidemiology; Current Child Health Issues; Community Disease Control Programs; Current Topics in Disease Control; Emerging Infectious Diseases; Epidemiology and Control of Cardiovascular Disease; Epidemiology and Control of Infectious Disease; Ethnicity and Health Care; Hospital Infection Control; Immunization Programs; Quality Control in the Community Laboratory; Vaccinology; Biological Predictors of Health Status; Foundations of Modern Human Genetics; Human Adaptability; Prions and Prion Diseases.
________________________________PH 2999 Individual Study in Epidemiology
Credits: 1-9
A plan of study is determined for each participating student and supervised by a member of the epidemiology faculty. In general, courses of individual study are not recommended unless a student has completed the introductory course or presents evidence of experience in the field of epidemiology. May be repeated for credit.
________________________________PH 9997 Practicum
Credits: 1-9
A practicum is determined by the student and advisor, and supervised by a member of the Division faculty.
________________________________PH 9998 Culminating Experience/Thesis Research
Credits: 1-9
Thesis research is determined by the student with approval of the student's advisory committee. May be repeated for credit.
________________________________PH 9999 Dissertation Research
Credits: 1-9
Dissertation research is determined by the student with approval of the student's advisory committee. May be repeated for credit.