At the conclusion of this module, the learner will be able to:

•define epidemiology and explain its role as the foundation for public health

•describe three common measures of disease frequency

•discuss the strengths and weaknesses of three major epidemiologic study designs

The purpose of this module is to provide an overview of the fundamentals of epidemiology as the basis for the science of public health. The module does not include details on basic statistical terms (e.g., mean, median) or basic statistical calculations (e.g. chi-square). If your students have not been introduced to these methods, it will be necessary to insert them into the module at appropriate points. On the other hand, if your students have had extensive courses in statistical methods, you may want to abbreviate this module.

It is also advisable that you identify current issues or cases most relevant to your students’ area of practice for use during this module.