Epidemiologic Methods (EPI 203)

Fall 2025 (3-4 units)

This course will provide an introduction to the theory and methods of epidemiology, including an overview of the measures of disease occurrence in populations, measures of association between exposures and outcomes, major study designs used in epidemiology, and major sources of bias in epidemiologic studies. The 4-unit version of the course also aims to develop participants’ skills in the critical evaluation of epidemiologic studies. This course will provide the foundation for more advanced methods in study design, causal inference, and biostatistics.

Online Syllabus

Objectives

At the end of the course, students will:

  • Understand the contribution of epidemiology to identifying and addressing public health issues.
  • Know and apply key epidemiologic terminology and definitions.
  • Calculate and interpret measures of disease occurrence.
  • Calculate and interpret measures of disease associations.
  • Understand the strengths and limitations of common study designs used in epidemiologic research.
  • Understand major biases in epidemiologic research, including confounding, selection bias, and measurement error.
  • Know basic approaches to address biases (confounding, selection bias, and measurement error) in epidemiologic research.
  • Understand the concept of effect modification and common analytic approaches to identify its presence.
  • (4-unit) Critically evaluate epidemiologic research publications, including describing strengths and limitations.

 

Prerequisites

Designing Clinical Research (EPI 202), or equivalent experience, and Introduction to Statistical Computing in Clinical Research (BIOSTAT 212) are recommended.

Faculty

Course Co-Directors: Catie Oldenburg, ScD, MPH

Associate Professor, Proctor Foundation
email: [email protected]
 

Erin Van Blarigan, ScD

Professor, Dept. of Epidemiology & Biostatistics
Email: [email protected]

Format

Each week, new material is introduced via a live and/or pre-recorded lecture and recommended readings. All lectures will be recorded and posted on the CLE. Homeworks, in the form of a problem set, are assigned each week. Students will have one week to complete each homework assignment. The goal of the homework is to reinforce the points brought forth in lecture. The problem sets are discussed in detail with course EAs in small group discussion sections each week. A take-home final exam concludes the course.

The philosophy of the course is to steadily build a knowledge base over the course of the academic quarter. Participation is critical for learning, so attendance at live lectures and small group discussion sessions is highly encouraged. 

Lecture
Time: Tuesday, 1:30 to 3:00 PM, beginning September 16, ends December 2 (no class on Tuesday, November 11 or 25)

Small Group Discussion:
Content: Overview and discussion of lectures, and review of homework assignments. 
Time: Thursdays, 3:10 PM - 5:00 PM beginning September 18, ends December 4

Office hours 
Content: The Friday office hours will be led by EAs by Zoom, and the faculty office hours will be immediately following the lecture, in person only.
Time: Friday, 1:00 - 2:00 PM, beginning September 19 (Zoom) & Tuesdays, 3 - 4 pm, beginning September 23 (In-person)

All course materials and handouts will be posted on the course's online syllabus.

 

Materials

Essentials of Epidemiology in Public Health by Aschengrau and Seage

dagitty.net, an open-source browser-based environment for creating, editing, and analyzing directed acyclic graphs.

Assorted articles that are made available from the course's online syllabus.

Books may be purchased either through the publisher or a variety of commercial venues (e.g., Amazon.com).

Grading

Homework assignments (70%; we drop the lowest score)

Assignments will be posted on Tuesdays and due the following Tuesday (before lecture).

Final Exam (30%)

Students not in full-year TICR Programs who satisfactorily pass all course requirements will, upon request, receive a Certificate of Course Completion.

Only UCSF students (defined as individuals enrolled in UCSF degree or certificate programs) will receive academic credit for courses. Official transcripts are available to UCSF students only. A Certificate of Course Completion will be available upon request to individuals who are not UCSF students and satisfactorily pass all course requirements.

UCSF Graduate Division Policy on Disabilities

To Enroll

Health Data Science/Clinical Research* (ATCR/MS) and PhD* students use the Student Portal to add the course to their study list. 

*Clinical Research and PhD students are required to enroll in the 4-unit course. 

Students taking individual courses:

Fall 2025 Course Fees
Fall 2025 Course Schedule 

Apply by September 12



Only one application needs to be completed for all courses desired during the quarter.