ECTS credits ECTS credits: 3
ECTS Hours Rules/Memories Expository Class: 10 Interactive Classroom: 10 Total: 20
Use languages Spanish, Galician
Type: Ordinary subject Master’s Degree RD 1393/2007 - 822/2021
Departments: Psychiatry, Radiology, Public Health, Nursing and Medicine
Areas: Preventive Medicine and Public Health
Center Faculty of Nursing
Call: First Semester
Teaching: With teaching
Enrolment: Enrollable | 1st year (Yes)
- To learn the fundamental principles of the epidemiological method as the essential core of Public Health.
- To understand and apply the criteria of causality in epidemiology and health sciences.
- To know the keys to epidemiological analysis: study designs; measures of frequency, measures of effect; identification of biases (selection, information, confusion).
- To understand and know how to apply the fundamentals of Demography as an auxiliary science of Epidemiology and Public Health: identification and analysis of populations, both static and dynamic.
- To know how to interpret a scientific publication.
- To know how to plan, with the appropriate design, an epidemiological study.
THEORIC LECTURE PROGRAMME (14 hours)
Block 1. Introductory module (2 hours)
Topic 1. History of public health and epidemiology.
Topic 2. Concept of health and disease. The scientific method.
Topic 3. Epidemiological chain and introduction to causality. Causality criteria.
Block 2. Demography (3 hours)
Topic 4. Demography
Topic 5. Health indicators and health surveys.
Block 3. Design of Epidemiological Studies (9 hours)
Topic 6. Measures of frequency, effect and impact.
Topic 7. Clinical trials
Topic 8. Cohort studies
Topic 9. Case-control studies
Topic 10. Cross-sectional studies
Topic 11. Ecological studies
SEMINAR PROGRAMME (7 hours)
Seminar 1. Standardization of rates.
Seminar 2. Measures of frequency.
Seminar 3. Critical reading (I)
Seminar 4. Critical reading (II)
LABORATORIES PROGRAMME (7 hours)
Laboratory 1. Study design (I)
Laboratory 2. Study design (II)
- Ildefonso Hernández-Aguado y Blanca Lumbreras Lacarra. Manual de Epidemiología y Salud Pública para Grados en Ciencias de la Salud. 3ª Edición. Ed Panamericana. ISBN 9788491101734. 2018. 420 páginas.
- Ahlbom A, Alfredssom L, Alfven T. Fundamentos de epidemiología. 9ª ed. Siglo XXI de España Eds. Madrid, 2007.
- Argimón JM, Jiménez J. Métodos de investigación clínica y epidemiológica. 5ª Ed. Ediciones Harcourt. Madrid, 2019.
- Warren S. Browner MD, Thomas B. Newman MD, Steven R. Cummings MD, Deborah G. Grady MD, MPH. Diseño de investigaciones clínicas. 5º Edición. 2023. Wolters Kluwer.
- Porta M. A dictionary of Epidemiology. International of Epidemiology Association. Oxford University Press. 6ª Ed. 2014.
- Norell S. Diseños de estudios epidemiológicos. Siglo XXI de España Eds. Madrid, 1998
- Rothman KJ. Epidemiology: An introduction. Third Edition. Oxford University Press, 2024.
- Gordis L. Epidemiología. Elsevier. 2019. 6ª edición
Students should be able to design an epidemiological study and plan a research study, apply epidemiological measurement tools and critically analyse variable relationship using the methods learnt throughout the course. Furthermore, they should be able to understand the process of scientific writing and publication
Lectures: lectures will be delivered with the support of audiovisual and computer resources. During the sessions, problems, theoretical questions or practical examples may be posed.
Interactive seminar classes: the seminars will be conducted in coordination with the lectures. Students will be required to bring the activity notebook to the seminars, which will be available on the virtual campus from the starting day of the course. The dynamics of the seminars may include problem solving exercises, debates to encourage student participation and the use of gamification techniques in the classroom, among other methods. The work conducted by students during the seminars may be individual or in groups. Students are advised to review the planned seminar activities in advance. A final seminar test or a homework assignment can be done through the virtual campus.
Interactive laboratory classes: the laboratories will be conducted in coordination with the lectures. Students will be required to bring the activity notebook to the seminars, which will be available on the virtual campus from the day the course begins. During the laboratories, problem-solving techniques, discussion forums or debates may be used to encourage student participation and gamification techniques in the classroom, among other methods. The work carried out by students during the laboratories may be individual or in groups. It is recommended that students review the planned laboratory activities in advance. A final test of the laboratories or a homework assignment can be done through the virtual campus.
Asynchronous teaching: The faculty will encourage critical thinking and active learning through reflection-oriented questions and readings. Part of the learning is focused on design thinking and collaborative learning. To this end, several discussion forums will be held on a specific and current topic related to epidemiology. Students will have to answer the questions raised by the faculty, thus collaborating in collective learning by being able to read and discuss the contributions of other students. In addition, throughout the course, each of the faculty members can propose the critical reading of a scientific study related to a specific topic within epidemiology. Furthermore, the faculty will convene short online meeting sessions of voluntary attendance, to explain parts of the theory or to comment on the answers provided in the forums. The faculty will be available to students through the virtual campus and USC’s institutional email.
Examination test for content control: 20%
Participation in class and on forums: 20%.
Completion of exercises proposed by teachers: 20%.
Critical reading of an article: 40%.
The estimated study time is 51 hours, which should include reviewing the theory covered in class, as well as the completion of the problems covered during practical sessions and working through similar exercises that can be found in the recommended bibliography.
Active attendance at classes, both theoretical and interactive, and continuous study of the subject. Consultation, extending the topics with the recommended basic and complementary bibliography, two or three basic works. Complete understanding of the exercises proposed in the seminars and laboratories.
Communication with the teachers of the subject will be done through the Virtual Campus or the institutional mail of the USC. The Virtual Campus will be used to provide and update all the teaching materials necessary for the theoretical and interactive classes. As students’ progress in the subject and doubts arise in relation to concepts or practical aspects, these will not be answered by e-mail, they must request a tutorial session.
In the case of fraudulent behaviour in exercises and/or tests, the ‘Normativa de avaliación do rendemento académico dos estudantes e de revisión de cualificacións’ of the USC will be applied.
For the attention of students with specific educational support needs, the ‘Normativa de avaliación do rendemento académico dos estudantes e revisión de cualificacións’ of the USC will be followed, along with the “Protocolo de atención a personas con discapacidad del Área de Integración del Servicio de Participación e Integración Universitaria“ of the USC. If necessary, adaptations will be made to meet the educational needs of these students.
Monica Perez Rios
Coordinador/a- Department
- Psychiatry, Radiology, Public Health, Nursing and Medicine
- Area
- Preventive Medicine and Public Health
- Phone
- 881812277
- monica.perez.rios [at] usc.es
- Category
- Professor: University Lecturer
Lucía Rodríguez Loureiro
- Department
- Psychiatry, Radiology, Public Health, Nursing and Medicine
- Area
- Preventive Medicine and Public Health
- lucia.rodriguez.loureiro [at] usc.es
- Category
- Investigador/a Sara Borrell
| Wednesday | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 16:00-20:00 | Grupo /CLE_01 | Spanish | Classroom 2.03 |
| Thursday | |||
| 18:00-20:00 | Grupo /CLE_01 | Spanish | TEAMS |
| 01.27.2026 16:00-18:00 | Grupo /CLE_01 | Classroom 2.03 |
| 06.23.2026 16:00-18:00 | Grupo /CLE_01 | Classroom 2.02 |