BMS1042 Public health and preventive medicine
Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences
BMS1042 Public health and preventive medicine is a level 1, 6-credit-point, undergraduate unit from the Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, offered in 2025 in Semester 2 at Clayton. It has no prerequisites and unlocks 8 units, leading on to 9 units in all.
- Credit points
- 6
- Offered in 2025
- Semester 2
- Clayton
- Assessment
- Exam 40%
- and 3 other tasks
This is the 2025 handbook entry. See the 2026 entry.
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Requisites
Before BMS1042
No prerequisites or corequisites besides the enrolment rules below.
After BMS1042
8 units list BMS1042 as a prerequisite or corequisite.
- BME2032Biomedical industry based learningNo reviews yet
- BMS3031Molecular mechanisms of diseaseNo reviews yet
- BMS3052Biomedical basis and epidemiology of human diseaseNo reviews yet
- PBH3004Health program evaluationNo reviews yet
- PBH3005Social and behavioural sciencesNo reviews yet
- PBH3009Chronic disease prevention and controlNo reviews yet
- PBH3011Biostatistics for healthNo reviews yet
- PBH3014Professional experience placementNo reviews yet
Enrolment rules
Corequisite: Must be enrolled in an Undergraduate Degree
Overview
Applications of epidemiological and statistical concepts and methods to typical problems in population health and in the biomedical literature. This will include consideration of fundamental ethical issues pertaining to the conduct of biomedical research and population health interventions. Much emphasis is placed on a population view of health and disease, social determinants of health, epidemiological principles, research study design and statistical analyses of data.
Offerings in 2025
| Teaching period | Campus | Mode |
|---|---|---|
| Second semester | Clayton | Blended |
Assessment
- Online quizzesQuiz / Test10%
- Public health critical appraisalProject20%
- Public health data analysisWritten30%
- Written examination (2 hours and 10 minutes)ExaminationThreshold hurdle40%
Learning outcomes
When you finish this unit, you should be able to:
- 1
Demonstrate and show application of core public health principles including epidemiology, biostatistics and ethics in health research.
- 2
Explain how disease is measured in populations and critically analyse the strengths and weaknesses of different epidemiological study designs which are used in public health research.
- 3
Critically appraise the popular and biomedical literature in public health.
- 4
Identify fundamental ethical considerations that underpin health research.
- 5
Identify and apply the importance of statistical methods in the design, analysis and presentation of the results of research studies in health and biomedicine, and in reports of health-related matters in general.
- 6
Interpret statistical results presented and identify limitations in the biomedical literature and other media and convey the interpretation in simple language.
Workload and teaching
- Tutorials40 hours
- Lectures33 hours
The workload to achieve the learning outcomes for this unit is 144 hours spread across the semester (approx. 12 hours per week). The workload is composed of approximately an even mixture of attendance at scheduled activities and self-scheduled study time. Learning activities comprise a mixture of face-to-face and online engagement.
Learning resources
Required resources
See Moodle for details about required resources.
Contacts
- Unit Coordinators
- Professor Basia Diug
- Ms Penelope Robinson
- Chief Examiners
- Ms Penelope Robinson
Common questions
What are the prerequisites for BMS1042?
BMS1042 has no prerequisites, but enrolment rules apply.
What can I take after BMS1042?
BMS1042 is a prerequisite or corequisite for 8 units, including BME2032, BMS3031, BMS3052, PBH3004, PBH3005 and PBH3009. Those lead on to 9 units in all.
When is BMS1042 offered?
In 2025, BMS1042 runs in Semester 2 at Clayton.
Does BMS1042 have an exam?
Yes. The exam is worth 40% of the final mark, alongside 3 other tasks.