UnitLevel 5Postgraduate

MPH5040 Introductory epidemiology

Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences

MPH5040 Introductory epidemiology is a level 5, 6-credit-point, postgraduate unit from the Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, offered in 2025 in Semester 1 and Semester 2 at Alfred Hospital. It has no prerequisites and unlocks 15 units, leading on to 16 units in all.

Credit points
6
Offered in 2025
Semester 1, Semester 2
Alfred Hospital
Assessment
No exam
4 tasks

This is the 2025 handbook entry. See the 2027 entry.

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Requisites

Enrolment rules

Must be enrolled in M4006, M4028, M4035, M5007, M5017, M5018, M5030, M6008, M6023, M6024, M6025, M6026, M6028, M6030 or M6036.

Co requisite: MPH5041 for those students enrolled in M4006, M4028, M4035, M5007, M5030, M6008, M6023, M6024.

Overview

This unit is taken concurrently with MPH5041, as together they are prerequisites for clinical epidemiology elective units.

Upon completion of this unit you will be able to measure frequencies of disease i.e. incidence, prevalence, "population at risk"; and measure associations in epidemiological studies; different study designs i.e. observational studies, experimental study designs; bias associated with study designs, misclassification, confounding and effect modification. You will critically appraise different epidemiological studies, apply diagnostic and screening tests, and examine outbreak investigation.

Offerings in 2025

Teaching periodCampusMode
First semesterAlfred HospitalOnline
First semesterAlfred HospitalOn campus
Second semesterAlfred HospitalOnline
Second semesterAlfred HospitalOn campus

Assessment

  • Development activitiesExercise
    35%
  • MCQ (30 Minutes)Quiz / Test
    10%
  • Infographic (1 page of graphics)Artefact
    20%
  • Critical appraisal (2,100 words)Written
    35%

Learning outcomes

When you finish this unit, you should be able to:

  1. 1

    Explain and contextualise the purposes of descriptive and analytical epidemiology;

  2. 2

    Explain and contextualise the concepts of study questions, population, sampling, exposure assessment, bias and confounding;

  3. 3

    Analyse the strengths and weaknesses of different epidemiological study designs;

  4. 4

    Critically analyse epidemiological papers from the medical research and OHS literature;

  5. 5

    Evaluate the adequacy of exposure assessment in epidemiological studies;

  6. 6

    Interpret and communicate the results of epidemiological studies; and

  7. 7

    Solve complex problems relating to the use of epidemiological concepts and study designs.

Workload and teaching

  • Workshops20 hours
  • Tutorials-

12 hours per week including two-hour weekly workshops for 10 weeks.

Learning resources

Required resources

See Moodle for details about required resources.

Contacts

Unit Coordinators
Dr Nazmul Karim
Associate Professor Danijela Gasevic
Chief Examiners
Professor Flavia Cicuttini

Common questions

What are the prerequisites for MPH5040?

MPH5040 has no prerequisites, but enrolment rules apply.

What can I take after MPH5040?

MPH5040 is a prerequisite or corequisite for 15 units, including EPM5001, EPM5006, EPM5007, EPM5008, EPM5013 and EPM5015. Those lead on to 16 units in all.

When is MPH5040 offered?

In 2025, MPH5040 runs in Semester 1 and Semester 2 at Alfred Hospital, with an online option.

Does MPH5040 have an exam?

No. MPH5040 has 4 assessment tasks and no exam.

More details

Credit points
6
Level
5
Study level
Postgraduate
Faculty
Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences
Organisational unit
Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine
Type
Coursework
EFTSL
0.125
Student contribution
SCA Band 2
Study abroad
Available