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Occupational Epidemiology Online Courses

This course is designed to prepare students to conduct or evaluate epidemiological studies to assist individual workers to be safe and healthy. Learners will identify problems, evaluate the research, make informed decisions and predictions, and determine if the research will ultimately make a difference in health and safety in the workplace. Students will design and assess the quality of a study addressing specific exposure-outcome relationships. This includes identifying the appropriate study design, defining the study population, measurements of exposure, measurements of the outcome, methods to minimize and mitigate bias, and how to analyze the data. Students can integrate these valid research findings into the larger knowledge base about the exposure-outcome relationship and modify their practice in clinical, industry, or academic pursuits. Special attention is given to ongoing consideration and application of epidemiological principles in a more comprehensive manner. The key focus of the course is to critically evaluate research and apply it to the larger scope of work.

As a whole, this course will provide opportunities for students to:

Design a high-quality epidemiological study to address a specific exposure-outcome relationship
Critically assess published literature about occupational health and safety topics
Identify epidemiological methodological tools to assess strengths and weaknesses in study design, exposure assessment, outcome assessment, controlling for confounders, mitigating bias
Accurately calculate epidemiological measures such as incidence, prevalence, Odds Ratios, and 95% Confidence Intervals and interpret results from an epidemiological study

This course is distributed over 13 Modules. Students may take as few or as many of these modules as they desire. The tution breakdown is as follows:

1 Module - $75
3 Modules - $200
5 Modules - $300
Full Course (13 Modules) - $750

After you have completed this registration, you MUST complete the form linked here:

https://form.asana.com/?k=4MD7fOOD9K5AlLgvQHrxNQ&d=35059714043639

This form is a requirement for registering in the course, as it determines what materials which you will be given access to. You will be given access to the modules within 10 buisness days of completing this form. After access has been granted to the modules, you have one year to complete all the modules you selected. Descriptions of the modules are:

Introduction to Epidemiology
This module provides a foundation and is designed to help you get acquainted with epidemiological thinking and sources of data and measure. By successfully completing this learning module, you will have the opportunity to:
  1. Gain familiarity with the course structure, schedule, and ensure success in course
  2. Understand the science of epidemiology and occupational epidemiology
  3. Understand the differences and overlap between occupational diseases and injuries
  4. Think critically using epidemiological methods to address health problems
  5. Compare and contrast different sources of data

Causation
This module will cover concepts that apply to Causation and Causal Analysis. By successfully completing this learning module, you will have the opportunity to:
  1. Rank the studies in the hierarchy for epidemiological studies
  2. Identify the proper use of the terms “risk factor” and “associated factor”
  3. Compare and contrast association and causation
  4. List the steps in forming a causal assessment
  5. Perform a causal assessment on a series of abstracts
  6. Identify examples of internal and external validation
  7. Grasp each of the A.B. Hill Criteria and the utilization of the causal pie


Types of Observational Studies
In this module students will be comparing types of Observational Studies and looking at Prospective and Retrospective Cohorts, Case-Control, Cross-Sectional studies. By successfully completing this learning module, you will have the opportunity to:
  1. Categorize the general classification of study design
  2. Compare and contrast observational and interventional studies
  3. List hypotheses addressed by case-control studies
  4. List hypotheses addressed by cross-sectional studies
  5. Compare and contrast strengths and weaknesses between cross-sectional, case-control, and cohort study types

Experimental Study Designs
This module will cover interventional study designs. By successfully completing this learning module, you will have the opportunity to:
  1. Identify types of interventional study designs
  2. Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of key elements in interventional study designs
  3. Compare and contrast observational and interventional studies
  4. Critically evaluate key methodological elements in a high quality randomized clinical trial

Quantification of Occupational Exposures
This module will cover data sources and the methods used to determine occupational exposures. By successfully completing this learning module, you will have the opportunity to:
  1. Evaluate, differentiate, and describe the strengths and weaknesses of multiple sources of data.
  2. Identify measurement methods for the quantification of occupational exposures.
  3. Compare and contrast quantitative and qualitative measures of exposure.


Measuring Disease Occurrence and Casual Effects
This module is designed to help you get acquainted with recognizing, and interpreting outcome measurements. By successfully completing this learning module, you will have the opportunity to:
  1. Calculate and interpret incidence rates, prevalence, and mortality rates
  2. Describe and delineate the relationship between incidence rate and prevalence
  3. Define a study population and sample with inclusion and exclusion criteria
  4. List characteristics of outcome measures

Biases
This module is designed to help you get acquainted with validity and reducing or eliminating biases. By successfully completing this learning module, you will have the opportunity to:
  1. Define and differentiate between validity, reliability, bias, and confounding
  2. Recognize examples of Selection Bias and Infomration Bias
  3. Implement methodological methods to reduce or eliminate bias
  4. Recognize when a bias results in potential nullification of reported results


Literature Searches
This module is designed to help you perform a literature search. By successfully completing this learning module, you will have the opportunity to:
  1. Describe the strengths and weaknesses of different literature search techniques
  2. Create PICO questions to guide literature searches
  3. Compare and contrast the strengths and weaknesses of systematic reviews and meta-analyses as compared to original research
  4. Identify methodological elements of high-quality systematic reviews and meta-analyses


Statistical Analysis
This module is designed to help you get acquainted with error, distributions of data, analytical processes, risk estimates, and confidence intervals in statistical analysis. By successfully completing this learning module, you will have the opportunity to:
  1. Describe the impacts of random error and systematic error
  2. Distinguish between binomial, Poisson, normal, and non-parametric distributions.
  3. Explain a sampling distribution
  4. Describe skewing and differentiate between positive and negative skewing.
  5. Interpret confidence intervals around a mean


Regression Modeling and Interpretation
This module is designed to help you get acquainted with how to conduct and interpret results from linear and logistic regression analyses. By successfully completing this learning module, you will have the opportunity to:
  1. Distinguish between different types of regression modeling, including linear, logistic, and proportional hazard regression.
  2. Identify the strengths and shortcomings of each type of regression.
  3. Appropriately apply regression modeling based on the type of study and interpret the results.
  4. Assess for confounding and interaction within regression models.

Control of Confounding and Measuring Effect Modification
This module is designed to help you get acquainted with different methods for controlling confounding and measuring effect modification. By successfully completing this learning module, you will have the opportunity to:
  1. Identify potential confounders from a study description.
  2. Discuss how a confounder might lead to an erroneous conclusion about disease association.
  3. List and describe the four main methods to reduce confounding.
  4. Compare and contrast the strengths and weaknesses of the various methods for controlling confounding.
  5. Apply two or more concomitant confounding control methods on actual data in class and interpret the results

Screening and Surveillance
This module is designed to help you get acquainted with surveillance and screening studies.By successfully completing this learning module, you will have the opportunity to:
  1. Identify methodological strengths and weaknesses of screening and surveillance studies
  2. Differentiate screening and surveillance study designs from cross-sectional and prospective cohort study designs
  3. Describe the purpose of screening and surveillance study designs

 


Critical Review of Literature
In this module students will review, evaluate, and suggest improvements for a published study.
By successfully completing this learning module, you will have the opportunity to:
  1. Critically review a published study including identify study design, selection of participants, the strength of measures of exposure and disease, and potential sources of bias
  2. Identify the strengths and weaknesses of individual study methodology from a published manuscript
  3. Propose methodological improvements for a published study

There are no scheduled sessions at this time. Sign up to be notified when this course is available.

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