Postgraduate

MSc and Postgraduate Diploma in Epidemiology: Principles and Practice

MSc Structure and Syllabus

EP1
Epidemiology principles & practice

Fundamentals of epidemiology

By the end of this unit the student will:

• understand the uses of epidemiology and appreciate the issues to be considered before undertaking an epidemiological study
• understand and be able to make use of measures of disease frequency (prevalence and incidence), measures of effect (e.g. rate/risk ratios and rate/risk differences) and measures of public health impact (e.g. population attributable risk fraction)
• understand the principles and relative merits of different study designs and be aware of the main analytic methods available
• appreciate the uses, strengths and limitations of routine data sources in both developed and developing countries
• understand the concepts and implications of sampling error, bias and confounding in epidemiological studies and be aware of the strategies available to deal with them
• understand the concepts of misclassification and validity of disease and exposure measurements, and appreciate the principles and practice of disease screening
• appreciate the issues that need to be considered when judging whether there is a causal link between exposure and disease
• be able to offer critical evaluation of the results and interpretations of published epidemiological studies
• be able to make an informed choice of study design appropriate to address particular epidemiological questions.

Statistics with computing

This unit will enable students to:

• appreciate the role of statistical methods in epidemiology and population sciences and in their own disciplines
• develop skills in handling data, on computer and otherwise, and in deriving and presenting quantitative results effectively, using appropriate displays, summaries and tabulations
• appreciate the nature of sampling variation and the role of statistical methods in quantifying it, setting confidence limits and testing hypotheses
• select and use appropriate statistical methods in the analysis of simple data-sets and apply these methods by computer (using either STATA or EPI-INFO)
• understand and interpret output from statistical analyses carried out by computer, in relation to research and other questions being asked
• present findings based on statistical analysis in a clear concise and understandable manner
• understand probability and its application conceptually.

Practical epidemiology

By the end of this unit the student will:

• be aware of ethical issues in public health and epidemiological research
• be able to translate a study hypothesis into a practical study design by clearly indicating the study objectives
• be able to choose and implement the appropriate study design to address specific epidemiological questions
• understand sampling procedures and be able to undertake calculations for sample size and power requirements
• be able to design an appropriate questionnaire and implement this with an efficient data collection procedure and data management
• be able to apply the appropriate statistical techniques and correctly interpret the results.

Writing and reviewing scientific papers

By the end of this unit the student will be able to:

1. Prepare a detailed grant proposal for submission to a funding agency by:

• defining a research problem and formulating a study hypothesis and objectives
• choosing and planning an appropriate study design including practical aspects of implementation and specification of budget requirements
• being aware of appropriate funding bodies and procedures for grant applications.

2. Write a scientific paper that will:

• show knowledge of the required structure, language and approach to writing a scientific paper or report
• address the journal(s) appropriate for publication
• use styles specific for the selected journal.

3. Read critically a scientific paper by:

• checking the scientific clarity and reproducibility
• evaluating the methodological quality
• assessing the presentation quality.

4. Access and use the facilities of the Cochrane Collaboration Group.

EP2

Study design: writing a grant application

By the end of this unit students should be able to:

• define a research problem and formulate study objectives
• make a review of relevant literature and other sources of information
• choose an appropriate and ethical study design
• plan field procedures, including sample selection, and the design of questionnaires and record forms
• plan a time schedule for the conduct of the study, assess the logistical requirements and prepare a budget
• prepare a detailed protocol encompassing (i) to (v) that is of sufficient standard to be developed into a submission to a funding agency.

Statistical methods in epidemiology

By the end of this unit students should be able to:

• understand the basic statistical measures and concepts underlying the analysis of epidemiological data
• perform analyses of data arising from epidemiological studies using appropriate computer software
• use the computer software to investigate confounding and interaction in epidemiological data
• appreciate issues relevant to case-control and cohort study design.

EP3

Epidemiology of communicable diseases

By the end of this unit students should be able to:

• identify factors that suggest a disease has an infectious cause
• understand the factors determining the spatial, temporal and social distributions of communicable diseases
• understand how to measure transmissibility of infections
• design, carry out, analyse, interpret and report an outbreak investigation
• understand the principles underlying mathematical models of communicable diseases
• understand methods for the evaluation of vaccine efficacy
• understand practical applications of epidemiological methods through the study of specific diseases.

Molecular and genetic epidemiology

By the end of this unit students should be able to:

• understand papers which describe molecular and genetic epidemiological findings
• appreciate the roles of molecular techniques in furthering the understanding of the epidemiology of diseases
• apply basic epidemiological principles to the critical interpretation of molecular and genetic epidemiological studies
• demonstrate understanding of fundamental concepts of genetics
• appreciate the study designs and the methods of statistical analysis used to evaluate the role of genetic inheritance in the occurrence of human disease, and to determine the location of the gene(s)/allele(s) responsible for a disease.

Epidemiology of non-communicable diseases

By the end of this unit, the student will:

• have an overview of non-communicable disease in both developed and developing country settings
• have an overview of the global burden of non-communicable disease, temporal trends in mortality from cardiovascular diseases and cancer, diet and cancer and the epidemiology and prevention of mental disorders
• be able to develop and criticise strategies for prevention of cardiovascular disease at the community and individual level.

Advanced statistical methods in epidemiology

By the end of this unit students should be able to:

• select, apply and interpret the results of regression methods for the analysis of case-control and cohort studies, using appropriate computer software
• plan a strategy of analysis for an epidemiological data-set, using an appropriate choice of methods
• appreciate the effects of correlated data on epidemiological analysis and the use of statistical methods that take account of such correlation
• interpret and criticise the statistical methodology presented in published epidemiological papers.

CT202 – Trial designs [9160CT202]
By the end of this module students should be able to appreciate the use of different trial designs such as non-inferiority and equivalence, cross-over, factorial, multi-armed and cluster randomised trials in assessing interventions and therapies, including complex interventions.  The strengths and weaknesses of each design will be discussed, together with their implications for sample size requirements, analytic methods, interpretation and reporting.
Assessment: by one two-hour unseen written paper and by written assignment(s).

CT203 – Project management and research co-ordination [9160CT203]
This module will provide students with a full understanding of project and business management theory in the context of a clinical trial. Students will learn how to develop a project management plan, identify key milestones and develop delivery plans. The module will explore implementation and co-ordination of the project plan with an emphasiseon communication and project promotion and monitoring.  It will also consider the major challenge of identifying barriers to implementation and creating deliverable solutions.
Assessment: by one two-hour unseen written paper and by written assignment(s).

CT204 – Regulatory affairs,  good clinical practice and ethics [9160CT204]
The module will cover the regulatory legislation and associated approvals and permissions required to conduct high-quality single-centre, national and international clinical trials. Integral to the legislation is Good Clinical Practice (GCP). Students will gain a solid understanding of GCP and will explore ways of implementing GCP, including risk assessment and trial monitoring. A variety of clinical and geographical settings will be examined. Ethical issues will be considered throughout the module.
Assessment: by one two-hour unseen written paper and by written assignment(s).

 

CT208 – Further statistical methods in clinical trials [9160CT208]
This module will build on module CT102 to cover more advanced statistical methods used in clinical trials. Methods of analysis covered will include graphical data analysis, analysis of variance, linear regression, logistic regression and survival analysis.  Students will also cover topics such as adjustment for covariates, repeated measures and other correlated data, missing data, sub-group analyses and sensitivity analyses.  Data analyses will be carried out using Stata.
Assessment: by one two-hour unseen written paper and by written assignment(s).

CT209 – Cluster randomised trials [9160CT209]
Trials in which individuals are randomised in groups (clusters) are being increasingly utilised, especially in the fields of infectious diseases, implementation research, and public health and complex interventions.  This module will consider the advantages and disadvantages of the use of cluster trials, with particular emphasis on statistical considerations for their design and analysis, as well as the implications for informed consent and reporting.
Assessment: by one two-hour unseen written paper and by written assignment(s).
Please note: except with the special permission of the Course Organiser students must study CT208 or EP304 before taking this module.

HS1
Health systems management

Health sciences

This unit will provide an overview of scientific approaches to analysing health systems and health care delivery. The unit will include a solid foundation in the biology of health and disease (both for those without a medical or nursing qualification and those needing to update their knowledge). It will cover core epidemiology – measures of disease frequency and risk, study design and interpretation, and preventive strategies and their public health impact. The statistics teaching will cover the role of statistical methods in public health, describing data, sampling, linear regression and correlations coefficients, and statistical analyses. It will also introduce core concepts from the social sciences for the study of health and health services.

Health systems and health policy

This unit will cover the structure of health systems; the principles of health policy and its formulation; and the foundations of health promotion. It will provide an overview of what health systems are and how they function. It will include analysis of the policy-making process and the various stages of the policy formulation process, its application and analysis, and an introduction to health promotion – its background, underpinning theories and use in interventions. Students will be able to combine their knowledge of epidemiology, sociology, financing and policy- making to better understand the dynamics of health systems as they confront managers.

Health economics and financing

This unit will introduce both the basic range of approaches to financing health care systems and the core principles of health economics. Under financing health systems and the history of health care financing, students will learn about general taxation; insurance; and out-of-pocket-payments at the point of consumption. The health economics component will include consumer theory and demand, production theory and cost, social efficiency and markets, market failure and economic evaluation – costs, outcomes and the use of economic evaluation for priority setting. It will provide students with the skills to contribute more effectively to management processes.

Health management

This unit introduces students to key management concepts and their application in the practice of health services. It aims to develop skills in managing other people and of encouraging productive behaviours. It will analyse the dynamics between different health care professionals and provide an understanding of the relationship between professionals and managers. It offers a foundation of how to structure and manage health care organisations, and of how to measure and influence the performance of an organisation. Students will learn how to identify priorities for change and how to manage change by designing and implementing a feasible change programme. The unit will also help students to identify their own priorities and to reflect on how to manage a service in accord with their own values.

HS2
Management and evaluation

Financial management

This unit will provide an introduction to financial management and will ensure that students are confident in their handling of financial information. Topics will include financial accounting and control; costing and pricing of health services; budgeting and budgetary control; financial and business planning, including market analysis, financial analysis and modelling; risk assessment and forecasting and the contracting process. The emphasis will be on the practical needs of the manager.

Organizational management

This unit will expand on the core themes of organizational management and organizational behaviour, in particular in the health workplace. The unit will use readings and case studies on motivation, roles, interaction, leadership, power, influence, groups, culture, staff development, politics, design and change in organisations and the history of management theory.

Human resource management

This unit will expand on the themes of human resource management and provide an overview of the issues facing the personnel and human resource specialist. It will cover the topics of recruitment and selection, training and development, grading and grade drift, as well as other broader issues connected with remuneration, equality of opportunity, disciplinary matters and redundancy. It will highlight issues of legal rights of both employees and employers in a range of international settings.

Health care evaluation

This unit will move towards a definition and meaning of scientific evaluation, which includes the widest understanding of quality, including effectiveness, equity, humanity and efficiency. It will also equip the student to evaluate a health care intervention and will address how key aspects (i.e. disease and ill-health, health status and quality of life) and costs can be measured and incorporated into an evaluation. The principal qualitative and quantitative (experimental and observational) study designs for evaluation will all be covered.

HS3
Health policy, social science and economics

Advanced health economics

This unit will present the following topics: welfare economics and the foundations of economic evaluation; demand analysis, derivation of demand, models of demand for health care; production function analysis and cost function analysis; market analysis and market structures, regulation, contracting and agency; and the interaction between global/national economy and the health sector. It will seek to move the student beyond a basic understanding and practical competence to a greater degree of confidence in economic evaluation and decision-making.

Health promotion strategies and interventions

Using a number of different case studies, this unit works through the various stages of strategy design, including searching for evidence, needs assessment, multi-sectoral working, project management and organisation, resource availability, capacity building, sustainability and evaluation. Students have to produce a detailed tender submission (covering the above topic areas) in response to a call for specific interventions/strategies. They will choose one of four possible topics that cover both developed and developing country settings.

Medical anthropology

This unit will introduce concepts of social and medical anthropology, including sociocultural dimensions and lay perceptions of disease, the role of kin groups and communities, social structure, and gender. It will discuss medical pluralism and health care provision and health care seeking behaviour, as well as the links between anthropology and epidemiology, risk perception, and disease prevention, and their implications for health education and promotion.

Model building for health care decisions

This unit will develop the student’s understanding of operational management issues including: predicting flows and costs; time series analysis; econometric models; problem structuring; queuing theories; and evaluating system performance and models for matching performance to population needs. It will require access to a computer and spreadsheets. The emphasis will be on practical decision making.

Nutrition policy

This unit will give students an introduction to the development, implementation and evaluation of policies in food and nutrition, and the projects and programmes used by different sectors to address food and nutrition problems. It will include general theories of the policy process as applied to food and nutrition, and review roles and responsibilities at national and international levels. The definition and measurement of nutrition problems by different public, private and voluntary sectors, from public health to agriculture and planning, will be discussed. Methods for measuring and evaluating change in food and nutritional outcomes will be included. Opportunities to review a range of actual policy interventions and experiences in high, middle and low-income countries will be provided.

Environmental health

This unit introduces students to the range of environmental health concerns including: pollution of air, water, food and land; climate change; and the urban environment. The unit will cover interpretation and evaluation of risk assessments in environmental health, policy issues, standard setting and epidemiology. The unit considers environmental health in the local, national and global context. There is a case study with the focus on applying knowledge about environmental health to the student’s own environment.

Introduction to public health and control of infectious diseases

This unit will provide an introduction to public health including models for understanding public health, the various actors and disciplines involved, and the range of measures available. The unit will cover the preventive strategies, public health impact, and screening. Students will be exposed to a range of approaches to disease control from a multidisciplinary perspective. An overall model for understanding infectious disease from prevention through to cure will be presented. The roles and contributions of various disciplines will be discussed, and the economic, social science, and policy aspects of disease control will be explored as well as the epidemiological and statistical aspects. Case studies of infectious disease control, and examples of successes and failures will be used.

ID1
Infectious diseases

Principles of public health, biostatistics and epidemiology

The unit will provide a solid introduction to epidemiology, statistics and public health upon which further units will build. The public health introduction will present models for understanding public health, the various factors and disciplines involved, and the range of measures available. The unit will cover the epidemiological measures of disease frequency and risk, study design, interpretation of epidemiological studies, and preventive strategies, public health impact, and screening. The statistics teaching will cover the role of statistical methods in public health, describing data using various methods, sampling, linear regression and correlations coefficients, and statistical analyses.

Principles of biology

This unit aims to introduce students to the fundamental biological principles that are necessary for the Postgraduate Diploma and MSc. Areas covered will include: principles of the scientific approach; molecular biology and biochemistry; cell biology; immunology and vaccinology; microbiology; and biological vectors.

Biology of infectious diseases

This unit will introduce students to the way pathogens (viruses, bacteria, fungi, protozoa, helminths) invade, establish, cause disease and evade the immune response in the vertebrate host. In addition (i) vector-pathogen interactions and the role of vector behaviour and life style on the transmission of pathogens, and (ii) biochemical adaptations and strategies by pathogens to obtain nutrients in host and vector will be considered. Students will be shown how an understanding of these interactions can be exploited in control by vaccines, chemotherapy and insecticides.

Control of infectious diseases

In this unit, students will be exposed to a range of approaches to disease control from a multidisciplinary perspective. An overall model for understanding infectious disease from prevention through to cure will be presented. The roles and contributions of various disciplines will be discussed, and the economic, social science and policy aspects of disease control will be explored as well as the epidemiological and statistical aspects. Case studies of infectious disease control, and examples of successes and failures will be used.

ID2
Biology of infection

Bacterial infections

This unit will deal with the biology of bacteria as pathogens. It will focus on the major bacterial diseases and the other important types of bacterial infection such as wound infection, urinary tract infection and perinatal infection. The infections will be considered in groups related to the body systems infected.

Nutrition and infection

This unit will address the relationship between nutritional status and susceptibility to infection, together with consideration of the impacts of infection on nutritional status. The student will be helped to critically examine the evidence for the many popular beliefs surrounding these subjects.

Parasitology

This unit will deal with the biology of parasites and the ways that they can cause disease. The organisms responsible for the major parasitic diseases will provide the main focus for instruction as they have also been the main focus for research.

Viral infections

This unit will deal with the most important viruses and the ways in which they cause disease. The molecular biology of the different types of virus, the different strategies that are involved in their replication and the ways in which these differences can be reflected in the pathology of disease will be explored.

Water and sanitation

This unit is intended for students who wish to understand the principles of the social and public health aspects of sanitation and water supply. By the end of this study unit students should be able to:

• demonstrate knowledge of the importance of sanitation and water supply for disease control
• demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the various factors involved in the provision of sanitation and water
• demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the role of water in the transmission and prevention of infections
• demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the microbiological methods used during routine surveillance and monitoring.

The course covers the microbiological social and public health aspects of sanitation and water supply, the micro-organisms responsible for disease, their origins, mechanisms for elimination, and the epidemiology of waterborne and water washed disease.

Diagnostic methods

Diagnosis is a key step in the control of infectious diseases. This unit will cover the basic principles of diagnosis of major infectious diseases. Different approaches, from the traditional to the latest emerging techniques, will be covered. The issues governing which approaches should be used, including level of technology, prevalence of the disease, cost-effectiveness and integration in a control programme will be discussed.

Hospital infection [952I205]

By the end of this unit the students should be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the:

• essential theory and practice of nosocomial infections
• microbiological diagnosis
• and control of these infections
• role of health care professionals in the surveillance and management of hospital infections

The unit is intended for students who wish to understand the principles and concepts of clinical and microbiology related to the prevention of these infections. The course covers the microbiological aspects and related management associated issues. This will be set in context of the hospital and considers the roles of medical treatment, nursing care and all other aspects of hospital services in the control of hospital acquired infections.

ID209 Food microbiology [951I209]

Food is seldom sterile and may be a source of infection. This unit examines the role of standards in the protection of people from food poisoning. A knowledge of microbiology will enable students to deal more easily with this material. A general awareness of public health
implications of food borne infections in different contexts both national and international is helpful.
By the end of this unit students should be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:

• the aetiology of food borne disease

• food production processes and the role of HACCP

• the role of microbiological standards, criteria and guidelines relevant to EU and UK legislation

• the role of various public health organizations in the surveillance and control of food borne disease.

This unit covers the microbiological aspects of infections transmitted by food. This will be set in the context of food production practices, legislation and the role of public health and related agencies.

ID3
Epidemiology, statistics and disease control

Epidemiology and control of infectious diseases in developing countries

This unit will focus on the practical ways in which the epidemiology of infectious disease can be investigated in a developing country context and the ways in which this knowledge can be applied to control disease.

ID4
Issues in health management

Essentials of health economics and financing

This unit will introduce both the basic range of approaches to financing health care systems and the core principles of health economics. Under financing health systems and the history of health care financing, students will learn about general taxation, insurance, and out-of-pocket-payments at the point of consumption. The health economics component will include consumer theory and demand, production theory and cost, social efficiency and markets, and market failure. It will provide students with the skills to contribute more effectively to management processes.

Essentials of health systems and health promotion

This unit will cover the structure of health systems and the foundations of health promotion. It will provide an overview of what health systems are and how they function, and give an introduction to health promotion, its background, underpinning theories and use in interventions. Students will be able to combine their knowledge of epidemiology and policy-making to better understand the dynamics of health systems as they confront managers.

Essentials of health management

The unit introduces students to key management concepts and their application in the practice of health services. It aims to develop skills in managing other people and encouraging productive behaviours. It will analyse the dynamics between different health care professionals and provide an understanding of the relationship between professionals and managers. It offers a foundation of how to structure and manage health care organisations, and of how to measure and influence the performance of an organisation. Students will learn how to identify priorities for change and how to manage change by designing and implementing a feasible change programme.

ID5
Major infectious diseases

AIDS

This unit will explore the biology and pathology of HIV infection in order to understand how AIDS develops. AIDS is the most important infectious disease to emerge during an era in which the techniques for the investigation, treatment and control of infection were in place and, therefore, it is important to explore how the epidemic has been handled in the context of both biomedicine and society.

Tuberculosis

This unit will deal with the biology and pathology of tuberculosis – most particularly how modern techniques of molecular biology and immunology have been harnessed to combat an old plague. Tuberculosis remains the most common infectious cause of death world-wide, and so interventions suitable for both developed and developing countries will be considered and their limitations discussed.

Malaria

This unit will enable the student to understand the biology and pathology of malaria. Although the subject of numerous interventions and control programmes, malaria remains the major parasitic cause of morbidity and mortality world-wide. The reasons for the failure of past attempts at control, and the prospects for future success, will be examined.

Group PH2: Public health

PH201 - Analytical models for decision-making [953P201]
This unit will develop the students' understanding of the roles, strengths and weaknesses of different types of analytical model in supporting health care management decision-making. The issues covered include: types and characteristics of models for management decision-making; complex decisions involving many criteria, uncertainty and risk; planning and budgeting for services to meet health care needs; hospital planning and costing models; and simulating flows through systems using deterministic, dynamic and stochastic models. It will require access to a computer and Excel spreadsheet software. The emphasis will be on practical decision making.

PH202 - Communicable disease control [953P202]
This unit covers the three main themes of communicable disease control – surveillance, outbreak investigation and vaccines. Surveillance covers general principles as applied to infectious disease locally and nationally, as well as international surveillance. Both epidemiological and management aspects of outbreak investigation are explained. Vaccines cover general principles, evaluation and strategy. There are sessions on specific diseases and vaccines. This unit will provide students with sufficient background to set up and run a communicable disease control programme in their country or region.

PH203 - Economic analysis for management and policy [953P203]
This advanced economics unit seeks to strengthen students' familiarity with the conceptual bases for health economic analysis and develop their appreciation of how economic concepts and techniques can be applied to policy making and to the planning and management of health systems.
It will cover the following topics: welfare economics and the foundations of economic evaluation; economic evaluation; demand analysis in health care; production and cost function analyses; market analysis and competition; regulation, contracting and agency; and equity in the health sector.

PH204 - Economic evaluation [953P204]
This unit will allow students to understand and apply current methods in the economic evaluation of health interventions. Topics will include: measurement, valuation and analysis of costs; techniques for measuring and valuing health outcomes; the presentation of cost and effect data; and critical appraisal of economic evaluation in health care decision-making.

PH205 - Environmental epidemiology [953P205]
This unit aims to give students an understanding of the main themes in environmental epidemiology, with particular emphasis on methods of investigation, including those of time-series and spatial analysis. It covers pollution of the air, water and land, of ionizing and non-ionizing radiation, and the investigation of disease clusters. Emphasis is given to critical interpretation of scientific evidence relating to potential environmental hazards to health.

PH206 - Environmental health policy [953P206]
The unit aims to introduce students to a range of key methodological tools for assessing and controlling environmental risks to health. These include: risk assessment as a structured method to estimate quantitative health impacts, especially for chemicals; health impact
assessment, building on risk assessment as a planning and monitoring mechanism; environmental economics as a tool to help assess and compare heterogeneous health impacts and costs; and risk management as a framework for assessing and controlling risks. Consideration will be given to global and local issues and examples will be drawn from developing and developed countries.

PH207 - Health care evaluation [953P207]
This unit will consider how the principles of scientific evaluation can be applied to the dimensions of effectiveness, efficiency, humanity and equity. The unit will cover the quantitative (including both experimental and observational designs) and qualitative methods used in evaluation of these four dimensions. It will also consider the challenge of measuring key outcomes such as disease, health status and quality of life and address the issues involved in measuring costs.

PH208 - Financial management [953P208]
This unit will provide an introduction to financial management and will ensure that students are confident in their handling of financial information. Topics will include the funding of health care, costing and pricing of health services including market analysis, budgeting and budgetary control, contracting processes, financial accounting, working capital management and financial analysis, financial systems and controls, management information systems, performance management, capital investment appraisal and project management. The emphasis will be on the practical needs of the manager.

PH209 - Globalisation and health [953P209]
This unit addresses the implications for human health worldwide of global change across economic, social, political and environmental dimensions. It combines an introduction to core concepts and debates with detailed examination of issues including the globalization of food, pharmaceutical and tobacco industries, developments in global health governance, and the impact of climate change, population mobility and multilateral trade agreements. The unit will enable students to develop a detailed understanding of the complex links between globalization and health.

PH210 - Managing health services [953P210]
This unit examines the concepts of management, managerial leadership and governance within health care systems. It provides a theoretical and practical understanding of the management processes and skills required to enable organisations or professionals to achieve their goals. The unit first develops the conceptual framework for the analysis of health systems management following which key managerial tasks are examined including managing income and finances; managing people; managing strategy and change; managing results; and finally, managerial leadership.

PH211 - Medical anthropology in public health [953P211]
This unit introduces concepts of social and medical anthropology, drawing attention to its application to public health. It introduces the history, theoretical frames and methods of social and cultural anthropology, and of the sub-discipline of medical anthropology. It then examines social and cultural perceptions of sickness, medical pluralism and health seeking behaviour, the anthropology of infectious diseases, of biomedicine and of medicines, and the relations between cultural constructions of the person, the body and sickness. Finally, it explores the potential of anthropology to study (and improve) public health interventions and medical research itself.

PH212 - Organisational management [953P212]
This unit will expand on the core themes of organizational management and organizational behaviour, in particular in the health workplace. The unit will use readings and case-studies on motivation, roles, interaction, leadership, power, influence, groups, culture, politics, design and change in organisations and the history of management theory.

PH213 - Principles and practice of health promotion [953P213]
This unit builds on Health Promotion Theory core unit, and covers many different techniques available to people engaged in health promotion practice. These include individual approaches; group and community approaches and population and structural approaches. The unit will consider topics such motivational interviewing, cognitive behavioral therapy, peer education, public education, health promoting environments, advocacy, partnerships and multi-sectoral working and policy and legislation. It will explore the strengths and weaknesses of these various techniques and the contexts in which they might be used.

Project report

Project report [670E500]
The project report may consist of either (a) the analysis of an existing data set, (b) a protocol for new study, or (c) a critical literature review. In each case an outline plan must be submitted to and be approved by the Course Organiser at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine not later than 30 November in the year preceding submission of the report. The outline plan should not be more than 500 words, and should comprise: Title, Aims, Background (including rationale for this project) and Methods. For (a) the Outline should include a plan of analysis, as an indication of any analysis already carried out on these data, and an appendix giving details of the data including important variables and their coding.

 

RD1
Research design, management and analysis

This unit is compulsory for students doing a research project and provides an introduction to health research for students without prior experience. It provides guidance on writing a research proposal, doing a literature review, how to manage projects and how to present and disseminate results. It covers both quantitative methods, including sampling, questionnaire design and qualitative methods such as focus groups, in-depth interviewing and participant observation. Guidance will be given on basic data analysis, report writing and presentation of results.

RD2
Critical evaluation of scientific papers and writing grant applications

This unit will prepare the student to critically evaluate a scientific paper and to incorporate these insights into their writing. The student will learn how to formulate a grant proposal by:

1. defining a problem and formulating a hypothesis that can be investigated and
2. defining study objectives and developing an appropriate study design together with a suitable budget.