Online Course notes: E is Epi, 1.1 – Epidemiology: A Basic Public Health Science

…but I work with a lot of them. In an effort to round out my knowledge of the field ¹I’ve only briefly covered epidemiological concepts in my research methods class back in PhD school, and that was several years ago now., I’ve decided it’s worthwhile to brush up on my epidemiology.

I searched the CDC Train list of courses (of which there are *tonnes*) and chose the highest ranked intro epidemiology courses, which are from a series called “E is for Epi“). These courses are designed for non-epidemiologists, which I am. I have the t-shirt to prove it!

The first course in this series is actually one on the basics of the field of public health:

Epidemiology: A Basic Public Health Science (E is for Epi, Session 1.1)
North Carolina Institute for Public Health

Now, since this is a course from an American university, it’s teaching the American Public Health framework. I thought it would be interested to check it out, and then compare it to the Canadian situation. (Some colleagues of mine are involved in a project comparing the the BC Core Public Health Functions framework and the Ontario Public Health Standards, so I know that even within Canada, things are not done exactly in the same way.) To be able to make that comparison, I’ve just signed up for the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC)’s Skills Online module “Introduction to Public Health in Canada” ²An added incentive for me to do these online courses is that I’m currently developing an online training module, so it’s helpful to see what works – and what doesn’t – from the perspective of a learner.. It takes a week to activate one’s registration, so I won’t be able to go through that module until next week. In the meantime, I completed the E is for Epi, 1.1 module. Basically, it just covered the 3 core functions and 10 essential services of Public Health in the US:

The 10 Public Health Essential Services, surrounded by the 3 Core Functions (this is US-based):

3 core functions(shown on the outside of the wheel):

• assessment – surveillance
• policy development – taking surveillance data to develop policy
• assurance – make sure policies improve health outcomes

10 essential services:

1. Monitor health status to identify and solve community health problems.
2. Diagnose and investigate health problems and health hazards in the community. (e.g., outbreaks, labs, infectious disease epi)
3. Inform, education, and empower people about health issues.
4. Mobilize community partnerships and action to identify and solve health problems.
5. Develop policies and plans that support individual and community health efforts.
6. Enforce laws and regulations the protect health and ensure safety. (e.g., clean water, air, alcohol & tobacco sales)
7. Link people to needed personal health services and assure provision of health care when otherwise unavailable.
8. Assure a competent public and personal healthcare workforce
9. Evaluate effectiveness, accessibility, and quality of personal and population-based health services
10. Research for new insights and innovative solutions to health problems

And here’s my certificate to prove I pass the test!

Because you can never have too many certificates