Each student will make a 10-15 minute Zoom virtual lecture concerning the Epidemiology of a given disease/disorder. The student may select any disease or disorder. All other members of the class will be in “attendance” and will ask questions/ request clarifications of the presenting student. Participation is encouraged by all.
Note: This paper is to be typed, double-spaced, minimum 7, maximum 10 pages in length (about 2000 words) plus references. The paper must be submitted via Turnitin in Canvas.
1. Describe the pathophysiology of the disease you have chosen – What is the natural history of the disease, the spectrum of disease/pathology the disease? Is the disease characterized by inflammation, etc? Is it an infectious and/or chronic disease? If so what is the agent, its reservoir, mode of transmission etc.
2. What public health statistics are available on incidence rates/mortality rates for this disease? What is the prevalence of the disease, case fatality, YPLL, etc?
3. What is the descriptive epidemiology of the disease? How does the disease vary by aspects of person (age, race and sex), place (geography) and time?
4. What is the analytic epidemiology of the disease? What epidemiological studies have been done to characterize risk factors for the disease? Are there modifiable risk factors (e.g. smoking, diet) or non-modifiable risk factors (e.g. Genetics)? What are the relative risks/odds ratios for these risk factors in terms of direction and magnitude? Have previous studies evaluated confounding and/or effect modification? Are previous findings statistically significant? Critically review this literature.
5. Are there effective screening tests for the disease? What are the sensitivity and specificity of these screening tests? What is the positive predictive value?
6. What are the prospects for the prevention (primary, secondary, tertiary) of the disease through traditional means (e.g. Vaccination) or more recent innovations such as smoking cessation programs?
Note: Clarity of writing is important on this paper. Grammar and spelling are considered and students will lose points for poor English composition. References must be obtained from textbooks, government websites (e.g. CDC, NIH) or the peer-reviewed scientific literature. A good place to start is by using such search engines as Pub Med or Google Scholar. References may not be taken from websites aimed at the general public (e.g. Web MD).