The purpose of the epidemiology course is to provide students with the knowledge and understanding of basic epidemiological principles and methods, as well as the analysis and interpretations of epidemiological data and recommendations for prevention and control of diseases. In addition to theoretical knowledge, the students should master the calculation and interpretation of measures of disease frequency in the population, analysis of epidemiological study design and different approaches to prevention. These aspects combined lead to the understanding of importance of epidemiological approach when studying etiology, prevention and control of diseases.
Theoretical hours cover areas related to the measurement of frequency of diseases in the population, specificity of national disease burden, demonstration of the most important characteristics of epidemiological methods including the concept of causality, epidemiological models and concepts of disease, epidemiological surveillance, outbreak investigation, prevention, hospital infections and the basics of clinical epidemiology.
During practical sessions students will learn to calculate and interpret indicators of disease severity in the population, analyze the design of various epidemiological studies, natural history of diseases, outbreak investigation, calculate and interpret screening tests as well as to understand basic principles of immunization.
The epidemiology course is taught by the following professors and teaching assistants at the Department of Epidemiology:
Prof. dr Tatjana Pekmezović
Prof. dr Sandra Grujičić
Prof. dr Darija Kisić
Prof. dr Jadranka Maksimović
Prof. dr Nataša Maksimović
Assoc. Prof. dr Isidora Vujčić
Assist. Prof. dr Tatjana Gazibara
Assist. Prof. dr Gorica Marić
Assist. Prof. dr Vuk Marušić
Assist. dr Aleksandra Nikolić
Assist. dr Vladimir Nikolić
Organization of the Epidemiology syllabus
Epidmiology is taught over the course of two semesters on the third year of undergraduate integrated studies in medicine.
The total sum of classes is 55 (45+10). Three classes are taught per week over the course of 30 weeks in both semesters of the third year.
Types of classes
Lectures 17 hours
Seminars and practical sessions 28 hours
+
Seminars of Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases 10 hours
Monitoring of the Epidemiology syllabus
Department of Epidemiology keeps records of all forms of teaching in Epidemiology. We also use paper files to track students' attendance and activity.
The presence of students in lectures, seminars and practical sessions are recorded in students' files. The student are granted one absence from practical sessions/seminars during one semester. If the students is absent for more than once, they will require to make-up practical sessions which are paid by the student out of pocket.
Syllabus schedule
Over the course of the entire semester students will be having lectures together in one classroom. For practical sessions and seminars they will be divided into smaller groups.
Exact schedule according to topics of lectures, seminars and/or practical sessions of Epidemiology will be posted before the start of classes in the school year.
Students are graded by summing points from the activity during school hours, (continuously during the entire semester), score at the mid-term colloquium (organized iat the beginning of the 6th semester) and score at the final exam.
1. Lecture attendance and the awarded points
15-17 lectures = 3 points
13-14 lectures = 2 points
11-12 lectures = 1 point
2. Seminars
During this course all students are required to prepare and present in-person 2 seminar topics in front of the class. Seminar topics are found in the Workbook of practical sessions in Epidemiology.
Presentation of one seminar is awarded 3 point. Presentation of two seminars is awarded 6 points.
Seminar topic are as follows:
- Application of epidemiological methods in investigation of communicable diseases
- Application of epidemiological methods in investigation of non-communicable diseases
- Sources of data
- Burden of diseases
- Disaster epidemiology
- Immunization
- Environmental epidemiology
3. Colloquium
Over this course the students will take a mid-term test i.e. colloquium (quizz). The colloquium is organized in the first week of the 6th semester. It has 30 questions and all topics from the 5th semester will be covered by the colloquium. The test consists of questions with multiple choice answers of which only one is correct.
Each correct answer in this 30-question test will be awarded 0.7 points. Thus, the maximum score on the colloquium is 21 points.
4. Final exam
The final exam is a written test. The test consists of 70 questions, each correct answer is awarded one point. A minimum score of 36 points is required to pass the exam.
Final grade in Epidemiology syllabus
To complete the Epidemiology syllabus, the final grade will be based on the sum of score achieved from activity in classes (lectures attendance - maximum 3 points; seminar presentations - maximum 6 points), score accrued from the colloquium (maximum 21 points) and points achieved at the final exam (maximum 70 points).
The minimum overall score to pass the exam in Epidemiology is 51 points (out of 100).
Conversion of the total number of points to the final grade is done according to the following table:
|
FINAL GRADE |
FINAL GRADE |
|
(expressed as number of points out of maximum of 100) |
(expressed as a number from 5 to 10) |
|
≤ 50 |
5 (failed) |
|
51-60 |
6 |
|
61-70 |
7 |
|
71-80 |
8 |
|
81-90 |
9 |
|
91-100 |
10 |
1. Beaglehole R, Bonita R, Kjellstrom T. Basic Epidemiology. 2nd edition. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2007
2. Workbook of Practical Sessions in Epidemiology. Belgrade: Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade; 2019.
Suggested Reading:
3. Gordis L. Epidemiology. 6th edition. Philadelphia: Saunders; 2018.
EPIDEMIOLOGY
(V and VI semesters)
5th semester
Topic
-Definition and scope of Epidemiology (1 hour)-lecture
-Leading causes of morbidity and mortality (1 hour)-lecture
-Measurement of Health and Disease (1 hour)-lecture
-Measurement of Health and Disease (2 hours)-practical session
-Standardization (1 hour)-practical session
-Sources of data (1 hour)-lecture
-Sources of data (1 hour)-seminar
-Causation in Epidemiology (1 hour)-lecture
-Burden of Diseases (1 hour)-seminar
-Principles of prevention (1 hour)-lecture
-Prevention (1 hour)-practical session
-Epidemiological models and concepts of disease (1 hour)-lecture
-Reservoirs and source of infection (1 hour)-lecture
-Modes of transmission of infectious diseases (1 hour)-lecture
-Natural history and spectrum of disease (2 hours)-practical session
-Immunization (1 hour)-lecture
-Immunization (1 hour)-practical
-Immunization (1 hour)-seminar
-Hospital infections (1 hour)-lecture
-Hospital infections (2 hours)-practical
-Surveillance (1 hour)-lecture
-Disaster epidemiology (1 hour)-seminar
-Epidemics, endemics, pandemics (2 hours)-practical
6th semester
-Colloquium
Topic
-Descriptive studies (1 hour)-lecture
-Descriptive studies (2hours)-practical session
-Analytic studies (1 hour)-lecture
-Analytical studies (2 hours)-practical session
-Experimental studies (1 hour)-lecture
-Experimental studies (2 hours)-practical session
-Outbreak investigation (1 hour)-lecture
-Outbreak investigation (1 hour)-practical session
-Screening (1 hour)-lecture
-Screening (2 hours)-practical session
-Application of epidemiological methods in investigation of communicable diseases (2 hours)- seminar
-Application of epidemiological methods in investigation of non-communicable diseases (2 hours)- seminar
-Environmental epidemiology (1 hour)-seminar
EPIDEMIOLOGY OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES
-Epidemiology of enteric diseases (2 hours) - seminar
-Epidemiology of respiratory diseases (2 hours) - seminar
-Epidemiology of zoonoses (2 hours) - seminar
-Epidemiology of arthropod-borne infections (2 hours) – seminar
- Epidemiology of diseases transmitted by direct contact and STD (2 hours) - seminar
Research topics
Course coordinator: Assist. Prof. dr Tatjana Gazibara
e-mail: tatjanagazibara@yahoo.com
Phone: +381 11 360 7062