Human Development and Health

The tools of epidemiology underpin much medical research. An understanding of research designs and simple statistical methods is important for reading and interpreting the literature. With the need for clinical practice to be evidence-based and for research to build on previous evidence, it is important to have a broad understanding of research and be able to judge the quality of a paper. Taking this one stage further, many people wish to get involved in conducting research themselves but they have either forgotten or have never gained the skills to enable them to do it. 

 

A short introductory course in basic epidemiological methods is planned for January 2026. The topics to be covered are given in the table below and the aim is to provide a broad overview of main epidemiological principles and methods as well as to give an insight into the practical issues involved in conducting research. Longer courses are available elsewhere but we feel that there is need for a short introductory course that researchers in population health, both clinical and non-clinical, to gain a feel for the issues involved in epidemiological research.

 

The course is open to people from a wide range of clinical and non-clinical backgrounds who are interested in research and want to gain a grasp of the basic principles. The examples used in the course will be from a wide range of disciplines.

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