Master of Public Health (MPH)
Prevention. Promotion. Communication.

MPH Concentrations

Epidemiology

Concentration area director:

Pavani Kalluri Ram, MD
Assistant Professor
Department of Social and Preventive Medicine
pkram@buffalo.edu
273 Farber Hall
716-829-5380
716-829-2979 (fax)

Epidemiologists play a fundamental role in preventive medicine and public health by under­standing which variables in human situations influence the determination and distribution of diseases. Epidemiologist investigate the incidence, distribution, and control of disease and injury in a population. Epidemiology includes the study of factors affecting the progress of an illness or injury, in the case of many chronic diseases their natural history, and evaluating interventions aimed at the prevention of disease or reducing its consequences. Epidemiologists learn statistical, research, and survey methods as well as about the biological, behavioral, social and organizational determinants of disease and injury. Epidemiologists work in a wide variety of settings including public health agencies at the local, state, national, or international level; health care delivery systems such as hospitals and managed care organization; private research firms; pharmaceutical companies; and academia.

Courses and Competencies

Other program items (school policies, waivers, credit transfers, multi-award degree programs, etc.)

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Courses and Competencies

Individual courses have a set of detailed competencies provided in course syllabi.  What follows are overarching statements that summarize these competencies.

Core Required MPH Courses

The required core courses taken by all MPH students are as follows. They address competencies established by the Association of Schools of Public Health (ASPH) for the five core areas of the MPH degree:  biostatistics, environmental health sciences, epidemiology, health policy and management, and social and behavioral sciences. NOTE: SPM 501 and STA 527 must be taken in the first semester of a student's program. (In extenuating circumstances, students can request a waiver to the first semester requirement from their concentration area director but the courses must be taken by the second year of the program.)

Click course calendar for a schedule of required and selective courses.

The required core MPH courses taken by all MPH students will enable students to:

  • Apply descriptive techniques to public health data; calculate and interpret epidemiologic measures of association, risk and disease frequency; define and apply the basic elements of epidemiologic study designs; describe bias, confounding and effect modification and the basic approaches for their evaluation in epidemiologic data; demonstrate appropriate inferences from epidemiologic data; evaluate epidemiologic reports; define the principles of a good screening program and calculate and interpret relevant measures; and describe disease outbreak investigations. (SPM 501)
  • Describe the components and major operational features of the U.S. health care delivery system from a population perspective, within a historical context of the technical, economic, political and social forces that continue to propel change. (SPM 507)
  • Understand the nature of public health as a profession, take into account the diversity of risk factors affecting population health as well as the options available to improve population health, and explain the public health strategy and its benefits and limitations for improving population health. (SPM 533)
  • Through the acquisition of basic knowledge in the biological sciences, evaluate and interpret the influence that the biological sciences have on population based health and public health programs and services. (SPM 535)
  • Explain the process of risk assessment and its utilization in decision-making to prevent and control environmental hazards, and describe and evaluate causes, effects, and amelioration of environmental health problems from an ecological or systems perspective. (SPM 549)
  • Through an understanding of the behavioral, social, and cultural factors related to individual and population health and health disparities over the life course, better develop, administer, and evaluate programs and policies in public health and health services directed at promoting and sustaining healthy environments and healthy lives for individuals and populations. (HB 527)
  • Plan, perform, and report basic statistical calculations and analyses and critically read public health and medical care journal articles. (STA 527)

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Concentration Courses

Required courses (6 credits):

Selective courses (9 credits) - note, not all courses are offered each academic year:

Through the required and selective courses, the epidemiology concentration students will be able to:

  • Identify key sources of data for epidemiologic purposes
  • Identify the principles and limitations of public health screening programs
  • Describe a public health problem in terms of magnitude, person, time and place.
  • Explain the importance of epidemiology for informing scientific, ethical, economic and political discussion of health issues.
  • Comprehend basic ethical and legal principles pertaining to the collection, maintenance, use and dissemination of epidemiologic data.
  • Apply the basic terminology and definitions of epidemiology.
  • Calculate basic epidemiology measures.
  • Communicate epidemiologic information to lay and professional audiences.
  • Draw appropriate infrerences from epidemiologic data.
  • Evaluate the strengths and limitations of epidemiologic reports.

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Field Training

Important links:

The competencies acquired during field training will vary among field training experiences.  However, there are competencies which are addressed in most if not all field training sites irrespective of students’ MPH concentrations.  These are as follows:  

  • Articulate an achievable mission, set of core values, and vision.
  • Engage in dialogue and learning from others to advance public health goals.
  • Demonstrate transparency, integrity, and honesty in all actions.
  • Promote high standards of personal and organizational integrity, compassion, honesty, and respect for all people.
  • Appreciate the importance of working collaboratively with diverse communities and constituencies (e.g., individual clients, practitioners, agencies, organizations, and researchers).
  • Apply legal and ethical principles to the use of information technology and resources in public health settings.
  • Use information technology to access, evaluate, and  interpret public health data.
  • Describe the legal and ethical bases for public health and health services.
  • Develop enhanced awareness of basic concepts and as appropriate use skills involved in culturally appropriate community engagement and empowerment with diverse communities.

In addition to competencies addressed by all field placement sites for the MPH program, the field training experiences in epidemiology will enable students to demonstrate abilities in any of the following:

  1. Some type of application of epidemiologic principles and methods to the investigation of relationships between an exposure and a health outcome or condition and some type of experience in integrating the methods learned in epidemiology to the problem.  Student is able to:
    • Identify key sources of data for epidemiologic purposes.
    • Describe a public health problem in terms of magnitude, person, time and place.
    • Explain the importance of epidemiology for informing scientific, ethical, economic and political discussion of health issues.
    • Apply the basic terminology and definitions of epidemiology.
    • Calculate basic epidemiology measures.
    • Draw appropriate inferences from epidemiologic and other public health data.
  2. Some type of experience communicating findings from such an investigation with some specific audience(s).  Student is able to:
    • Explain the importance of epidemiology for informing scientific, ethical, economic and political discussion of health issues.
    • Communicate epidemiologic information to lay and professional audiences.

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Integrative Project

Important Links:

The purpose of the integrative project is for students to demonstrate they can develop an integrated approach that encompasses the academic discipline of a public health curriculum to address current issues that affect the public’s health.  It gives students the opportunity to incorpo­rate what they learned from their courses and practice experiences or from prior work experience into a paper that focuses on a specific public health issue.  This also gives students experience in writing and critical thinking, and because they give a presentation on their project, in public speaking. 

Although the integrative project is only 2 credits, this is not an indication of the amount of effort required. In the integrative project students have the opportunity to master a topic of their own choosing, one they can proudly display to future employers and colleagues as an area where they have special expertise. The level of that expertise will be proportional to the effort expended.

The topics covered by the integrative project papers vary widely and likewise the competencies acquired can be expected to vary among projects.  However, there are competencies which are addressed in most if not all projects and these are:

  • Demonstrate effective written and oral skills for communicating with different audiences in the context of professional public health activities.
  • Demonstrate integration by identifying linkages between the specifics of the project topic and public health disciplines and applying methods and techniques acquired in the program to the specific topic.

By the completion of the integrative project, students in the Epidemiology concentration will have demonstrated:

  1. The ability to integrate and apply principles, methods, and knowledge from preceding courses to address a specific epidemiologic question of public health significance.  The format for addressing the problem could be:
    • An analysis of the problem, including its nature and magnitude, possible causes and contributing factors, and prevention and intervention strategies.
    • A grant proposal for research into some dimension of the problem, such as causes, new prevention and intervention strategies, or evaluation of current strategies.
    • Implementation of a program for addressing the problem. This could be conduct of a research study or implementation of a prevention or intervention strategy in a specific target population.
    • A program evaluation proposal in which an evaluation mechanism is developed that addresses the problem.
    • A descriptive epidemiologic assessment of the problem in terms of person, place and time and assess contributing factors to the disease or condition under study.
    • An individualized project developed by the student in consultation with his or her faculty advisor.
  2. The particular core, interdisciplinary/cross-cutting, and concentration-specific competencies each student uses will vary by project, and the relevant competencies should be determined in consultation with the student’s project advisor and evident in the final written report.  However, it is expected that the project will demonstrate that the student is able to do one or more of the following competencies as appropriate to the project:
    • Identify key sources of epidemiologic data.
    • Apply the principles of public health screening programs and identify limitations.
    • Describe the public health problem addressed in terms of magnitude, person, time and place.
    • Identify and describe ethical, economic and political implications derived from project.
    • Comprehend basic ethical and legal principles pertaining to the collection, maintenance, use and dissemination of epidemiologic data.
    • Apply the basic terminology and definitions of epidemiology.
    • Calculate basic epidemiology measures.
    • Draw appropriate inferences from epidemiologic data.
    • Evaluate the strengths and limitations of epidemiologic reports.
  3. Demonstrate integration of preceding coursework by identifying linkages between the specific approaches used to address the health problem and the principles, methods, and knowledge base acquired in the program. This is demonstrated, both in execution of the project and in the final written and oral presentations by:
    • Application of core epidemiologic, biostatistical, environmental health, health behavior, or health services administration methods, data, or knowledge as appropriate to the topic.
    • Application of principles, methods, and knowledge from epidemiologic concentration required and elective courses as appropriate to the topic.
  4. Demonstrate effective written and oral skills for communicating with audiences in the context of professional public health activities.
    • This will be demonstrated by writing a logical, sound, evidence informed, organized and well-written paper.
    • It will also be demonstrated by a well prepared oral presentation.

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