IDE7207: Field Epidemiology II

This is a competency-based training with nested service placements in applied epidemiology and public health. This course will be delivered via the on-the-job mentorship and training. The Students will work in settings designed for tackling emergent, urgent or outbreak infectious disease. This could also be a health problem ranked the most serious or of sudden occurrence and imposing threat to the public health in the country. Such health problem prioritisation may be by the Ministry of Health. Through this approach, the course directly contributes to the improvement of the health system as a response strategy. The field work will include evaluations, managing ongoing or new systems, and training of local health staff. The course will also offer consultations on epidemiological methods to the stakeholders including Ministry of Health, Ministry of Science, technology and innovation, and other agencies. These may be in the form of informal consultations to these stakeholders in the areas of epidemiological, biostatistical, and field methods. They will contribute to capacity building at district level by providing specific training in surveillance and outbreak response. The course also explores the between epidemiology and laboratory thereby strengthening epidemiology-laboratory link through, 1) conducting laboratory assessments, 2) including laboratory personnel on field teams, 3) using laboratory data for surveillance purposes, and 4) improving biosafety and specimen collection and transport in the field.  
 
Aim  
To build expertise in the Students through competency-based training and service programs in applied epidemiology and public health that build public health systems capacity in Uganda and the wider region.  
 
Course Objectives  
At the end of this course, the Students will be able to: 

• Conduct screening and testing in a range of health and other settings. 
• Conduct epidemiological criteria to establish causal relationships. 
• Apply key ethical issues in scientific investigations and inquiry. 
• Execute community entry. 
• Conduct epidemiological research. 
• Implement community engagement in field epidemiology. 
• Complete risk communication. 

 
Expected course outcome 
Application of acquired understanding, knowledge, skills and competences in: 

• Independent outbreak investigation. 
• Public Health Surveillance System Evaluation. 
• Data-set Analysis. 
• Teaching and Mentoring. 
• Protocol-based Research Study. 
• Developing an abstract. 
• Conference Presentation. 
• Manuscript.