Course description

This course covers the major communicable and non-communicable health conditions affecting human populations that cause the most significant burden of disease. It covers the basic biology, pathology and course of major health conditions and will help students understand how to use information on risk factors to understand the distribution of these conditions. The course examines a wide range of diseases, including conditions that are not always thought of as a disease (e.g. obesity, alcohol use disorder), but have a major impact on quality of life and life expectancy. The course introduces systems thinking as a way to help students in their understanding of the interrelated and dynamic nature of risk factors, and the reality that many causes and solutions lie outside the health sector. Students will develop the capability to apply epidemiological principles to critically evaluate contemporary prevention and control strategies and identify opportunities for improvements that will reduce disease burden.

Archived offerings