91ÉçÇø

Ph.D. Epidemiology Electives Guidelines

Guidelines for Required Elective Courses in the Ph.D. Epidemiology degree program

In addition to the required courses, students must complete a minimum of 9Ìýcredits of elective course work, at the 500-level or higher, with a minimum of 3 credits in biostatistics and 6 credits in epidemiology and/or substantive topic (normally related to the thesis topic).ÌýThese courses are to be chosen and approved in consultation with the student’s supervisor and committee, or with the PhD Advisor or Director. They can be chosen from the Department’s current offer of more than 40 courses in epidemiology, biostatistics and occupational health as well as from other 91ÉçÇø Departments. See the Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies Calendar, and the Epidemiology Courses web page for details of courses being offered.

To assist you in your elective course selection the following courses offered by the department can be considered within the specified categories:

Epidemiology

EPIB 627. Analysis of Correlated Data.

Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please check back on May 8, 2025. Until then, the "Terms offered" field will appear blank for most courses while the class schedule is being finalized.

Credits: 3
Offered by: Epidemiology and Biostatistics (Graduate Studies)
This course is not offered this catalogue year.

Description

This course will provide a basic introduction to methods for analysis of correlated, or dependent, data. These data arise when observations are not gathered independently; examples are longitudinal data, household data, cluster samples, etc. Basic descriptive methods and introduction to regression methods for both continuous and discrete outcomes.
  • Prerequisites: EPIB 603, EPIB 621, EPIB 634 or permission of instructor.

Most students use Visual Schedule Builder (VSB) to organize their schedules. VSB helps you plan class schedules, travel time, and more.

EPIB 628. Measurement in Epidemiology.

Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please check back on May 8, 2025. Until then, the "Terms offered" field will appear blank for most courses while the class schedule is being finalized.

Credits: 3
Offered by: Epidemiology and Biostatistics (Graduate Studies)
This course is not offered this catalogue year.

Description

This course will focus on methodological issues related to measures of health status, determinants of health status, and other relevant covariates encountered in clinical and epidemiologic research. Topics to be covered include instrument development, assessment of reliability and validity, item response theory, and latent variable-based measurement models.
  • Prerequisites: EPIB 603 and EPIB 621 or Permission of Instructor.

Most students use Visual Schedule Builder (VSB) to organize their schedules. VSB helps you plan class schedules, travel time, and more.

EPIB 629. Knowledge Synthesis.

Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please check back on May 8, 2025. Until then, the "Terms offered" field will appear blank for most courses while the class schedule is being finalized.

Credits: 3
Offered by: Epidemiology and Biostatistics (Graduate Studies)
This course is not offered this catalogue year.

Description

This course will provide a detailed description of the systematic review process, discuss the strengths and limitations of the method, and provide step-by-step guidance on how to perform a systematic review, and how to critically appraise systematic reviews. Specific topics to be covered include: formulation of the review question, searching of literature, quality assessment of studies, data extraction, meta-analytic methods, and report writing. The course will also cover statistical issues of meta-analysis.
  • Prerequisite(s): EPIB 601 and EPIB 607, or equivalent, or permission of the instructor.
  • Restriction(s): Not open to students who have taken EPIB 619. Not open to students who have taken EPIB 675 when topic was 'Knowledge Synthesis'.

Most students use Visual Schedule Builder (VSB) to organize their schedules. VSB helps you plan class schedules, travel time, and more.

EPIB 631. Pharmacoepidemiology 2.

Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please check back on May 8, 2025. Until then, the "Terms offered" field will appear blank for most courses while the class schedule is being finalized.

Credits: 2
Offered by: Epidemiology and Biostatistics (Graduate Studies)
Terms Offered: Summer 2025
View offerings for in Visual Schedule Builder.

Description

An advanced course on the methodology to be used when confronted with an alleged adverse or beneficial event related to a drug, a vaccine or a biological product. It includes four parts: i) designs for etiological research; ii) surveillance (modelling, statistical appraisal); iii) hazard functions in pharmacoepidemiology; iv) exposure assessment.
  • Due to the intensive nature of this course, the standard add/drop and withdrawal deadlines do not apply. Add/drop is the first lecture day and withdrawal is the second lecture day.
  • Offered only in Summer term.
  • Prerequisites: EPIB 633, or instructor's permission, and basic knowledge of epidemiology and biostatistics
  • Due to the intensive nature of this course, the standard add/drop and withdrawal deadlines do not apply. Add/drop is the second lecture day and withdrawal is the fifth lecture day.

Most students use Visual Schedule Builder (VSB) to organize their schedules. VSB helps you plan class schedules, travel time, and more.

EPIB 633. Pharmacoepidemiology 1.

Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please check back on May 8, 2025. Until then, the "Terms offered" field will appear blank for most courses while the class schedule is being finalized.

Credits: 2
Offered by: Epidemiology and Biostatistics (Graduate Studies)
Terms Offered: Summer 2025
View offerings for in Visual Schedule Builder.

Description

This course is an introduction to epidemiological thinking as it applies to the evaluation of the effects of drugs on the health of populations. It is composed of four parts: i) assessment of adverse event reports; ii) basic designs for pharmacoepidemiologic investigations; iii) data gathering in pharmacoepidemiology; iv) introduction to the use of epidemiologic methods for the assessment of benefits and economic impacts of drug.
  • Due to the intensive nature of this course, the standard add/drop and withdrawal deadlines do not apply. Add/drop is the first lecture day and withdrawal is the second lecture day.
  • Offered only in Summer Term
  • Due to the intensive nature of this course, the standard add/drop and withdrawal deadlines do not apply. Add/drop is the second lecture day and withdrawal is the fifth lecture day.

Most students use Visual Schedule Builder (VSB) to organize their schedules. VSB helps you plan class schedules, travel time, and more.

EPIB 635. Clinical Trials.

Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please check back on May 8, 2025. Until then, the "Terms offered" field will appear blank for most courses while the class schedule is being finalized.

Credits: 3
Offered by: Epidemiology and Biostatistics (Graduate Studies)
This course is not offered this catalogue year.

Description

Lectures and discussions on issues, approaches and techniques of clinical trials including assessment of feasibility, ethics, randomization, strengths and weaknesses of alternative designs, sample size requirements, protocol development, trial management and analysis, reporting and interpretation of trial results.
  • Prerequisite(s): EPIB 601 and EPIB 607.

Most students use Visual Schedule Builder (VSB) to organize their schedules. VSB helps you plan class schedules, travel time, and more.

EPIB 638. Mathematical Modeling of Infectious Diseases.

Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please check back on May 8, 2025. Until then, the "Terms offered" field will appear blank for most courses while the class schedule is being finalized.

Credits: 3
Offered by: Epidemiology and Biostatistics (Graduate Studies)
This course is not offered this catalogue year.

Description

Mathematical models of infectious diseases –computer simulations of epidemics–enable detailed analyses and understanding of factors affecting the distribution of infections/diseases in populations and now play a key role in policy making. Covered topics include: short-term dynamics of infections (R0), compartmental models, stochastic models (including agent-based), contact patterns and heterogeneity, and Bayesian model calibration. The learning objectives are: 1) recognize research questions that can be addressed using modeling; 2) develop, parameterize, calibrate, and analyze simple infectious disease models in R; and 3) critically appraise scientific modeling papers.
  • Prerequisite(s): EPIB 621 or permission of the instructor
  • Restrictions: Not open to students who have taken EPIB 676 when topic was "Mathematical Models of Infectious Diseases".
  • This is an intermediate-level quantitative course. Previous courses in calculus and biostatistics are recommended (in doubt, contact the instructor prior to registration). A working knowledge of the R statistical software (or equivalent) is mandatory (data structures, function, loop, etc.).

Most students use Visual Schedule Builder (VSB) to organize their schedules. VSB helps you plan class schedules, travel time, and more.

EPIB 639. Pharmacoepidemiologic Methods.

Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please check back on May 8, 2025. Until then, the "Terms offered" field will appear blank for most courses while the class schedule is being finalized.

Credits: 4
Offered by: Epidemiology and Biostatistics (Graduate Studies)
This course is not offered this catalogue year.

Description

The objective of this course is to provide students with an in-depth review of the methods and principles of pharmacoepidemiology. Topics covered include themes related to the potential data sources, appropriate exposure definitions, the use of active drug comparators, latency and the application of lag periods, reverse causality, detection bias, methodological considerations in the assessment of acute versus chronic outcomes, new-user designs, healthy-user effects, and non-traditional study designs (e.g., within-user designs). In addition, the role of confounding and methods used to minimize its effects, such as the use of propensity scores, instrumental variables, and marginal structural models will be discussed.
  • Prerequisite(s): EPIB-603, EPIB-621, or equivalent, or permission of instructor.

Most students use Visual Schedule Builder (VSB) to organize their schedules. VSB helps you plan class schedules, travel time, and more.

EPIB 647. Analysis Temporal and Spatial Data.

Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please check back on May 8, 2025. Until then, the "Terms offered" field will appear blank for most courses while the class schedule is being finalized.

Credits: 3
Offered by: Epidemiology and Biostatistics (Graduate Studies)
This course is not offered this catalogue year.

Description

This course focuses on the computational management and analysis of large data sets in epidemiology. We will consider data storage and retrieval, prospective temporal and spatial analysis, and the evaluation of pattern detection.
  • Due to the intensive nature of this course, the standard add/drop and withdrawal deadlines do not apply. Add/drop is the second lecture day and withdrawal is the fourth lecture day.
  • Prerequisites: EPIB 603 and EPIB 621 or permission of instructor.

Most students use Visual Schedule Builder (VSB) to organize their schedules. VSB helps you plan class schedules, travel time, and more.

EPIB 648. Methods in Social Epidemiology.

Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please check back on May 8, 2025. Until then, the "Terms offered" field will appear blank for most courses while the class schedule is being finalized.

Credits: 3
Offered by: Epidemiology and Biostatistics (Graduate Studies)
This course is not offered this catalogue year.

Description

Methods for conducting studies in social epidemiology and population health will be covered. Topics will include causal inference; measurement and concepts of social exposures; methods for study design and analysis. Techniques for descriptive and etiologic investigations of socioeconomic position, gender, race and ethnicity, geography, and social policies will be discussed.
  • Prerequisites: EPIB 603 and EPIB 621, or permission of the instructors

Most students use Visual Schedule Builder (VSB) to organize their schedules. VSB helps you plan class schedules, travel time, and more.

EPIB 654. Pharmacoepidemiology 4.

Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please check back on May 8, 2025. Until then, the "Terms offered" field will appear blank for most courses while the class schedule is being finalized.

Credits: 2
Offered by: Epidemiology and Biostatistics (Graduate Studies)
Terms Offered: Summer 2025
View offerings for in Visual Schedule Builder.

Description

The utility of epidemiological techniques for the assessment of drug benefits after their marketing is presented. The course is composed of four parts: (i) methodology of Phase IV studies (efficacy and effectiveness studies); (ii) measurement of quality of life; (iii) evaluation of the economic impact of drugs; (iv) assessment of the effects of drugs and vaccines on the public health system.
  • Offered only in Summer term.
  • Prerequisite(s): EPIB 601 and EPIB 607 or permission of instructor.
  • Due to the intensive nature of this course, the standard add/drop and withdrawal deadlines do not apply. Add/drop is the first lecture day and withdrawal is the second lecture day.

Most students use Visual Schedule Builder (VSB) to organize their schedules. VSB helps you plan class schedules, travel time, and more.

EPIB 661. Pharmacoepidemiology 3.

Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please check back on May 8, 2025. Until then, the "Terms offered" field will appear blank for most courses while the class schedule is being finalized.

Credits: 2
Offered by: Epidemiology and Biostatistics (Graduate Studies)
Terms Offered: Summer 2025
View offerings for in Visual Schedule Builder.

Description

In this course, students are confronted with real examples of pharmaco-epidemiologic problems. Flagship studies in pharmaco-epidemiology are reviewed in terms of protocol, design issues, data collection, statistical analysis and interpretation of results.
  • Due to the intensive nature of this course, the standard add/drop and withdrawal deadlines do not apply. Add/drop is the first lecture day and withdrawal is the second lecture day.
  • Offered only in Summer term.
  • Prerequisites: EPIB 631, EPIB 633 or permission of instructor
  • Due to the intensive nature of this course, the standard add/drop and withdrawal deadlines do not apply. Add/drop is the first lecture day and withdrawal is the second lecture day.

Most students use Visual Schedule Builder (VSB) to organize their schedules. VSB helps you plan class schedules, travel time, and more.

EPIB 684. Principles of Environmental Health Sciences 1.

Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please check back on May 8, 2025. Until then, the "Terms offered" field will appear blank for most courses while the class schedule is being finalized.

Credits: 3
Offered by: Epidemiology and Biostatistics (Graduate Studies)
This course is not offered this catalogue year.

Description

Topics in environmental health sciences: principles of exposure assessment and of toxicology.
  • Restriction(s): Open to graduate students pursuing a career in Environmental Health Sciences or with permission of the course instructors. Not open to students who have taken or are taking EXMD 670 or NRSC 670 or PHAR 670.

Most students use Visual Schedule Builder (VSB) to organize their schedules. VSB helps you plan class schedules, travel time, and more.

EPIB 685. Principles of Environmental Health Sciences 2.

Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please check back on May 8, 2025. Until then, the "Terms offered" field will appear blank for most courses while the class schedule is being finalized.

Credits: 3
Offered by: Epidemiology and Biostatistics (Graduate Studies)
This course is not offered this catalogue year.

Description

Topics in environmental health sciences: principles of environmental epidemiology.
  • Restriction(s): Open to graduate students in the Environmental Health Sciences or permission of the course instructors. Not open to students who have taken or are taking EXMD 671 or NRSC 671 or PHAR 671.

Most students use Visual Schedule Builder (VSB) to organize their schedules. VSB helps you plan class schedules, travel time, and more.

PPHS 529. Global Environmental Health and Burden of Disease.

Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please check back on May 8, 2025. Until then, the "Terms offered" field will appear blank for most courses while the class schedule is being finalized.

Credits: 3
Offered by: Epidemiology and Biostatistics (Faculty of Medicine & Hlth Sci)
This course is not offered this catalogue year.

Description

This course presents the grand challenges in global health from environmental and occupational risks along with the multi-disciplinary methods used to identify, control, and prevent them. It will introduce students to knowledge and skills in core disciplines of environmental health and approaches to environmental risk recognition, control and prevention in a global context.
  • Restriction(s): Not open to students who have taken EPIB 529.
  • 1. Permission of instructor required for undergraduate students.
  • 2.This course is open to graduate students and advanced undergraduates from all departments.
  • 3. Previous coursework in statistics and environmental science is useful, though not required.

Most students use Visual Schedule Builder (VSB) to organize their schedules. VSB helps you plan class schedules, travel time, and more.

PPHS 616. Principles and Practice of Public Health Surveillance.

Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please check back on May 8, 2025. Until then, the "Terms offered" field will appear blank for most courses while the class schedule is being finalized.

Credits: 3
Offered by: Epidemiology and Biostatistics (Graduate Studies)
This course is not offered this catalogue year.

Description

The objectives of this course are to familiarize students with the theory and methods of surveillance, a core public health function. The seminars will define surveillance and explore surveillance applications and methods through case studies and in-class exercises. Topics will include: measurement, indicators, analytical methods, and the future of surveillance. Computer-based modules will complement seminars. Topics will include: estimating the burden of a disease, detecting disease outbreaks, and identifying cases of chronic disease.
  • Prerequisite(s): EPIB 603, EPIB 621, PPHS 612, or equivalent, or permission of the instructor.
  • Students are encouraged to use R statistical software and to bring a laptop to class.

Most students use Visual Schedule Builder (VSB) to organize their schedules. VSB helps you plan class schedules, travel time, and more.

PPHS 617. Impact Evaluation.

Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please check back on May 8, 2025. Until then, the "Terms offered" field will appear blank for most courses while the class schedule is being finalized.

Credits: 3
Offered by: Epidemiology and Biostatistics (Graduate Studies)
This course is not offered this catalogue year.

Description

This course will cover methods for estimating the effects of social interventions on health outcomes. We will provide the intuition for conducting impact evaluation studies in population health and discuss recent developments. We will define causal policy effects within the potential outcomes framework and introduce and formally define policy-relevant research questions based on specific causal contrasts. We will cover the use of randomized and cluster randomized trials for impact evaluation, including cost-effectiveness. We will additionally cover quasi-experimental designs such as interrupted time series, difference-in-differences, instrumental variables, and regression discontinuity.
  • Prerequisite(s): EPIB 603 and EPIB 621 or permission of the instructors.

Most students use Visual Schedule Builder (VSB) to organize their schedules. VSB helps you plan class schedules, travel time, and more.

Biostatistics

BIOS 610. Causal Inference in Biostatistics.

Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please check back on May 8, 2025. Until then, the "Terms offered" field will appear blank for most courses while the class schedule is being finalized.

Credits: 4
Offered by: Epidemiology and Biostatistics (Graduate Studies)
This course is not offered this catalogue year.

Description

Foundations of causal inference in biostatistics. Statistical methods based on potential outcomes; propensity scores, marginal structural models, instrumental variables, structural nested models. Introduction to semiparametric theory.
  • BIOS 602, MATH 557, or equivalent, or permission of the instructor.
  • This course is intended for PhD and advanced Masters students in Biostatistics or Statistics.

Most students use Visual Schedule Builder (VSB) to organize their schedules. VSB helps you plan class schedules, travel time, and more.

BIOS 612. Advanced Generalized Linear Models.

Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please check back on May 8, 2025. Until then, the "Terms offered" field will appear blank for most courses while the class schedule is being finalized.

Credits: 4
Offered by: Epidemiology and Biostatistics (Graduate Studies)
This course is not offered this catalogue year.

Description

Statistical methods for multinomial outcomes, overdispersion, and continuous and categorical correlated data; approaches to inference (estimating equations, likelihood-based methods, semi-parametric methods); analysis of longitudinal data; theoretical content and applications.
  • Prerequisites: BIOS 611 or MATH 533; and MATH 523, or equivalents.

Most students use Visual Schedule Builder (VSB) to organize their schedules. VSB helps you plan class schedules, travel time, and more.

BIOS 624. Data Analysis and Report Writing.

Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please check back on May 8, 2025. Until then, the "Terms offered" field will appear blank for most courses while the class schedule is being finalized.

Credits: 4
Offered by: Epidemiology and Biostatistics (Graduate Studies)
This course is not offered this catalogue year.

Description

Common data-analytic problems. Practical approaches to complex data. Graphical and tabular presentation of results. Writing reports for scientific journals, research collaborators, consulting clients.
  • Prerequisites: MATH 533 Analysis of Variance and Regression. MATH 523 Generalized Linear Models.

Most students use Visual Schedule Builder (VSB) to organize their schedules. VSB helps you plan class schedules, travel time, and more.

EPIB 627. Analysis of Correlated Data.

Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please check back on May 8, 2025. Until then, the "Terms offered" field will appear blank for most courses while the class schedule is being finalized.

Credits: 3
Offered by: Epidemiology and Biostatistics (Graduate Studies)
This course is not offered this catalogue year.

Description

This course will provide a basic introduction to methods for analysis of correlated, or dependent, data. These data arise when observations are not gathered independently; examples are longitudinal data, household data, cluster samples, etc. Basic descriptive methods and introduction to regression methods for both continuous and discrete outcomes.
  • Prerequisites: EPIB 603, EPIB 621, EPIB 634 or permission of instructor.

Most students use Visual Schedule Builder (VSB) to organize their schedules. VSB helps you plan class schedules, travel time, and more.

EPIB 637. Advanced Modeling: Survival and Other Multivariable Data.

Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please check back on May 8, 2025. Until then, the "Terms offered" field will appear blank for most courses while the class schedule is being finalized.

Credits: 3
Offered by: Epidemiology and Biostatistics (Graduate Studies)
This course is not offered this catalogue year.

Description

Advanced applied biostatistics course dealing with flexible modeling of non-linear effects of continuous covariates in multivariable analyses, and survival data, including e.g. time-varying covariates and time-dependent or cumulative effects. Focus on the concepts, limitations and advantages of specific methods, and interpretation of their results. Students will get hands-on experience in the implementation of selected methods by applying them to their own multivariable data, in individual survival analysis projects.
  • Prerequisite: EPIB 601 or EPIB 606 or equivalent
  • Prerequisite(s): EPIB 621, or equivalent, or permission of the instructor.

Most students use Visual Schedule Builder (VSB) to organize their schedules. VSB helps you plan class schedules, travel time, and more.

EPIB 710. Advanced Methods: Causal Inference.

Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please check back on May 8, 2025. Until then, the "Terms offered" field will appear blank for most courses while the class schedule is being finalized.

Credits: 3
Offered by: Epidemiology and Biostatistics (Graduate Studies)
This course is not offered this catalogue year.

Description

Causal inference using potential outcomes has become a standard part of the toolkit for epidemiologic researchers. In this course students will review foundational material on potential outcomes, and then understand and implement advanced methods. The class will emphasize both conceptual understanding and implementation, including analyses of complex datasets. Time-fixed and time-varying exposures will be considered. Methods studied will vary but will include marginal structural models, structural nested models, and targeted maximum likelihood.
  • Prerequisite(s): EPIB 705 or equivalent, or permission of instructor.
  • Restriction(s): Restricted to Ph.D. students in the Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and Occupational Health.
  • Not open to students who have taken EPIB 610.

Most students use Visual Schedule Builder (VSB) to organize their schedules. VSB helps you plan class schedules, travel time, and more.

Substanive

EPIB 625. Ethics of Human Research.

Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please check back on May 8, 2025. Until then, the "Terms offered" field will appear blank for most courses while the class schedule is being finalized.

Credits: 3
Offered by: Epidemiology and Biostatistics (Graduate Studies)
This course is not offered this catalogue year.

Description

Introduction to the ethics of conducting research involving human beings, with focus on clinical trials and surveys of ethical issues in public health research, experimental psychology, and animal experimentation. Areas covered include: scandals involving research with humans; ethical and regulatory guidelines and structures; ethical theory and principles of human research ethics; empirical findings on ethical practice in research.

Most students use Visual Schedule Builder (VSB) to organize their schedules. VSB helps you plan class schedules, travel time, and more.

EPIB 631. Pharmacoepidemiology 2.

Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please check back on May 8, 2025. Until then, the "Terms offered" field will appear blank for most courses while the class schedule is being finalized.

Credits: 2
Offered by: Epidemiology and Biostatistics (Graduate Studies)
Terms Offered: Summer 2025
View offerings for in Visual Schedule Builder.

Description

An advanced course on the methodology to be used when confronted with an alleged adverse or beneficial event related to a drug, a vaccine or a biological product. It includes four parts: i) designs for etiological research; ii) surveillance (modelling, statistical appraisal); iii) hazard functions in pharmacoepidemiology; iv) exposure assessment.
  • Due to the intensive nature of this course, the standard add/drop and withdrawal deadlines do not apply. Add/drop is the first lecture day and withdrawal is the second lecture day.
  • Offered only in Summer term.
  • Prerequisites: EPIB 633, or instructor's permission, and basic knowledge of epidemiology and biostatistics
  • Due to the intensive nature of this course, the standard add/drop and withdrawal deadlines do not apply. Add/drop is the second lecture day and withdrawal is the fifth lecture day.

Most students use Visual Schedule Builder (VSB) to organize their schedules. VSB helps you plan class schedules, travel time, and more.

EPIB 632. Mental Disorders: Population Perspectives and Methods.

Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please check back on May 8, 2025. Until then, the "Terms offered" field will appear blank for most courses while the class schedule is being finalized.

Credits: 3
Offered by: Epidemiology and Biostatistics (Graduate Studies)
This course is not offered this catalogue year.

Description

Semester-long seminar on key issues and concepts integral to the epidemiological study of mental disorders, through the lens of a population perspective. Review of the origins of the field, classical studies, and recent major studies. Survey of where the field is now. Discussion of national and global burden of mental disorders. Defining and diagnosing mental disorders. Methods to identify psychopathology in community versus clinical settings. Reliability and validity of psychiatric diagnoses and measurement tools. Research designs including approaches to study etiology, health services delivery, prevention, role functioning, and policy.
  • Prerequisite(s): EPIB 603 or equivalent, or permission of instructor
  • Restrictions: Not open to students who have taken or are taking PSYT 713.

Most students use Visual Schedule Builder (VSB) to organize their schedules. VSB helps you plan class schedules, travel time, and more.

EPIB 633. Pharmacoepidemiology 1.

Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please check back on May 8, 2025. Until then, the "Terms offered" field will appear blank for most courses while the class schedule is being finalized.

Credits: 2
Offered by: Epidemiology and Biostatistics (Graduate Studies)
Terms Offered: Summer 2025
View offerings for in Visual Schedule Builder.

Description

This course is an introduction to epidemiological thinking as it applies to the evaluation of the effects of drugs on the health of populations. It is composed of four parts: i) assessment of adverse event reports; ii) basic designs for pharmacoepidemiologic investigations; iii) data gathering in pharmacoepidemiology; iv) introduction to the use of epidemiologic methods for the assessment of benefits and economic impacts of drug.
  • Due to the intensive nature of this course, the standard add/drop and withdrawal deadlines do not apply. Add/drop is the first lecture day and withdrawal is the second lecture day.
  • Offered only in Summer Term
  • Due to the intensive nature of this course, the standard add/drop and withdrawal deadlines do not apply. Add/drop is the second lecture day and withdrawal is the fifth lecture day.

Most students use Visual Schedule Builder (VSB) to organize their schedules. VSB helps you plan class schedules, travel time, and more.

EPIB 638. Mathematical Modeling of Infectious Diseases.

Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please check back on May 8, 2025. Until then, the "Terms offered" field will appear blank for most courses while the class schedule is being finalized.

Credits: 3
Offered by: Epidemiology and Biostatistics (Graduate Studies)
This course is not offered this catalogue year.

Description

Mathematical models of infectious diseases –computer simulations of epidemics–enable detailed analyses and understanding of factors affecting the distribution of infections/diseases in populations and now play a key role in policy making. Covered topics include: short-term dynamics of infections (R0), compartmental models, stochastic models (including agent-based), contact patterns and heterogeneity, and Bayesian model calibration. The learning objectives are: 1) recognize research questions that can be addressed using modeling; 2) develop, parameterize, calibrate, and analyze simple infectious disease models in R; and 3) critically appraise scientific modeling papers.
  • Prerequisite(s): EPIB 621 or permission of the instructor
  • Restrictions: Not open to students who have taken EPIB 676 when topic was "Mathematical Models of Infectious Diseases".
  • This is an intermediate-level quantitative course. Previous courses in calculus and biostatistics are recommended (in doubt, contact the instructor prior to registration). A working knowledge of the R statistical software (or equivalent) is mandatory (data structures, function, loop, etc.).

Most students use Visual Schedule Builder (VSB) to organize their schedules. VSB helps you plan class schedules, travel time, and more.

EPIB 639. Pharmacoepidemiologic Methods.

Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please check back on May 8, 2025. Until then, the "Terms offered" field will appear blank for most courses while the class schedule is being finalized.

Credits: 4
Offered by: Epidemiology and Biostatistics (Graduate Studies)
This course is not offered this catalogue year.

Description

The objective of this course is to provide students with an in-depth review of the methods and principles of pharmacoepidemiology. Topics covered include themes related to the potential data sources, appropriate exposure definitions, the use of active drug comparators, latency and the application of lag periods, reverse causality, detection bias, methodological considerations in the assessment of acute versus chronic outcomes, new-user designs, healthy-user effects, and non-traditional study designs (e.g., within-user designs). In addition, the role of confounding and methods used to minimize its effects, such as the use of propensity scores, instrumental variables, and marginal structural models will be discussed.
  • Prerequisite(s): EPIB-603, EPIB-621, or equivalent, or permission of instructor.

Most students use Visual Schedule Builder (VSB) to organize their schedules. VSB helps you plan class schedules, travel time, and more.

EPIB 648. Methods in Social Epidemiology.

Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please check back on May 8, 2025. Until then, the "Terms offered" field will appear blank for most courses while the class schedule is being finalized.

Credits: 3
Offered by: Epidemiology and Biostatistics (Graduate Studies)
This course is not offered this catalogue year.

Description

Methods for conducting studies in social epidemiology and population health will be covered. Topics will include causal inference; measurement and concepts of social exposures; methods for study design and analysis. Techniques for descriptive and etiologic investigations of socioeconomic position, gender, race and ethnicity, geography, and social policies will be discussed.
  • Prerequisites: EPIB 603 and EPIB 621, or permission of the instructors

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EPIB 654. Pharmacoepidemiology 4.

Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please check back on May 8, 2025. Until then, the "Terms offered" field will appear blank for most courses while the class schedule is being finalized.

Credits: 2
Offered by: Epidemiology and Biostatistics (Graduate Studies)
Terms Offered: Summer 2025
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Description

The utility of epidemiological techniques for the assessment of drug benefits after their marketing is presented. The course is composed of four parts: (i) methodology of Phase IV studies (efficacy and effectiveness studies); (ii) measurement of quality of life; (iii) evaluation of the economic impact of drugs; (iv) assessment of the effects of drugs and vaccines on the public health system.
  • Offered only in Summer term.
  • Prerequisite(s): EPIB 601 and EPIB 607 or permission of instructor.
  • Due to the intensive nature of this course, the standard add/drop and withdrawal deadlines do not apply. Add/drop is the first lecture day and withdrawal is the second lecture day.

Most students use Visual Schedule Builder (VSB) to organize their schedules. VSB helps you plan class schedules, travel time, and more.

EPIB 661. Pharmacoepidemiology 3.

Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please check back on May 8, 2025. Until then, the "Terms offered" field will appear blank for most courses while the class schedule is being finalized.

Credits: 2
Offered by: Epidemiology and Biostatistics (Graduate Studies)
Terms Offered: Summer 2025
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Description

In this course, students are confronted with real examples of pharmaco-epidemiologic problems. Flagship studies in pharmaco-epidemiology are reviewed in terms of protocol, design issues, data collection, statistical analysis and interpretation of results.
  • Due to the intensive nature of this course, the standard add/drop and withdrawal deadlines do not apply. Add/drop is the first lecture day and withdrawal is the second lecture day.
  • Offered only in Summer term.
  • Prerequisites: EPIB 631, EPIB 633 or permission of instructor
  • Due to the intensive nature of this course, the standard add/drop and withdrawal deadlines do not apply. Add/drop is the first lecture day and withdrawal is the second lecture day.

Most students use Visual Schedule Builder (VSB) to organize their schedules. VSB helps you plan class schedules, travel time, and more.

EPIB 671. Cancer Epidemiology and Prevention.

Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please check back on May 8, 2025. Until then, the "Terms offered" field will appear blank for most courses while the class schedule is being finalized.

Credits: 3
Offered by: Epidemiology and Biostatistics (Graduate Studies)
This course is not offered this catalogue year.

Description

This course will explore the common epidemiologic approaches to studying etiologic relations in carcinogenesis and for assessing the efficacy of cancer prevention interventions. Emphasis will be given on both molecular and social epidemiology domains with examples of different study designs and data analysis methods and of the impact of measurement error and other biases.
  • Although this course follows a MWF class schedule pattern, the last week of lectures (June 26 - June 29) will follow a TWRF class schedule pattern.
  • Due to the intensive nature of this course, the standard add/drop and withdrawal deadlines do not apply. Add/drop is the second lecture day and withdrawal is the fifth lecture day.
  • Although this course follows a MWF class schedule pattern, the last week of lectures (June 26 - June 29) will follow a TWRF class schedule pattern.
  • Prerequisite(s): EPIB 601 and EPIB 621, or equivalent, or permission of instructor.

Most students use Visual Schedule Builder (VSB) to organize their schedules. VSB helps you plan class schedules, travel time, and more.

EPIB 681. Global Health: Epidemiological Research.

Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please check back on May 8, 2025. Until then, the "Terms offered" field will appear blank for most courses while the class schedule is being finalized.

Credits: 3
Offered by: Epidemiology and Biostatistics (Graduate Studies)
This course is not offered this catalogue year.

Description

A review of selected epidemiological research focussing on global health and disease topics. Research will be mostly from developing countries and research methods will be highlighted. Case studies will be used to illustrate specific applications and challenges.
  • Prerequisite: With permission of instructor.

Most students use Visual Schedule Builder (VSB) to organize their schedules. VSB helps you plan class schedules, travel time, and more.

EPIB 684. Principles of Environmental Health Sciences 1.

Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please check back on May 8, 2025. Until then, the "Terms offered" field will appear blank for most courses while the class schedule is being finalized.

Credits: 3
Offered by: Epidemiology and Biostatistics (Graduate Studies)
This course is not offered this catalogue year.

Description

Topics in environmental health sciences: principles of exposure assessment and of toxicology.
  • Restriction(s): Open to graduate students pursuing a career in Environmental Health Sciences or with permission of the course instructors. Not open to students who have taken or are taking EXMD 670 or NRSC 670 or PHAR 670.

Most students use Visual Schedule Builder (VSB) to organize their schedules. VSB helps you plan class schedules, travel time, and more.

EPIB 685. Principles of Environmental Health Sciences 2.

Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please check back on May 8, 2025. Until then, the "Terms offered" field will appear blank for most courses while the class schedule is being finalized.

Credits: 3
Offered by: Epidemiology and Biostatistics (Graduate Studies)
This course is not offered this catalogue year.

Description

Topics in environmental health sciences: principles of environmental epidemiology.
  • Restriction(s): Open to graduate students in the Environmental Health Sciences or permission of the course instructors. Not open to students who have taken or are taking EXMD 671 or NRSC 671 or PHAR 671.

Most students use Visual Schedule Builder (VSB) to organize their schedules. VSB helps you plan class schedules, travel time, and more.

EPIB 686. Environmental Health Seminar.

Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please check back on May 8, 2025. Until then, the "Terms offered" field will appear blank for most courses while the class schedule is being finalized.

Credits: 3
Offered by: Epidemiology and Biostatistics (Graduate Studies)
This course is not offered this catalogue year.

Description

The seminar will promote critical thinking among students regarding current topics in environmental and occupational health. The course will comprise critical review of papers and topics from the literature, discussion of key studies in environmental health, student presentations, presentations by outside speakers, presentation of novel methods by students and faculty, and other topics.
  • Prerequisites: MATH 556, MATH 557, or permission of instructor
  • Available to all graduate students in EBOH, and with approval of instructors to students in other departments in which health or epidemiology is taught. Students in EBOH will be given priority.

Most students use Visual Schedule Builder (VSB) to organize their schedules. VSB helps you plan class schedules, travel time, and more.

PPHS 501. Population Health and Epidemiology.

Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please check back on May 8, 2025. Until then, the "Terms offered" field will appear blank for most courses while the class schedule is being finalized.

Credits: 3
Offered by: Epidemiology and Biostatistics (Faculty of Medicine & Hlth Sci)
This course is not offered this catalogue year.

Description

This course presents concepts and methods of epidemiology at the introductory level. The use of epidemiologic methods for population and public health research and practice will be illustrated. A review of selected population health questions such as the HIV/AIDS epidemic, the cardiovascular disease epidemic, cigarette smoking, or screening for disease will be presented.
  • Restriction(s): Not open to students who have taken EPIB 501.
  • Course not open to students enrolled in Epidemiology or Public Health programs.

Most students use Visual Schedule Builder (VSB) to organize their schedules. VSB helps you plan class schedules, travel time, and more.

PPHS 511. Fundamentals of Global Health.

Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please check back on May 8, 2025. Until then, the "Terms offered" field will appear blank for most courses while the class schedule is being finalized.

Credits: 3
Offered by: Epidemiology and Biostatistics (Faculty of Medicine & Hlth Sci)
This course is not offered this catalogue year.

Description

This exciting and interactive course aims to give students the opportunity to broaden their understanding and knowledge of global health issues, including global burden of diseases, determinants of health, transition in health and drivers of such transition, challenges in healthcare delivery in resource-limited settings, and the variety of agencies and actors engaged in addressing global health challenges. The course consists of lectures, case studies, debates, discussions and small group work.

Most students use Visual Schedule Builder (VSB) to organize their schedules. VSB helps you plan class schedules, travel time, and more.

PPHS 525. Health Care Systems in Comparative Perspective.

Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please check back on May 8, 2025. Until then, the "Terms offered" field will appear blank for most courses while the class schedule is being finalized.

Credits: 3
Offered by: Epidemiology and Biostatistics (Faculty of Medicine & Hlth Sci)
This course is not offered this catalogue year.

Description

Comparative perspective to illustrate processes involved in the development and evolution of health care systems around the world. Countries examined will represent different welfare state regimes, health care system typologies, levels of development and wealth.
  • Prerequisite: Permission of instructor.
  • Restriction(s): Not open to students who have taken EPIB 525. Not open to students who are taking or have taken SOCI 525.
  • Note: This course is cross-listed in Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Occupational Health and in Sociology

Most students use Visual Schedule Builder (VSB) to organize their schedules. VSB helps you plan class schedules, travel time, and more.

PPHS 527. Economics for Health Services Research and Policy.

Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please check back on May 8, 2025. Until then, the "Terms offered" field will appear blank for most courses while the class schedule is being finalized.

Credits: 3
Offered by: Epidemiology and Biostatistics (Faculty of Medicine & Hlth Sci)
This course is not offered this catalogue year.

Description

Key health policy topics in developed economies using analytic frameworks and tools from economics. Major topics include health insurance, health care financing, and the roles of individuals and public and private institutions in the health care system.
  • Restriction(s): Not open to students who have taken EPIB 527.
  • NOTE: This course is open to graduate students and advanced undergraduates from all departments, with the permission of the instructor. A background in introductory economics is useful, though not required.

Most students use Visual Schedule Builder (VSB) to organize their schedules. VSB helps you plan class schedules, travel time, and more.

PPHS 528. Economic Evaluation of Health Programs.

Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please check back on May 8, 2025. Until then, the "Terms offered" field will appear blank for most courses while the class schedule is being finalized.

Credits: 3
Offered by: Epidemiology and Biostatistics (Faculty of Medicine & Hlth Sci)
This course is not offered this catalogue year.

Description

Concepts and methods used to carry out economic evaluations of health programs and interventions, including public health interventions, pharmaceuticals, and other health care interventions. Includes topics such as calculation of unit costs, measurement of quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) and assessment of uncertainty in cost-effectiveness analysis.
  • Prerequisite: Permission of instructor.
  • Restriction(s): Not open to students who have taken EPIB 528.
  • No prior background in economics is required.
  • Open to graduate students and advanced undergraduates from all departments.

Most students use Visual Schedule Builder (VSB) to organize their schedules. VSB helps you plan class schedules, travel time, and more.

PPHS 529. Global Environmental Health and Burden of Disease.

Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please check back on May 8, 2025. Until then, the "Terms offered" field will appear blank for most courses while the class schedule is being finalized.

Credits: 3
Offered by: Epidemiology and Biostatistics (Faculty of Medicine & Hlth Sci)
This course is not offered this catalogue year.

Description

This course presents the grand challenges in global health from environmental and occupational risks along with the multi-disciplinary methods used to identify, control, and prevent them. It will introduce students to knowledge and skills in core disciplines of environmental health and approaches to environmental risk recognition, control and prevention in a global context.
  • Restriction(s): Not open to students who have taken EPIB 529.
  • 1. Permission of instructor required for undergraduate students.
  • 2.This course is open to graduate students and advanced undergraduates from all departments.
  • 3. Previous coursework in statistics and environmental science is useful, though not required.

Most students use Visual Schedule Builder (VSB) to organize their schedules. VSB helps you plan class schedules, travel time, and more.

PPHS 612. Principles of Public Health Practice.

Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please check back on May 8, 2025. Until then, the "Terms offered" field will appear blank for most courses while the class schedule is being finalized.

Credits: 3
Offered by: Epidemiology and Biostatistics (Graduate Studies)
This course is not offered this catalogue year.

Description

Principles and methods in public health practice. Topics will include investigation in public health, public health intervention, program evaluation, public health and the health care system, society and public health.
  • Prerequisite(s): EPIB 601, EPIB 602 or PPHS 602, and EPIB 607 or permission of instructor.
  • Restriction(s): Not open to students who have taken EPIB 612.

Most students use Visual Schedule Builder (VSB) to organize their schedules. VSB helps you plan class schedules, travel time, and more.

PPHS 613. The Practice of Global Health.

Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please check back on May 8, 2025. Until then, the "Terms offered" field will appear blank for most courses while the class schedule is being finalized.

Credits: 3
Offered by: Epidemiology and Biostatistics (Graduate Studies)
This course is not offered this catalogue year.

Description

Introduction to core competencies in the practice of global health, including historical, colonial roots of global health, project planning and implementation, equitable and ethical conduct, building partnerships, working within interdisciplinary teams, effective communication and personal-social skills.

Most students use Visual Schedule Builder (VSB) to organize their schedules. VSB helps you plan class schedules, travel time, and more.

PPHS 614. Knowledge Translation and Public Health Leadership .

Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please check back on May 8, 2025. Until then, the "Terms offered" field will appear blank for most courses while the class schedule is being finalized.

Credits: 3
Offered by: Epidemiology and Biostatistics (Graduate Studies)
This course is not offered this catalogue year.

Description

An examination of knowledge translation in public health, including synthesis, dissemination, exchange, and ethically-sound application of knowledge to policy and programming. Overview of knowledge translation processes for effective evidence-informed public health leadership.
  • Prerequisite: PPHS 612 or permission of instructor
  • Restrictions: Not open to students who have taken EPIB 678 when topic was ‘Knowledge Translation, Communications, and Evidence-Informed Public Health Leadership’.

Most students use Visual Schedule Builder (VSB) to organize their schedules. VSB helps you plan class schedules, travel time, and more.

PPHS 615. Introduction to Infectious Disease Epidemiology.

Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please check back on May 8, 2025. Until then, the "Terms offered" field will appear blank for most courses while the class schedule is being finalized.

Credits: 3
Offered by: Epidemiology and Biostatistics (Graduate Studies)
This course is not offered this catalogue year.

Description

Introduction to the field of infectious disease epidemiology taught from a public health perspective. Topics include analytic methods, study design, outbreak investigations, surveillance, vaccine development and evaluations, screening, modelling, and infectious causes of cancer or chronic diseases.
  • Prerequisite: EPIB 601 or Permission of Instructor.
  • Restriction(s): Not open to students who have taken EPIB 615.
  • Note: An undergraduate level biology course is highly recommended.

Most students use Visual Schedule Builder (VSB) to organize their schedules. VSB helps you plan class schedules, travel time, and more.

PPHS 616. Principles and Practice of Public Health Surveillance.

Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please check back on May 8, 2025. Until then, the "Terms offered" field will appear blank for most courses while the class schedule is being finalized.

Credits: 3
Offered by: Epidemiology and Biostatistics (Graduate Studies)
This course is not offered this catalogue year.

Description

The objectives of this course are to familiarize students with the theory and methods of surveillance, a core public health function. The seminars will define surveillance and explore surveillance applications and methods through case studies and in-class exercises. Topics will include: measurement, indicators, analytical methods, and the future of surveillance. Computer-based modules will complement seminars. Topics will include: estimating the burden of a disease, detecting disease outbreaks, and identifying cases of chronic disease.
  • Prerequisite(s): EPIB 603, EPIB 621, PPHS 612, or equivalent, or permission of the instructor.
  • Students are encouraged to use R statistical software and to bring a laptop to class.

Most students use Visual Schedule Builder (VSB) to organize their schedules. VSB helps you plan class schedules, travel time, and more.

PPHS 618. Program Planning and Evaluation in Public Health .

Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please check back on May 8, 2025. Until then, the "Terms offered" field will appear blank for most courses while the class schedule is being finalized.

Credits: 3
Offered by: Epidemiology and Biostatistics (Graduate Studies)
This course is not offered this catalogue year.

Description

Major activities in planning and evaluating an evidence-based public health intervention using a structured approach to intervention planning and different evaluation methodologies and techniques. Emphasis on evidence-based program planning, logic model development, participatory approaches, and program evaluation in applied public health settings.

Most students use Visual Schedule Builder (VSB) to organize their schedules. VSB helps you plan class schedules, travel time, and more.

PPHS 624. Public Health Ethics and Policy.

Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please check back on May 8, 2025. Until then, the "Terms offered" field will appear blank for most courses while the class schedule is being finalized.

Credits: 3
Offered by: Epidemiology and Biostatistics (Graduate Studies)
This course is not offered this catalogue year.

Description

Critical assessment of ethical dilemmas and policy considerations raised by the practice of public health. Specific topics include: measuring and defining health; surveillance and privacy; preparedness, quarantine, and distribution of resources during a health emergency; and health inequalities.
  • Restriction(s): Not open to students who have taken EPIB 624.
  • Students from all disciplinary backgrounds are welcome.

Most students use Visual Schedule Builder (VSB) to organize their schedules. VSB helps you plan class schedules, travel time, and more.

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Additional notes:

  1. If a course is able to satisfy more than one category, it cannot be used for both by the same student.Ìý For example, if a student applies EPIB 627Ìýas satisfying the biostatistics elective requirement, the student must take a different course to satisfy the epidemiology/substantive requirement.
  2. Any BIOS course can be applied to the biostatistics requirement.
  3. Doctoral students exempted from any of the required courses cannot take them to satisfy an elective requirement.
  4. For "Special Topics" course numbers (e.g. EPIB 676, BIOS 691), please contact the graduate.eboh [at] mcgill.ca (Student Affairs Office) to determine the category they belong to.

Last updated: 24 September, 2021

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