Center for Social Epidemiology and Population Health

CSEPH Courses


Epid 514 Introduction to Social Epidemiology
Instructor: Malavika Subramanyam

This course provides an introduction to the concepts, methods, and key findings in Social Epidemiology, the study of how social factors affect health. It includes lectures, presentation of epidemiologic research, class exercises and discussion, and a class project. The overall perspective is that health and disease are caused by numerous factors operating at multiple levels, and that social factors play an important role in shaping an individual's exposure to risk to disease as well as access to health promoting resources. Any health problem, in individuals or groups, may be best understood within a framework that links multiple levels of influence, ranging from biological to social. Topics covered in the course include; The role of socioeconomic status, race, gender, neighborhoods, work place, social networks & support, and upstream determinants such as social capital, income inequality and social policies on health. A brief review of theories in social epidemiology will be included.

Back to Top

Epid 672 Social Determinants of Infectious Disease Seminar
Instructor: Allison Aiello

Although biomedical research has guided the discovery of cures and treatments for many infectious illnesses, the emergence/reemergence of infectious diseases continues today. Newly emerging infectious diseases as well as those that persist often affect populations that are deprived of social resources. The role of social inequalities has been noted in the emergence of infections such as HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other infections. Despite calls for a social determinants approach to the study and prevention of infectious diseases at the population level, much of the infectious disease literature continues to focus on proximate elements associated with infections rather than distal determinants of existing and new pathogenic threats to health. This proximate focus is beginning to shift and there is growing body of research examining social determinants of a wide array of infectious disease topics. Back to top

Epid 677 Epidemiology of Aging
Instructor: Carlos Mendes de Leon

This course provides an introduction to the epidemiology of aging from a public health perspective. It is designed to provide an overview of the specific biological and social challenges that frequently occur in older age. Topics include demographic changes affecting population aging, the biology of aging, theories and models of aging, concepts and measures of functional limitations and disability, vascular and metabolic diseases of old age, comorbidity and geriatric syndromes, cognitive decline and dementias, social function in older age, infection and aging, and terminal decline and end-of-life care. The format of the course includes lectures as well as class discussion of selected research papers. Back to top

Epid 804 Population Health and its Determinants
Instructor: Mark Wilson and Carlos Mendes de Leon

This course seeks to provide an overview and understanding of the nature and determinants of the health of human populations, disparities in health within and between populations, and of the ways in which population health may be improved by the translation of scientific knowledge into intervention and policy. It will purposefully cover a wide array of social, environmental, biological and policy perspectives on population health and health disparities. The larger objective of the course is to foster a better appreciation of the complex interactions among social, environmental and biological factors in population health and health disparities. The primary format is class discussion, and participants are expected to critically review and discuss some of the leading scientific contributions in population health sciences. Back to top

Epid 813 Advanced Seminar on Public Health and Aging
Instructor: Carlos Mendes de Leon

This seminar serves as the formal course of the National Institute on Aging T32 grant “Interdisciplinary Training in Public Health and Aging”. It is designed to provide advanced training in selected topics in aging research pertaining to the public health and well-being of older adults. This course is intended mainly for doctoral students at the University of Michigan who are interested in aging-related health research. The seminar will address substantive areas in aging and health as well as methodological issues in epidemiologic and geriatric research. Major subject areas that are covered may include: (1) A global overview of population aging, perceptions of aging in different countries and cultures, and likely demographics shifts in the next 20 to 30 years; (2) The biology of aging; (3) Toxicant, nutrients, aging and aging-related diseases; (4) Aging, associated behaviors and public health; (5) Policies and their impacts on the health of aging populations; (6) Current and emerging methodologies in aging research. The format involves both lectures by experts in aging research at the University of Michigan, as well as student presentations and discussion. Pre-doctoral students who are funded by the T32 Public Health and Aging Training grant recipients are also expected to discuss their present research activities. Back to top

Epid 814 Topics in Epidemiologic Analysis
Instructor: Ana Diez Roux

This course focuses on selected theoretical and methodologic issues related to the analysis of epidemiologic data with the purpose of drawing causal inference. The topics covered include long-standing fundamental issues as well as new techniques or novel epidemiologic applications of methods used in other disciplines. Some of the areas discussed include the use of directed acyclic graphs, estimation of direct and indirect effects, inverse-proportional treatment weights and marginal structural models, propensity scores and instrumental variables, interaction, dependent outcomes, ecologic and multilevel studies. The emphasis is on fundamental concepts, basic understanding, and interpretation. Applications to epidemiology generally and to the study of the social determinants of health are reviewed. Back to top

Epid 820 Multilevel studies and multilevel analysis in public health research
Instructor: Ana Diez Roux

Multilevel studies and multilevel analysis are increasingly used in the public health field. This course will discuss the rationale for multilevel studies and multilevel analysis in public health as well as differences with other study designs and other analytical approaches. Although the course will not be heavily mathematical, we will review the basics of fitting multilevel models for different types of outcomes as well as the interpretation of estimates obtained from multilevel models. We will also review and critique empirical applications in the health field. The course will conclude with a discussion of causal inference in the context of multilevel reseach questions, including the utility of directed acyclic graphs, propensity scores, and instrumental variables Special emphasis will be placed on the strengths and limitations of multilevel analysis in investigating social and group-level determinants of health. The course assumes no prior knowledge of multilevel analysis, and the focus will be on fundamentals and applications rather than on statistical detail, although knowledge of linear and logistic regression is a prerequisite. Back to top

Epid 880 The Epidemiological Links between Infection and Chronic Disease
Instructor: Allison Aiello

There are numerous methodological, sociological, and biological factors that must be considered when evaluating the epidemiological literature supporting a link between infection and chronic disease. Some of the issues that this course will explore include:

  • The role of co-factors and the influence of socioeconomic and other demographic determinants on the pathways between infection and chronic disease outcomes
  • The type of damage that may be caused by a particular organism. For example, some organisms may act in a hit-and-run manner that triggers chronic disease processes well after the window of detection of the invading organism has passed
  • The importance of latent and recurrent infections as well as immune response, since latent and recurrent infections may cause repeated damage over the lifecourse
  • The interaction between co-infections and the physiological impact of burden of infection with multiple pathogens
  • The influence of demographic shifts, timing of infection and social processes that shape the links between infection and chronic disease
    Back to top