Environmental Epidemiology

Dates & fees for 2011 will be posted here as soon as they are confirmed. Please check periodically for updates.

Course outline

Course objectives:

• To summarise the key concepts in environmental epidemiology;
• To explore the key concepts in exposure assessment and cluster investigation;
• To examine the scope and uses of environmental epidemiology in local agency response to public health and health protection issues;
• To explore study design and practical consequences of choices made when planning and undertaking an environmental epidemiological study. This will include an appreciation of the influence of finance, politics and time constraints on the choice of study;
• To review the advantages and difficulties of multi-disciplinary and multi agency working in environmental epidemiology;
• To use strategies for communicating risks concerning investigation of environmental hazards.

The course will run for 5 days. The main body of the course will be an in-depth case study over six half days (afternoons of the first 4 days and all day on Friday), illustrating a multitude of methodological and practical issues. In addition, the morning of the first day will provide an introduction to environmental epidemiology and environmental health at community level, and the mornings of Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday would be respectively on environmental measurements for epidemiology, exposure assessment, and health measurement in environmental epidemiology.

Teaching will be through lectures, discussions, role plays and interactive computer sessions. A CD-ROM will be used to work through a case study that addresses a land contamination problem and illustrates the uses of environmental epidemiology. Students will be placed in the position of a public health officer recently employed by a public health unit. The case study has been developed by Irene Kreis over many years of teaching this subject in the Netherlands and Australia, it will be divided into four stages:

Stage 1 (Orientation to the problem): The first stage of the case-study covers orientation to the problem using both qualitative and quantitative material. The available information comprises interviews with health and environment experts such as University Professors, and stake-holders including politicians, a factory owner and residents.

Stage 2 (Further investigation): The second stage of the case-study requires the students to divide their attention between the environmental component and the health effects component of the case study. They are presented with limited funds and have to plan a budget for data collection appropriate for the investigation of both aspects of the problem.

Stage 3 (Planning a study): The third stage requires the students to design an epidemiological study of health effects from the environmental contamination. The type of questions the study can address may vary widely.

Stage 4 (Analysing and presenting the results of a study): In stage four, the students are required to analyse the database created at the end of stage three and interpret their findings appropriately. There will be an opportunity to discuss options for presentation of results and approaches to risk communication.

The course is jointly organised with the following institutions:  (i) The Health Protection Agency (HPA) - a national organisation for England and Wales dedicated to protecting people's health and reducing the impact of infectious diseases, chemical hazards, poisons and radiation hazards. The Chemical Hazards & Poisons Division is developing a national programme for the surveillance of chemical hazards and their health effects, and national poisons information databases, and a database of laboratories; (ii) The Department of Environmental Science and Technology at Imperial College - this department produces the highest quality research, teaching and advice on environmental matters, and human exposure assessment is one of their areas of work; (iii) King's College London -one of the two oldest and largest colleges of the University of London, they have a long track record in teaching Environmental Health.

Who Should Apply

This course is designed for those working in public health, health protection or environmental health and who have an interest in or experience of environmental epidemiology and would like to improve their skills.

Accreditation

Methods of assessment

There is no formal assessment but at the conclusion of the course, a certificate of attendance will be provided.

Please return a completed Application Form along with an equal opportunities form to:

Registry, LSHTM, 50 Bedford Square, London WC1B 3DP, UK, Tel: +44 (0)20 7299 4648

Alternatively, by fax:

Fax: +44 (0)20 7323 0638

Or email: shortcourses@lshtm.ac.uk

The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine is committed to improve global health through its programme of short and full-time postgraduate study.