Title:	Epidemiology & Control of Infectious Diseases in Outbreak Settings (EPICID)
Keywords:	Statistics Outbreaks Epidemiology Disease prevention, control and elimination Communicable diseases
Country:	Germany
Institution:	Germany - Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine (BNITM)
Course coordinator:	Dr Dewi Ismajani Puradiredja
Date start:	2025-11-10
Date end:	2025-11-28
About duration and dates:	The course covers a period of 3 weeks, in which students engage full-time in face-to-face teaching and learning activities, including lectures (40 hours), and individual and group-based practical sessions (34 hours), a written exam (1.5 hours) and a simulated outbreak investigation (14 hours)
Classification:	advanced optional
Mode of delivery:	Face to face
Course location: Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine (BNITM) Bernhard-Nocht-Str. 74 20359 Hamburg Tel: +49 40 42818 243 Email: shortcourse@bnitm.de Website: www.bnitm.de tropEd representative: Dewi Ismajani Puradiredja Email: puradiredja@bnitm.de
ECTS credit points:	3.5 ECTS credits
SIT: 106.5 SIT (incl. 76 hours contact time + 14 hours group-based simulated outbreak investigation + 1.5 hours individual assessed assignment + 15 hours self-study)
Language:	English
Description: By the end of this module, students should be able to: i. Explain the key concepts underpinning infectious disease epidemiology, and the epidemiological principles in outbreak investigations ii. Discuss current issues in infectious diseases and their control, including hemorrhagic fever viruses, vaccines and vaccination strategies, surveillance iii. Design questionnaires and manage data using ‘RedCap’ iv. Conduct descriptive statistics, measures of frequency and measures of association using R v. Discuss field operational issues, including laboratory services and diagnostics in the field, and personal protective equipment vi. Design, carry out, analyse, interpret and report an outbreak investigation as part of interdisciplinary teams
Focus or specific features: The course always takes place in November and covers a period of 3 weeks, in which students engage full-time in face-to-face activities, including lectures (40 hours), and individual- and group-based practical sessions (34 hours), self-study (15 hours), a written exam (1.5 hours), and a simulated outbreak investigation (14 hours). In the week prior to the course start a 2 hours synchronous online pre-course session is offered to onboard students and to set them up for the R sessions (2 hours). Assignments are to be submitted during the course.
Assessment Procedures: Towards the end of course week 3 the students will have to complete: i. Individual assignment: 1.5 hours written exam, involving multiple choice questions as well as equation-based calculations, and open questions (80%) in order to assess LOs i), ii), and v) ii. Group assignment: oral presentation of group-based outbreak investigation (20%) In order to assess LOs iii), iv), and vi) A failing grade in one of the two assignments is allowed as long as the total mark for the module is 60% or better. A fail in the individual exam can be re-sit the day after the course has ended. Alternatively, a report (1500 words) based on the simulated outbreak investigation can be submitted within one week after the course has ended. The individual assignment can be resit only once; in case of a successful resit or resubmission participants will get the pass mark (60%)
Content: The module includes sections addressing the following topics: Section 1 Principles of Infectious Disease Epidemiology & Outbreak Investigations The first section provides an overview of the key concepts of infectious disease epidemiology and provides epidemiological methods applicable to the investigation of outbreaks (e.g., appropriate measures of frequency, measures of association, and study designs) Section 2 Data collection, management and analysis for outbreak investigations This section deals with questionnaire design and interviewing, outbreak investigation data collection and management using REDCap, and data analysis using R Section 3 Field operations This section covers field operations within the context of outbreak investigations. Topics range from outbreak investigations in practice, diagnostics in the field, personal protective equipment, and mobile and BSL4 laboratories. Section 4: Current issues in infectious diseases and their control This section has a focus on a selection of infectious diseases/pathogens, such as haemorrhagic fever viruses, neglected tropical diseases, and Measles, as well issues such as surveillance and epidemic intelligence, and the role of vaccines and vaccination initiatives. Cross-cutting topics include: Interdisciplinary collaboration within and between the biomedical and social sciences, including the role of social anthropology in the epidemiological outbreak investigations.
Methods: Teaching and learning methods include lectures (40 hours), individual- and group-based practical sessions (34 hours), including case study table top exercises, REDCap and R practical sessions, interactive mobile lab and personal protective equipment session, as well as a written exam (1.5 hours), and a simulated outbreak investigation (14 hours).
Prerequisites: Basic training in epidemiology and statistics is required. General computer skills are necessary in order to be able to work with software packages REDCap and R. The course is intensive and a strong command of the English language is essential. tropEd and other students who would like to take the course as part of their degree should demonstrate an English language proficiency equivalent to TOEFL test 550 or 213 computer-based or 79/80 internet-based or IELTS band 6.0, unless they are native speakers or they can provide written proof of having completed higher education in English.
Attendance: 21 (max. 15 tropEd students)
Selection: EPICID strives to have a diverse student group. Selection criteria include: - Time of submission of application - Motivational statement - Previous professional and academic experience - Country of origin (low, middle or high income country) - tropEd student status
Fees: General admission: 1650 € (1350 € if participants register within 2 weeks of acceptance notification) tropEd student and applicants from low- and middle-income countries: 1200 € (900 € if participants register within 2 weeks of acceptance notification). tropEd student and applicants from low- and middle-income countries: 1200 € (900 € if participants register within 2 weeks of acceptance notification).
Scholarships: Participants from low- and middle income countries can apply for travel grants. For more details and the application form, please contact: shortcourse@bnitm.de
Major changes since initial accreditation: Since the last accreditation we implemented the following major changes: ▪ The content has become even more applied with a sharper focus on those aspects relevant to field epidemiology and outbreak investigations in practice. ▪ Following the principles of the “flipped classroom”, the number of lectures were reduced but the hours of preparatory self-study increased. ▪ To optimise the challenging R sessions we have begun to collaborate with the not for profit organisation Applied Epi who specialises in teaching R to front liners in field epidemiology. We also introduced a pre-course online on-boarding session where we make sure that all participants have installed R and R Studio correctly as well as have all relevant R packages prior to starting the course. ▪ In response to student feedback we have allotted more time for the simulated outbreak investigation.
Student evaluation: Students are asked to submit daily online evaluations for every single session. They are asked to judge both content and educational approach on a scale from 1 to 5 (1=poor, 5=excellent). In addition, they have the option to provide free text feedback. They are also asked to provide feedback for the course overall. The course has been rated consistently high (on average 4.8 out of 5). Participants appreciated that it is applied, interdisciplinary, and highly interactive. They also particularly liked the R and REDCap sessions. One of the most frequent feedback we have received was that the course covers a lot of ground, and that participants wished the course would be longer. Students also raised that during the outbreak simulation group work some contributed more than others. We have since introduced marks for the degree of active participation in the group assignments. Example of most recent feedback: Participant (2023): “This is THE BEST course I have ever taken. Amazing teachers, amazing content, fascinating case studies, super useful R course, a fair exam, and a real brain tickler of an outbreak investigation”
Lessons learned: ▪ Focus content – “less is more” ▪ Participatory & interdisciplinary approaches are well suited to prepare participants for outbreak investigations in practice ▪ Flipped classroom concept works well to cover the basics outside precious classroom time ▪ Collaborate with external experts on specialised topics to improve quality and effectiveness of teaching and learning
tropEd accreditation: First accredited at Online tropEd GA (“Hamburg”), June 2020. Re-accredited in Edinburgh, Sept. 2024. This accreditation is valid until September 2029.
Remarks: Students will have access to the BNITM virtual learning environment (Moodle). The Moodle-based EPICID course room will be the main means of communication with the group and for sharing key course-related information and training materials, such as lecture handouts, practice data sets, and R-Scripts. Recommended readings include: Basic epidemiology / R. Bonita, R. Beaglehole, T. Kjellström. 2nd edition. World Health Organization. The Epidemiologist R Handbook: https://www.epirhandbook.com Heymann, DL (Ed.). Control of Communicable Diseases in Man (19th Edition). American Public Health Association 2008 ISBN 087553189X
Email Address:	shortcourse@bnitm.de
Date Of Record Creation:	2020-09-21 05:22:50 (W3C-DTF)
Date Of Record Release:	2020-09-21 10:35:41 (W3C-DTF)
Date Record Checked:	2020-09-21 (W3C-DTF)
Date Last Modified:	2024-11-13 10:09:35 (W3C-DTF)