BMD3022 : Patterns and Determinants of Disease in Human Populations (Inactive)
- Inactive for Year: 2025/26
- Module Leader(s): Dr Richard McNally
- Co-Module Leader: Dr Andrew Kingston
- Owning School: Biomedical, Nutritional and Sports Scien
- Teaching Location: Newcastle City Campus
Semesters
Your programme is made up of credits, the total differs on programme to programme.
| Semester 1 Credit Value: | 20 |
| ECTS Credits: | 10.0 |
| European Credit Transfer System | |
Aims
The aim of the module is to provide a broad-based introduction to the study of epidemiology and to illustrate the underpinning methodologies with selected examples focused on specific diseases and public health issues ;
1) To provide an understanding of the purpose and use of epidemiology illustrated by using specific examples related to Newcastle University’s area of expertise
2) To provide an understanding of the different types of epidemiological study design and to illustrate this with specific examples
3) To provide an understanding of the limitations of epidemiological studies and to illustrate with specific examples
4) To provide an understanding of the epidemiology and aetiology of specific diseases including infectious and chronic diseases
Outline Of Syllabus
The following will be covered;
Effective study design including bias and confounding factors
Health Information
Ethics, confidentiality, governance
Exposure
Genetic, molecular, life course, perinatal and exercise epidemiology
Chronic disease epidemiology (cancer, diabetes/obesity, old age)
Infection distributions
Health inequalities
Teaching Methods
Teaching Activities
| Category | Activity | Number | Length | Student Hours | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Lecture | 20 | 1:00 | 20:00 | Lectures |
| Guided Independent Study | Assessment preparation and completion | 1 | 40:00 | 40:00 | The assessment preparation and revision for the assessments |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Small group teaching | 7 | 1:00 | 7:00 | Seminars |
| Guided Independent Study | Reflective learning activity | 1 | 40:00 | 40:00 | Writing and reflection on lecture materials. Non-synchronous online. |
| Guided Independent Study | Reflective learning activity | 1 | 93:00 | 93:00 | Reading and updating on subject using references from lecturers, RECAP and other sources |
| Total | 200:00 |
Teaching Rationale And Relationship
Lectures and seminar material will provide the knowledge base. Most will integrate information researchers have gathered from epidemiological studies and other relevant sources.
Students will have an opportunity to consider and discuss real research topics and disease examples in the seminars.
Lectures and lecture materials should stimulate the students to reflect and do further reading and the seminars are aimed to stimulate the students to reflect and critically consider research findings and their relation to the understanding of the epidemiology and aetiology of human disease.
Assessment Methods
The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners
Exams
| Description | Length | Semester | When Set | Percentage | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Written Examination | 120 | 2 | A | 60 | Invigilated exam (closed book). 2 essay questions to be answered from a choice of 4. |
Other Assessment
| Description | Semester | When Set | Percentage | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Written exercise | 1 | M | 40 | Invigilated paper interpretation exercise (1 hour). |
Assessment Rationale And Relationship
The final exam provides evidence of knowledge and understanding of the topics. The paper interpretation exercise assesses the analytical and research skills of the students as well as developing their written communication skills which helps students critically evaluate primary research papers.
Reading Lists
Timetable
- Timetable Website: www.ncl.ac.uk/timetable/
- BMD3022's Timetable