Emory Epidemiology Courses

xperiences over the next two years. Initially, non-EIS officers were welcomed into the course and eventually a large number of public health professionals from the United States and other countries participated as visitors in the three-week course. In the early 1980s it became apparent that the course had become too large and the number of visitors taking the course infringed upon its initial objectives which were to provide training to the incoming EIS officers in both epidemiology and public health surveillance. Accordingly, two separate courses were developed in order to accommodate non-EIS officers in applied epidemiology and public health surveillance. The two week Epidemiology in Action course was developed for public health professionals from the United States. The four week International Course in Applied Epidemiology was developed for public health professionals from other countries. Initially these two courses were planned and offered solely by CDC but after several years, they determined that they could not be the sole sponsors of these courses due to increasing responsibilities in other areas. Accordingly, the Rollins School of Public Health of Emory University (RSPH) assumed the responsibilities for organizing and offering these courses in collaboration with CDC. In so far as possible, these courses are primarily held at CDC's site training facilities except for the computer sessions that are held at the Rollins School of Public Health. We utilize staff from CDC in lectures, discussions and in proctoring the applied epidemiological case study exercises conducted in the classroom. Epidemiology in Action is offered annually in the Spring and the International Course in Applied Epidemiology is offered in the Fall. The Public Health Surveillance course is based upon the 1994 textbook "Principles and Practice in Public Health Surveillance", authored by CDC staff. We are not aware of any similar course offered on a regular basis though some schools of public health, including RSPH, have academic courses that address public health surveillance issues. A training manual (Surveillance in a Suitcase) has been developed from this textbook which has been incorporated on the annual MMWR CDC CD-Rom. The Epidemiology in Action: Intermediate Analytic Methods course was developed to further the knowledge based skills of those who completed the introductory Epidemiology in Action course. This course covers more advanced levels of analytic epidemiology. This course is offered once annually in the spring, and the prerequisites are that an individual has taken either the introductory Epidemiology in Action course or a comparable course in epidemiology. The Developing Public Health Software Applications using Epi Info focuses on the utilization of Epi Info and its applications in public health. An introductory and an Intermediate to Advanced Level courses are offered annually in the Spring. Lastly, Customized Courses are often developed to meet the training goals and objectives of specific countries or agencies. These are of variable length and content (2 to 4 weeks), and are developed according to the needs and interests of the group involved. Some examples of customized courses put on in the past year include: Measles & Polio Eradication for Chinese Medical Experts, and Epidemiology and HIV/AIDS for Japanese Medical Experts. Customized courses may be held at either the RSPH site or in the group's worksite or country of origin.