本课程是一门从群体水平研究疾病和健康的科学。随着流行病学研究方法的不断发展和完善，流行病学已广泛应用于医学各个领域，逐渐成为医学的一门基础学科。同时，它也是一门应用学科，不仅在传染病的防治策略和措施的制定与实施方面起着重要的作用，而且对病因不明的慢性病，如恶性肿瘤、心脑血管疾病等的病因研究与防治起着独特的作用。通过本课程的学习，使学员初步掌握流行病学的基本概念、基本知识和基本理论；培养和树立流行病学研究思维；初步具备利用流行病学研究方法和技术针对疾病和健康进行调查研究的能力；具备分析、解释流行病学及其它相关学科数据资料的能力；具备利用流行病学资料制定疾病防治策略和措施的能力。该课程主要由三大部分内容组成：第一部分：介绍流行病学的基本概念,以及其与其它学科的关系；并介绍其发展史。目的：理解流行病学的基本概念，了解流行病学简史、流行病学的应用以及流行病学与其他学科的关系。第二部分：介绍流行病学研究的主要原理，这部分和以下的第三部分穿插讲解，主要包括疾病的分布，疾病防治的原则和策略等。目的：理解流行病学的基本原理，重点掌握描述疾病分布的指标，熟悉预防疾病的策略与措施，掌握疾病的三级预防、疾病监测等。第三部分：介绍流行病学主要研究方法：观察法、实验法和数理法，介绍每一种研究方法的基本原理和设计实施方法，各自的优缺点和实际应用的实例。目的：掌握上述各种流行病学研究方法的定义、特点和应用、数据资料的整理和分析；熟悉各种方法优缺点与局限性；了解应用实例并能对具体的课题运用合适的分析方法进行分析并能掌握描述性研究中的筛检试验的评价指标和效果指标。流行病学是现代医学领域的一门十分重要的基础学科，它不但研究具体的防病策略和措施，而且能为其他群体医学研究提供重要的方法。该课程教学过程中，在加强理论教学的同时，注重加强学生从群体方面去认识疾病和健康的关系，重视疾病预防在整个医疗体系中的重要性，同时引导学生把流行病学知识与其他学科知识相联系，真正达到学习流行病学的目的，并能做到学以致用。

Epidemiology is a science to study health and disease at the population level. Along with the continuous development and improvement of the research methods, Epidemiology has gradually become a basic and applied science in Medicine. The aims of the course are to learn and understand the basic principles, concepts, study methods of Epidemiology, to think in an epidemiological point of view, to obtain the basic ability to conduct epidemiological survey in research and make effective strategies for prevention and control of disease.Three main sections in the course:1.Basic concepts of Epidemiology, and its relationship with the other disciplines in Medicine, as well as its brief history of development.2.Basic principles of Epidemiology, including the distribution of disease and strategies for disease control and prevention.3.Methods of Epidemiology, like descriptive methods, cohort study, case-control study, experimental and theoretical analysis, etc. Basic principles in design of a medical research, as well as the advances and weaknesses of each method will be described.The focus of Epidemiology is the distribution and determinants of disease frequency in a population, which is different from clinical medicine. Following the rapid development of economy in China and in the whole world and great improvement of medical science, prevention of disease and promotion of health in the population becomes more and more important. In addition to learn basic theory of Epidemiology in the course, students will learn how to use the knowledge of Epidemiology in their future work and how to link the knowledge of Epidemiology with that from the other disciplines in Medicine.