Epidemiology: The Basic Science of Public Health (Coursera)

Epidemiology: The Basic Science of Public Health (Coursera)

Often called “the cornerstone” of public health, epidemiology is the study of the distribution and determinants of diseases, health conditions, or events among populations and the application of that study to control health problems. By applying the concepts learned in this course to current public health problems and issues, students will understand the practice of epidemiology as it relates to real life and makes for a better appreciation of public health programs and policies. This course explores public health issues like cardiovascular and infectious diseases – both locally and globally – through the lens of epidemiology.

Class Deals by MOOC List - Click here and see Coursera's Active Discounts, Deals, and Promo Codes.

Syllabus

WEEK 1
Course Introduction, History of Epidemiology and Epidemiology Research
This module introduces the history and field of epidemiology.

WEEK 2
Understanding Measures of Disease Frequency
This module introduces measures of disease frequency.

WEEK 3
Study Designs
This module introduces the following study designs: experimental, cohort, case control, cross-sectional, and ecologic.

WEEK 4
Measures of Association
This module introduces measures of association and confidence intervals.

WEEK 5
Causality
This module introduces causality.

WEEK 6
Course Conclusion
This module concludes the course.

Go to Class
MOOC List is learner-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Related Courses

Population Health: Syndemics (Coursera) Coursera
Leiden University

Population Health: Syndemics (Coursera)

Do you wish to contribute to breaking cycles of ill-health in disadvantaged populations? And explore co-occurrence of diseases, such as substance abuse, infectious and chronic disease, and the relation with social factors (disparities)? Are you disappointed in the poor effectiveness of interventions for combined social and medical problems? Then this syndemics course might provide you with some answers.

Sep 14th 2026
4 Weeks
Population Health: Fundamentals of Population Health Management (Coursera) Coursera
Leiden University

Population Health: Fundamentals of Population Health Management (Coursera)

What are the principles of Population Health Management as a pro-active management approach to improve health and to tackle health disparities? In this course we will discuss the basic principles of Population Health Management that will help you as (future) health care professional or policymaker to analyse current healthcare challenges and to design possible solutions using the Population Health Management Approach.

Sep 14th 2026
4 Weeks
Medical Neuroscience (Coursera) Coursera
Duke University

Medical Neuroscience (Coursera)

Medical Neuroscience explores the functional organization and neurophysiology of the human central nervous system, while providing a neurobiological framework for understanding human behavior. In this course, you will discover the organization of the neural systems in the brain and spinal cord that mediate sensation, motivate bodily action, and integrate sensorimotor signals with memory, emotion and related faculties of cognition. The overall goal of this course is to provide the foundation for understanding the impairments of sensation, action and cognition that accompany injury, disease or dysfunction in the central nervous system. The course will build upon knowledge acquired through prior studies of cell and molecular biology, general physiology and human anatomy, as we focus primarily on the central nervous system.

Sep 14th 2026
13-24 Weeks
Preventing Chronic Pain: A Human Systems Approach (Coursera) Coursera
University of Minnesota

Preventing Chronic Pain: A Human Systems Approach (Coursera)

Chronic pain is at epidemic levels and has become the highest-cost condition in health care. This course uses both creative and experiential learning to better understand chronic pain conditions and how they can be prevented through self-management in our cognitive, behavioral, physical, emotional, spiritual, social, and environmental realms.

Sep 14th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Weight Management: Beyond Balancing Calories (Coursera) Coursera
Emory University

Weight Management: Beyond Balancing Calories (Coursera)

Across the globe, more people are suffering from obesity than at any other time in our history. Why has obesity become so common and so challenging? In this course, we will look at the root cause of obesity, as explained by the latest science. We will see how our food environment has evolved over the last half-century, and how it is altering our biology to over-consume calories and resist sustained weight loss.

Sep 14th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Case Studies in Personalized Medicine (Coursera) Coursera
Vanderbilt University

Case Studies in Personalized Medicine (Coursera)

Learn how advances in biomedicine hold the potential to revolutionize drug development, drug treatments, and disease prevention: where are we now, and what does the future hold? This course will present short primers in genetics and mechanisms underlying variability in drug responses. A series of case studies will be used to illustrate principles of how genetics are being brought to bear on refining diagnoses and on personalizing treatment in rare and common diseases. The ethical and operational issues around how to implement large scale genomic sequencing in clinical practice will be addressed.

Sep 14th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Training and Learning Programs for Volunteer Community Health Workers (Coursera) Coursera
Johns Hopkins University

Training and Learning Programs for Volunteer Community Health Workers (Coursera)

Volunteer community health workers (CHWs) are a major strategy for increasing access to and coverage of basic health interventions. Our village health worker training course reviews the process of training and continuing education of CHWs as an important component of involving communities in their own health service delivery. Participants will be guided through the steps of planning training and continuing education activities for village volunteers. The course draws on real-life examples from community-directed onchocerciasis control, village health worker programs, community case management efforts, peer educators programs and patent medicine vendor training programs, to name a few.

Sep 14th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Psychology of Popularity (Coursera) Coursera
University of North Carolina

Psychology of Popularity (Coursera)

The level of popularity you experienced in childhood and adolescence is still affecting you today in ways that you may not even realize. Learn about how psychologists study popularity and how these same concepts can be used in adulthood to be more successful at work, become better parents, and have a happier life.

Sep 14th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Career 911: Your Future Job in Medicine and Healthcare (Coursera) Coursera
Northwestern University

Career 911: Your Future Job in Medicine and Healthcare (Coursera)

This course aims to help high school students, recent graduates, and those considering career transitions explore health care career options and learn strategies for entry into the health care workforce and health related fields. There are lots of amazing job opportunities in medicine and healthcare! Join us, as we share the strategies and secrets for getting those jobs.

Sep 14th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Life, Health and Radiation (Coursera) Coursera
The University of Sydney

Life, Health and Radiation (Coursera)

Radiation is all around us - without it we wouldn’t exist. Yet the word has become synonymous with danger, death and disaster. This MOOC will allow the world to see radiation in a new light, to expose its benefits as well as its risks. X-ray radiation, for example, is a scientific and medical discovery that has improved or prolonged billions of lives. Most of us have had an X-ray at some point in our life, at the Dentist, in a hospital or clinic. Yet few people really understand what X-rays are or where they come from.

Sep 14th 2026
5-12 Weeks
The Social Context of Mental Health and Illness (Coursera) Coursera
University of Toronto

The Social Context of Mental Health and Illness (Coursera)

Learn how social factors promote mental health, influence the onset and course of mental illness, and affect how mental illnesses are diagnosed and treated. This course explores how our understanding of mental health and illness has been influenced by social attitudes and social developments in North America and around the world. The course begins by situating our contemporary mental health practices in historical context, then looks at different aspects of mental health, mental illness and mental health services and their connections to what’s going on in our social environment.

Sep 14th 2026
5-12 Weeks
eHealth: More than just an electronic record (Coursera) Coursera
The University of Sydney

eHealth: More than just an electronic record (Coursera)

The MOOC, "eHealth: More than just an electronic record!", is multidisciplinary in nature, and aims to equip the global audience of health clinicians, students, managers, administrators, and researchers to reflect on the overall impact of eHealth on the integration of care. It explores the breadth of technology application, current and emerging trends, and showcases both local and international eHealth practice and research.

Sep 14th 2026
5-12 Weeks