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Certificate Programs

Epidemiology for Public Health Professionals Certificate Program

Sponsored By: Department of Epidemiology

Onsite | Part-Time | 1-3 years

About the Epidemiology for Public Health Professionals Certificate Program

The timely detection, investigation, control, and prevention of outbreaks and major long-term public health problems require a well-trained and competent epidemiology workforce as a key component of a national public health infrastructure. The Epidemiology Workforce in State and Local Health Departments - United States, 2010 Weekly March 30, 2012/61(12);205-208

Epidemiology is an integral component of public health practice. The discipline aims to provide the basis to prevent disease and to promote the health of populations through the study of the occurrence and distribution of health-related states or events, including the study of determinants influencing such states. Professional epidemiologic methods, defined as the application of epidemiologic methods to public health practice, entail the combination of analytical methods and applied epidemiology oriented to problem solving in public health. The principal areas of professional epidemiology include epidemiologic assessment of public health data, health situation and trend analyses, public health surveillance and health program impact assessment. These areas are closely linked to the essential public health function and services. This certificate program is intended to provide the concepts, methods and tools needed for the assessment of health situations and trends of population groups.

Educational Objectives

Upon completion of the core courses in this certificate program, individuals will have gained specialized knowledge and skills on the application of epidemiologic concepts and methods to public health problems, as follows:

  • Understand the place of epidemiology in public health, specifically how epidemiology is used to identify causes of disease, identify populations at high risk for disease, develop preventative methods and evaluate public health strategies.
  • Calculate and interpret basic epidemiologic measures of disease frequency, identify sources of data for measuring health outcomes, and identify key aspects of measurement problems,
  • Identify distinguishing features of fundamental study designs, including randomized trials, cohort and case-control studies, birth cohort and ecologic studies, and pre-post and quasi-experimental studies. Students will be able to describe strengths and limitations of the different study designs, and key sources of confounding and bias in epidemiological studies and
  • Interpret and make inferences from results of epidemiologic studies.

With regard to the usual functions of public health agencies, students will be able to:

  1. Identify the Problem Solving Framework for measuring the severity of priority health problems,
  2. Recognize the role of routine and public health information systems in epidemiologic assessments,
  3. Identify tools and measurements used to monitor the quality of performance of public health information systems,
  4. Identify the main indicators for measuring the burden of diseases at global, national and local levels
  5. Design health situation analyses: epidemiological profiles and community health status assessments,
  6. Interpret measures of health burden, association and effectiveness,
  7. Describe the framework of the public health surveillance cycle and sources of information,
  8. Design, implement and evaluate disease surveillance systems,
  9. Communicate epidemiological information and synthesis to policy makers, professionals, and lay audiences.

Curriculum for the Epidemiology for Public Health Professionals Certificate Program

Please visit our Academic Catalogue to see the full certificate curriculum requirements. Please also review the certificate completion requirements.

Admissions Requirements

The certificate program is open to Bloomberg School students, graduate students in other divisions of Johns Hopkins University, and non-students.

The certificate program can be completed entirely with a combination of online and on-campus courses.

Degree Students

The certificate program is designed for master's and doctoral students enrolled at the Bloomberg School of Public Health and in other university divisions, including the Schools of Medicine and Nursing and the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences. BSPH MAS students are not eligible to apply until they have completed their primary degree program.

Applying to the certificate program as a JHU graduate student

Applicants who are already enrolled in graduate programs at JHU must submit a short letter of interest and CV/resumé to the Certificate Program Contact, and complete a Declaration of Intent form prior to starting coursework. 

Eligible Start Terms:

Summer Institute, 1st, 2nd, Winter Institute, 3rd, and 4th

Email Certificate Program Contact

Non-Degree Students

The certificate program is also designed for junior and mid-level public health professionals interested in expanding their knowledge of epidemiologic methods as related to public health issues and their ability to address public health problems. Students with at least a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university and a strong academic record are eligible for admission to this certificate program.

Eligible Start Terms:

Summer Institute, 1st, and Winter Institute

Applying to the certificate program as a non-degree applicant

Students who are not currently enrolled in a graduate program at JHU are required to apply to certificate programs using SOPHAS Express

Prerequisites or special requirements 

None

Application for Non-Degree Students

 

Tuition

Information regarding the cost of tuition and fees can be found on the Bloomberg School's Certificate Programs Tuition page.


Financial Aid Eligibility: U.S. citizens and U.S. permanent residents enrolled in this certificate program may be eligible to apply for Title IV financial aid. Please contact the JHU Office of Student Enrollment and Account Management (SEAM) for more information.

Contact Us

Questions about the program? We're happy to help.

Certificate Program Contact
Sheila Small, Department of Epidemiology
ssmall2@jhu.edu

Faculty Sponsor
Carlos Castillo Salgado, MD, DrPH, JD

Faculty Co-Sponsor
Moyses Szklo, MD, MPH, DrPH