Postgraduate Course: Introduction to Environmental and Occupational Epidemiology (PUHR11066)

Course Outline
School	Edinburgh Medical School	College	College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine
Credit level (Normal year taken)	SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate)
Course type	Online Distance Learning	Availability	Not available to visiting students
SCQF Credits	10	ECTS Credits	5
Summary	This course will equip students with the knowledge and critical skills to evaluate epidemiological evidence about environmental and occupational exposures and risks to health in order to make judgements about risks in their own contexts. The teaching material comprises lectures, case-studies, activities and readings.
Course description	The teaching material comprises lectures, case-studies, investigations and readings. The first ten topics will be addressed in lectures and supplemental written material. 1. The environment and health 2. Exposure and the exposome: definition and measurement 3. Introduction to toxicology 4. Occupational and environmental epidemiology 5. Risk communication 6. Spatial epidemiology 7. Interventions to reduce risks to health from environmental exposures 8. Health impact assessment and public health policy 9. Heat stress and the impact of heat waves 10. Air pollution epidemiology The remaining topics will be addressed through written material, directed reading, discussions and student investigations. 11. Occupational inequalities in COVID-19 infection and mortality 12. Sun exposure and health 13. Volcanic activity and health 14. Occupational and environmental cancer, including mobile phones and brain cancer 15. Atmospheric emissions and environmental dispersal 16. Climate change and its effects on health 17. Citizen science and environmental epidemiology 18. The effects of exposure to pesticides, including residues from diet 19. Sustainable cities

Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites		Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations		Other requirements	None

Course Delivery Information

Academic year 2025/26, Not available to visiting students (SS1)		Quota: None
Course Start	Flexible
Course Start Date	04/08/2025
Timetable	Timetable
Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info)	Total Hours: 100 ( Lecture Hours 5, Seminar/Tutorial Hours 1, Online Activities 35, Feedback/Feedforward Hours 5, Formative Assessment Hours 5, Revision Session Hours 1, Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 2, Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours 46 )
Assessment (Further Info)	Written Exam 0 %, Coursework 100 %, Practical Exam 0 %
Feedback	Marks and individual feedback will be returned to student via Grademark.
No Exam Information

Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to: Demonstrate an understanding of the impact of environmental and occupational factors in influencing health and how these issues are identified and characterised Obtain and critically evaluate evidence of hazards, exposures and risks Critically appraise the implementation of epidemiological studies in this context Demonstrate a critical awareness of how evidence leads to recommendations in policy and practice Communicate about hazards and risks, using appropriate methods, with a range of stakeholders