Epidemiology 101. Toward an Educated Citizenry

Abstract: Epidemiology, as the core science underpinning public health, encompasses methods and concepts that are fundamental to understanding health-related information and health policy. Thus, understanding these concepts would enhance the lay public's ability to make informed decisions with respect to health and prevention, and teaching epidemiology at the undergraduate level would be consistent with the goal of creating an educated citizenry. While epidemiology has traditionally been taught largely within graduate schools, there has been experience at the undergraduate level as well. This experience has demonstrated that such courses are popular and effective. While there may be some challenges inherent to teaching Epidemiology 101 at every college and university, this is a worthy and important goal, and most challenges can be successfully overcome with creativity and effort. Perhaps the greatest barrier is instinctive resistance to this idea, since most faculty with epidemiology training received such training in graduate schools. It is up to us to cast off those preconceptions; if one explores the notion of undergraduate epidemiology teaching with an open and unbiased mind, the logic, feasibility, and importance of this effort becomes clear.