Office of Public Health Practice

Applied Research
Education
Lifelong Learning

Residency Program in General Preventive Medicine and Public Health

General Epidemiology Track

Epidemiology is the study of the distribution and determinants of disease frequency. The field aims to identify factors which promote health and reduce the burden of disease in human populations. Residents electing this track must be admitted into the University of Michigan School of Public Health Department of Epidemiology.

Academic Year

The academic year consists of three terms and begins on September 1. Residents enroll in a 42 credit hour program that results in a Master of Public Health degree. The course curriculum is as follows:

First Term (Fall): 19 credits: Biostat 553— Applied Biostatistics; Epid 677: Epidemiology of Aging; EHS 550—Industrial Hygiene; Choose one of the following:; HBHE 620: Behavioral Research Methods in Public Health; HBHE 627: Chronic Illness Interventions: Infancy to Young Adulthood; HMP 640: Program Evaluation in Public Health; Epid Elective: Choose one of the following Epid courses:; Epid 511: Introduction to Public Health Genetics; Epid 514: Social Epidemiology; Epid 600: Introduction to Epidemiology (recommended)
Second Term (Winter): 17 credits: Biostat 523: Biostatistical Analysis for Health-Related Studies; Biostat 510: Statistical Computer Program Packages; Epid 601: Principles and Methods of Epidemiology; Epid 607: Applied Epidemiology for Public Health Practice; Epid 650: Principles and Practice of Preventive Medicine; Epid 655: Field Studies in Epidemiology
Third Term (Summer): 6 credits: Epid 742: Introduction to Logistic and Poisson Models; Epid 743: Applied Linear Regression; Choose one of the following:; Epid 718: Analysis of Clinical Trials; Epid 766: Analysis for Longitudinal Data from Epidemiologic Studies; Epid 784: Survival Analysis Applied to Epidemiologic and Medical Data; Three elective credits may be selected.

Practicum Year

The practicum year is administered by the School of Public Health but involves field placement in a wide variety of settings. The practicum experience relies heavily on public health practitioners to facilitate appropriate field experiences. Residents also rotate through more clinically oriented venues, such as Henry Ford Hospital and University of Michigan Affiliated Hospitals.

Each resident must fulfill thirteen months of practicum assignments. At least three months are required at each of the three "core" practicum rotations:

State health department rotation—Michigan Department of Community Health
Local public health rotation—Washtenaw County Public Health, Ingham County Health Department, Oakland County Health Division, or Detroit Department of Health and Wellness Promotion.
Health system rotation—Henry Ford Health System or Allegiance Health.

Four additional months must be elected at any of these "core" sites, at an elective site, such as Michigan Public Health Institute or CDC Quarantine Station, or at another site such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American College of Preventive Medicine, the Association of Teachers of Preventive Medicine or other federal sites agreed upon in consultation with the program director. Residents are strongly encouraged to apply for an elective rotation with the CDC, ACPM, or other organization approved by the program director.