Postgraduate
Veterinary Epidemiology and Public Health
(MSc, Postgraduate Diploma and postgraduate Certificate)
Syllabus
Compulsory
core courses
Epidemiology
and animal health economics
(Course code 667 0004)
This
course will enable students to understand the role of epidemiology
and economics in the design and delivery of effective veterinary
services aimed at improved animal health and productivity. Subject
areas: introduction to statistics; introduction to veterinary
epidemiology - basic principles, descriptive epidemiology, study
design, sampling, quantitative aspects of diagnostic testing;
animal health economics - principles, partial budgets, decision
tree analysis, cost-benefit ratio, economics and project planning.
Statistical
methods in veterinary epidemiology
(Course code 667 0012)
The
objectives of this course are to introduce statistical methods
used in veterinary epidemiology to enable students to conduct
statistical modelling of epidemiological data. Subject areas:
introduction to measures of effect; analysis of cohort studies
and casecontrol studies; likelihood, multivariable analysis and
statistical modelling; simple logistic model, logistic regression,
Poisson regression and Cox regression.
Veterinary
public health
(Course code 667 0006)
The
course will examine the role of veterinarians and other related
professionals in the protection of human health through the safe
production of foods of animal origin, control of zoonotic disease
and environmental contamination. Subject areas: disease surveillance
and risk analysis; zoonoses and their control; disseminating information
on veterinary public health; quality and safety assurance in food
production (meat, milk and eggs); development of disease control
programmes.
Optional
courses
Advanced
statistical methods in veterinary epidemiology
(Course code 667 0013)
This
course will provide an introduction to advanced methods of statistical
modelling of epidemiological data. Subject areas: analysis of
spatial data; advanced aspects of multivariable regression analysis;
analysis of correlated data; meta-analysis and systematic reviews;
modelling of production data.
Economics
for livestock development and policy
[Course code 667 0011]
A newly revised course, formerly known as 'Livestock development'.
The main focus of this course will be macroeconomics and policy
for livestock development under different socio-economic conditions.
Topics will include, an overview of livestock production systems,
demand for livestock, marketing and international trade of livestock
products, and economic policy affecting the state and the market
in livestock issues.
Management of infectious viral disease
outbreaks in animal populations
[Course code 667 0017]
This course is designed to teach
both the theoretical and practical information required for the
management of a major infectious disease outbreak of farm
animals. Topics will include epidemiology of infectious viral
diseases, risk and cost-benefit analysis, surveillance,
diagnosis and vaccination strategies before and during an
outbreak, contingency planning and case studies to illustrate
how disease outbreaks could be better managed.
(Note: This course will not be available until
2007.)
Developing
and monitoring of livestock production systems
[Course code 667 0003]
A newly revised course, formerly known as 'Livestock husbandry
systems'. This course will adopt a farming systems approach to
livestock production. The evolution and classification of modern
farming systems will introduce a critical appraisal of husbandry
systems that are appropriate for different farming systems around
the world. Topics will include: introduction to farming systems;
development, monitoring and appraisal of farming systems; including
organic farming systems; genetic, environmental and welfare issues
that affect animal production in the developed and developing
countries.
Research design, management and writing
grant applications
(Course code 667 0014)
This
course will enable students to undertake a research project, with
an appropriate study design to validate a hypothesis and analyse
the data, including the presentation of results and writing a
grant application. Subject areas: introduction to scientific research
and how to formulate a hypothesis; literature search, critical
analysis of papers and writing a scientific review; experimental
and statistical design in project planning; project management;
preparing data for analysis - qualitative data, quantitative data;
statistical analysis and analysing the validity of findings; report
writing, presentation of data and writing a scientific paper;
introduction to grant application writing, planning the project
and budget; guidelines to writing a good grant proposal. (Note:
This course will not be available until 2005).
Surveillance
and investigation of animal health
(Course code 667 0015)
This
course will provide in-depth knowledge of qualitative and quantitative
risk analysis, animal health surveillance programmes and introduce
students to disease modelling. Subject areas: qualitative and
quantitative risk analysis; design and evaluation of animal health
surveillance and control programmes involving multiple herds;
farm-level animal disease and production surveillance; introduction
to database management; deterministic and stochastic modelling
of animal diseases. (Note: This course will not be available until
2005).
