Professional epidemiologists are often called on to investigate outbreaks and epidemics. This course serves as an introduction to the essentials of investigation, identifying pathogens, figuring out what's going on, reporting, and responding. You'll learn how to ask precise epidemiologic questions and apply epidemiologic tools to uncover the answers. You'll also learn about basic epidemic dynamics and the terrible law that cause them to grow, as well as the reasons why they recede and eventually go away. The course concludes with deep dives into some real outbreaks from Ebola, in West Africa, to the opioid epidemic in the United States.
Give your career the gift of Coursera Plus with $160 off, billed annually. Save today.
Outbreaks and Epidemics
This course is part of Epidemiology in Public Health Practice Specialization
Instructor: Justin Lessler, PhD, MS
15,689 already enrolled
Included with
(729 reviews)
What you'll learn
Apply methods to weigh evidence and calculate measures
Discuss outbreaks and the key epidemiologic tools used during investigation
Apply basic epidemic dynamics to the analysis of outbreaks
Skills you'll gain
Details to know
Add to your LinkedIn profile
4 assignments
See how employees at top companies are mastering in-demand skills
Build your subject-matter expertise
- Learn new concepts from industry experts
- Gain a foundational understanding of a subject or tool
- Develop job-relevant skills with hands-on projects
- Earn a shareable career certificate
Earn a career certificate
Add this credential to your LinkedIn profile, resume, or CV
Share it on social media and in your performance review
There are 4 modules in this course
In this module we're going to be talking about outbreaks. All the way through identifying the pathogens and figuring out what's going on to reporting and responding to the outbreak. In doing so we're going to learn several important epidemiological concepts.
What's included
8 videos1 reading1 assignment
In this module, we'll be learning about how to ask precise epidemiologic questions and how to investigate these using important tools.
What's included
6 videos1 assignment
In this module, we'll be talking about basic epidemic dynamics and the terrible law that causes epidemics to grow, and the reasons why epidemics recede and eventually go away
What's included
6 videos1 reading1 assignment
In this module, we're going to take a deep dive in some outbreaks from Ebola, in West Africa, to the opioid epidemic in the United States.
What's included
4 videos1 assignment
Instructor
Offered by
Recommended if you're interested in Public Health
The University of Hong Kong
The Pennsylvania State University
Johns Hopkins University
Dartmouth College
Why people choose Coursera for their career
Learner reviews
Showing 3 of 729
729 reviews
- 5 stars
81.61%
- 4 stars
15.36%
- 3 stars
2.46%
- 2 stars
0.27%
- 1 star
0.27%
New to Public Health? Start here.
Open new doors with Coursera Plus
Unlimited access to 7,000+ world-class courses, hands-on projects, and job-ready certificate programs - all included in your subscription
Advance your career with an online degree
Earn a degree from world-class universities - 100% online
Join over 3,400 global companies that choose Coursera for Business
Upskill your employees to excel in the digital economy
Frequently asked questions
Access to lectures and assignments depends on your type of enrollment. If you take a course in audit mode, you will be able to see most course materials for free. To access graded assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience, during or after your audit. If you don't see the audit option:
The course may not offer an audit option. You can try a Free Trial instead, or apply for Financial Aid.
The course may offer 'Full Course, No Certificate' instead. This option lets you see all course materials, submit required assessments, and get a final grade. This also means that you will not be able to purchase a Certificate experience.
When you enroll in the course, you get access to all of the courses in the Specialization, and you earn a certificate when you complete the work. Your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile. If you only want to read and view the course content, you can audit the course for free.
If you subscribed, you get a 7-day free trial during which you can cancel at no penalty. After that, we don’t give refunds, but you can cancel your subscription at any time. See our full refund policy.