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I. Purpose
The purpose of this track is to prepare health care professionals who wish to pursue careers in infectious disease research or evaluation, particularly focusing in on STDs or HIV.
II. Admission Requirements
The admission requirements are the same as for the general Epidemiology program (e.g. a baccalaureate degree with an overall grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale and a combined verbal and quantitative GRE score of 1050 or greater with strong quantit ative abilities.
III. Graduation Requirements
A minimum of 36 credits for professionals and 45 credits for pre-professionals IV. Expected Categories of Terminal Knowledge and Skills Provided by Program
Particular skills provided by the program will be:
V. Model Course Schedule
Common Program Requirements
EPI Core
Credits
BIOS 603 Introductory Biostatistics 3
BIOS 620 Microcomputer Applications in Health Sciences* 2
BIOS 621 Computer Applications for Statistical Analysis* 2
EPID 603 Epidemiologic Methods I 3
*can be wavied with proof of computer skills
EPID 626 Survey Methods 3
EPID 712 Epidemiologic Methods II 3
Choose at least one
EPID 714 Field Epidemiology (preferred) 3
EPID 798 Practicum 0-3
EPID 720 Community Surveillance 3
MPH Core
ENHS 601 or 603 or 604 or 654 2
HSMG 603 or 615 2
AHSC 601 or HSMG 635 or INHL 625 2
Required Courses
EPID 721 Epidemiology of AIDS 2
EPID 722 Epidemiology of AIDS - Application 1
EPID 611 Epidemiology of Sexually transmitted Diseases 2
TRMD 617 Immunology 3
BIOS 725 Principles of Sampling 3
BIOS 715 Categorical Data 3
BIOS 606 Regression Analysis 3
Choose one:
BIOS 740 Clinical Trials 3
BIOS 730 Statistical methods for survival data analysis 3
Suggested Electives:
EPID 723 Methodology issues of Sensitive Data 3
INHL 639 Public Health Communication and AIDS 3
INHL 644 Design and Evaluation of HIV/AIDS Programs 2
EPID 640 Ethics, Epidemiology and Public Health Research 3
BIOS 760 Advanced Evaluation 3
VI.
According to Healthy People 2000, resources for STD control (other than HIV) is expected to remain constant, while more resources will be allocated for HIV because of increased numbers of cases, deaths, and health care costs.
Employment opportunities range from working as an epidemiologist in the field of clinical trials to behavioral research to community intervention evaluation. Essentially every State health department in the United States and every country worldwide has a
division for STD/HIV control.
VII.
Public Health has many disciplines and therefore focusing on a particular area of expertise will help students to better refine skills and therefore prepare them for future employment. Drs. Clark and Kissinger are in a unique position to offer practical experience to students for further development of epidemiologic skills. They are both faculty in the Department of Medicine - Division of Infectious Diseases at Louisiana State University and work in the HIV Outpatient Program.
Dr. Clark is the Medical Director of the HIV outpatient program which serves over 1800 HIV infected persons. Dr. Kissinger is the Infectious Disease Epidemiologist for the Division. This program is medically staffed by clinicians from both Tulane and LSU. The research division has a staff of two Ph.D epidmemiologist, four doctoral research fellows, a research coordinator, three research nurses and several student workers. HOP is the site of the Adult Spectrum of Disease Study, which is a rich database for students to practice clinical epidemiology. Students from University of New Orleans, Dillard University , Tulane (SPHTM and medical school) and LSU (medical school and nursing school) perform practicums at this site. The Delta Region AIDS Education and Training Center is located at this site and can be utilized as another resource for students.
Dr. Kissinger's involvement with several of the community's public health clinics and agencies will provide other areas for students to gather practical experience (e.g. Family Planning Clinic, Delgado STD Clinic, Planned Parenthood, New Orleans substance abuse clinic and Pediatric AIDS Program of Children's Hospital, HIV Program Office, and the Office of Public Health - STD/HIV section). Presently the section has been awarded a three year grant for a Chlamydia control program. Dr. Kissinger and a staff of six are working at Delgado STD and Family Planning on this prospective cohort study. Because of this program, several research projects have been developed and can provide practical experience for students. Dr. Kissinger is also working with the Pediatric AIDS program on two evaluation projects that can provide evaluation experience for students. In addition, clinicians from both Tulane and LSU collaborate on many clinical epidemiologic projects with our research division and these projects can help students gather experience with clinical epidemiology. Since Dr. Kissinger has started teaching at Tulane in 1993, she has collaborated with student on more than 20 scientific abstracts and several publications.
VIII. Methods of Student Recruitment
same as for any other programs. In addition, a home page on the World Wide Web will be created with Dr. Carl Kendall to promote the program.
IX. Enrollment
not limited
X. Methods of Program Evaluation
Course evaluations.
Percentage of graduates employed in the fields of HIV/STD.
