Tshewang Gyeltshen

Tshewang Gyeltshen

Doctoral Candidate in Global Health Policy, School of International Health, The University of Tokyo

Epidemiological Methods

Graduate Level MPH Course, GSPH, St. Luke's International University, Department of Epidemiology, 2023

Teaching Assistant, Spring 2023Graduate School of Public Health, St. Luke’s International University, Tokyo

I served as a Teaching Assistant for the graduate-level MPH course “Epidemiological Methods” at the Department of Epidemiology, led by Professor Mahbubur Rahman. The course introduced students to the fundamental principles of epidemiology as the core science of public health and disease prevention.

My Role

  • Supported lectures and practical sessions on epidemiological study designs, measures of disease occurrence and association, causal inference, confounding, effect modification, bias, and random error.
  • Assisted in exercises focused on critical appraisal of epidemiological literature, interpretation of study findings, and the application of epidemiologic methods in practice.
  • Guided students in applied topics such as outbreak investigation, surveillance, screening, and evaluation of health services.
  • Facilitated structured discussions and problem-solving activities that helped students connect theoretical concepts with real-world public health practice.

This role allowed me to contribute to students’ ability to critically evaluate research evidence, apply epidemiological methods in practice, and develop skills for writing and publishing epidemiological studies.

Course Outline

Basic Concepts of Epidemiology

Measuring Health and Disease (Incidence, Prevalence)

Measuring Associations in Epidemiology (Risk, Rate, Odds Ratios)

Association vs. Causation and Hill’s Criteria

Random Error, Bias, Confounding, and Effect Modification

Study Designs I: Case Reports, Case Series, Ecological and Cross-sectional Studies

Study Designs II: Cross-sectional Studies (advantages, limitations)

Study Designs III: Clinical Trials and Pre–Post Designs

Study Designs IV: Cohort Studies

Study Designs V: Case-Control Studies

Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Applying Epidemiology in Public Health Practice I – Outbreak Investigation, Surveillance

Applying Epidemiology in Public Health Practice II – Screening, Health Service Evaluation, Policy Evaluation

Critical Appraisal of Epidemiological Articles (How to Read and Interpret Studies)

Writing and Publishing Epidemiology Papers (Journal Selection, Submission, Revision)