Epidemiology by Design

A Causal Approach to the Health Sciences

Daniel Westreich

The first introductory textbook in epidemiology to teach the field's fundamentals through a causal-inference lens
Intuitive, study-design-oriented approach to the fundamentals of epidemiology, which supports understanding of first-time students and offers scalable foundation for future study
Extensive, simple numerical exercises reinforce lessons, especially for first-time students in epidemiology
An ideal introductory text for students in epidemiology or allied public health programs

Epidemiology by Design

A Causal Approach to the Health Sciences

Daniel Westreich

Description

A (LONG OVERDUE) CAUSAL APPROACH TO INTRODUCTORY EPIDEMIOLOGY

Epidemiology is recognized as the science of public health, evidence-based medicine, and comparative effectiveness research. Causal inference is the theoretical foundation underlying all of the above. No introduction to epidemiology is complete without extensive discussion of causal inference; what's missing is a textbook that takes such an approach.

Epidemiology by Design takes a causal approach to the foundations of traditional introductory epidemiology. Through an organizing principle of study designs, it teaches epidemiology through modern causal inference approaches, including potential outcomes, counterfactuals, and causal identification conditions.

Coverage in this textbook includes:

· Introduction to measures of prevalence and incidence (survival curves, risks, rates, odds) and measures of contrast (differences, ratios); the fundamentals of causal inference; and principles of diagnostic testing, screening, and surveillance
· Description of three key study designs through the lens of causal inference: randomized trials, prospective observational cohort studies, and case-control studies
· Discussion of internal validity (within a sample), external validity, and population impact: the foundations of an epidemiologic approach to implementation science

For first-year graduate students and advanced undergraduates in epidemiology and public health fields more broadly, Epidemiology by Design offers a rigorous foundation in epidemiologic methods and an introduction to methods and thinking in causal inference. This new textbook will serve as a foundation not just for further study of the field, but as a head start on where the field is going.

Epidemiology by Design

A Causal Approach to the Health Sciences

Daniel Westreich

Acknowledgements

Overview

1. Measuring Disease

2. Measures of Association

3. Causal Inference, Causal Effect Estimation, and Systematic Error

4. Diagnostic Testing, Screening, and Surveillance

5. Randomized Trials

6. Observational Cohort Studies

7. Case-Control Studies

8. Other Study Designs

9. Causal Impact, From Exposures to Interventions

Index

Epidemiology by Design

A Causal Approach to the Health Sciences

Daniel Westreich

Author Information

DANIEL WESTREICH received his B.S. in computer science from Yale University, and -- after a short stint as a software engineer at Microsoft -- a Ph.D. in epidemiology from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. He is currently an associate professor of epidemiology at UNC, where his work focuses substantively at the intersection of HIV and women's reproductive health. He has served as a member-at-large of the executive board of the Society for Epidemiologic Research and in editorial capacities at the American Journal of Epidemiology and Epidemiology. In 2014 Dr. Westreich was awarded an NIH DP2 New Innovator Award to develop epidemiologic methods for implementation science.

Epidemiology by Design

A Causal Approach to the Health Sciences

Daniel Westreich

Reviews and Awards

"This book adds to the existing collection of epidemiology books by incorporating causal inference while introducing and explaining new topics. This is an ideal text for aspiring health services researchers, clinician-scientists, and epidemiologists looking to begin learning about conducting and appraising health sciences research. Explanations provide a thorough introduction to the field, and references provide pathways to continue study." -- Morgan B Swanson, Doody's

"Much of epidemiology is about estimating causal effects:Â how risk factors or exposures relate to disease, or the effects of interventions or other factors on health outcomes.Â This introductory text by Westreich introduces students to the basics of epidemiology through this lens of intervention and impact. Its focus on how to articulate clear research questions, and design rigorous studies to answer them, will be particularly useful to students looking to make a difference in the public's health.Â" -- Elizabeth Stuart, Professor, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

"Causal inference should be at the heart of epidemiology. And yet, introductory epidemiology has never been taught through the lens of causal thinking. This smart and engaging book does just that. Westreich brings a fresh perspective to teaching the foundations of the field--one that positions the reader beautifully for subsequent deeper thinking about causes and how we may intervene to promote the health of populations." --Sandro Galea, University of Boston, author of Urban Health