Dalla Lana School of Public Health

Methods in Reproductive and Perinatal Epidemiology

Course Description

The time spanning from before conception to birth represents a critical period for both maternal and fetal health, with important implications for later development of chronic medical conditions. Reproductive and perinatal epidemiology is a well-established subspecialty of epidemiology characterized by unique methodological challenges, including time-varying exposures, clustering of units of analysis, and measurement of rare exposures and rare outcomes. This course will examine, in detail, methodological approaches and challenges in reproductive and perinatal epidemiology. Topics will cover design, measurement, and analysis in studies of fecundity and fertility, pregnancy and maternal health, and birth outcomes. Critical evaluation and design of research study proposals are a major focus of this course.

Course Objectives

By the end of this course, students should be able to:

1. Identify and describe key methodological issues in reproductive and perinatal epidemiology;
2. Critically evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of studies in the reproductive and perinatal epidemiology literature;
3. Apply their knowledge of reproductive and perinatal epidemiology methods and methodological challenges by designing a Canadian Institutes of Health Research-style grant proposal on a topic in reproductive or perinatal epidemiology.

Methods of Assessment