Raj Bhopal's Brief biography                                                     
Why write the book and why put the lectures on the super course?
  • lAs an examiner of both undergraduate and postgraduate students I was surprised, and crestfallen, to see how many students could not clearly explain the difference between a case-control and cohort study, sometimes even after a year of study.  In my duties in the health service I participated in many discussions on why service demands exceeded supply even after new investments were made.  Not once did anyone invoke the crucial concept of the iceberg of disease and symptoms to explain this phenomenon - and clearly even those who knew of it did not make the leap from the classroom to the boardroom. 
  • lMy book is deliberately discursive, and not simply descriptive - to help achieve both a deeper understanding and to help bridge the world of theory and that of practice.
  • lThe book places heavy emphasis on integrating the ideas of epidemiology. 
  • lI reviewed 25 textbooks in the process of writing this one and I believe it fills a gap. (Which book? A comparative review of 25 introductory epidemiology textbooks
    J. Epidemiol. Community Health, Dec 1997; 51: 612 - 622. )
  • lThis textbook focuses on a theme which is the most important in any science, is too often overlooked and which students demand more of:  concepts.
  • lWith the permission of the publishers I am placing the lectures supporting the book on the super course, as I hope they will help both learners and teachers who are using the book in their courses.
What does Concepts of Epidemiology offer?
  • lAssists readers to understand how methods and techniques contribute to the purposes of epidemiology
  • lDemonstrates how epidemiology works in various settings
  • lGives attention to concepts, principles, theory
  • lFeatures exercises (with answers) embedded in text
  • lUses examples that are theoretical and applied
  • lThe text is amply illustrated with figures and tables
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