This is a 5-day (week long) online course; most sessions will be delivered 'live', with a small number of pre-recorded lectures.

By the end of the course participants should be able to :

1. select the appropriate epidemiological study designs to investigate research questions;
2. with expert advice, be able to design and undertake a case-control, cohort, ecological or cross-sectional study;
3. list the strengths and weaknesses of randomised controlled trials (RCTs), case-control, cohort, ecological, and cross-sectional studies;
4. explain confounding and interaction (effect modification);
5. assess whether an exposure-disease association is likely to be due to chance, bias, reverse causation or confounding;
6. explain the principles underlying sample size/power calculations; and
7. feel confident to be able to critically appraise a published epidemiological study.

This course is intended for clinicians, researchers, public health specialists and other health care professionals who have only a basic understanding of epidemiology. Prior knowledge of basic medical statistics so that you understand findings published in peer-reviewed medical journals is important.

This course will cover:

1. exposure measurement and measures of disease occurrence;
2. measures of exposure effect (e.g., risk and odds ratios);
3. study designs (randomised controlled trials, cohort studies, case-control studies; ecological studies and cross-sectional studies);
4. bias and confounding;
5. simple regression and interaction effects;
6. sample size calculations;
7. an introduction to causal inference; and
8. the future of epidemiology.

Teaching is provided by experienced staff from across Bristol Medical School who have expertise in the epidemiological concepts and approaches being introduced and discussed throughout the course.

To make sure the course is suitable for you and you will benefit from attending, please ensure you meet the following prerequisites before booking:

Before booking this course, please make sure you read the information provided above about the target audience and prerequisites. It is important that you have access to the relevant IT resources needed for the course and meet the knowledge prerequisites to ensure you can get the most from the course.

Bookings are taken via our online booking system, for which you must register an account. To check if you are eligible for free or discounted courses please see our fees and voucher packs page. All bookings are subject to our terms & conditions, which can be read in full here.

For help and support with booking a course refer to our booking information page, FAQs or feel free to contact us directly. For available payment options please see: How to pay your short course fees.

Participants are granted access to our virtual learning platform (Blackboard) 1 to 2 weeks in advance of the course. This allows time for any pre-course work to be completed and to familiarise with the platform.

To gain the most from the course, we recommend that you attend in full and participate in all interactive components. We endeavour to record all live lecture sessions and upload these to the online learning environment within 24 hours. This allows course participants to review these sessions at leisure and revisit them multiple times. Please note that we do not record breakout sessions.

All course participants retain access to the online learning materials and recordings for 3 months after the course. 

University of Bristol staff and postgraduate students who do not wish to attend the full course may instead register for access to the 'Materials & Recordings' version of this course: Further information and bookings.

100% of attendees recommend this course*.
*Attendee feedback from 2025.

Here is a sample of feedback from the last run of the course:

"Structure was excellent - started with a broad overview introducing concepts, and then worked through these more specifically in a logical order.” – course feedback, February 2025

"Very well structured course and knowledgable (sic) moderators running each session.” – course feedback, February 2025

"The course is really well designed. I liked that some sessions were given live and some were pre-recorded for us to watch on our own time. Everything was very well explained and I also really liked that relevant statistics were covered. It is also great that most of the tutors interacted with us during the lectures, which helped me engage more.” – course feedback, February 2025

"I liked the format, focussing on different designs. The interactive group session was enjoyable and supported my learning. The tutors were knowledgeable and pleasant.” – course feedback, February 2025

"Although the subject was challenging, the organisation and delivery of different topics was great and like a logical flow between the topics.” – course feedback, February 2025

"Also, the exercises, activities and group activities were really assessing our understanding and how can we apply the theory to actual scenarios.” – course feedback, February 2025

"The course was so clear, friendly and well paced.” – course feedback, February 2025

"Best short course I've done yet.” – course feedback, February 2025

"This is a super organised course, It was well spaced out and theres (sic) was good connection on (sic) flow of the topics.” – course feedback, February 2025

"It gave me a good insight into the world of research design and the thought process involved in decision. I hope to be able to use what I have learnt to help me understand papers I read and the stats involved. Thank you!” – course feedback, February 2025

"I think the tutors were brilliant and considering this was a long course, managed to keep the material engaging.” – course feedback, February 2025