Institutionen fr Idisslarmedicin och Epidemiologi Avdelningen fr epidemiologi

2004-12-15 NOVA University Box 17 230 53 ALNARP Report on the Network meeting in epidemiology Please find enclosed a report on the network meeting among teachers in veterinary epidemiology in the Nordic countries, which took part in Uppsala 6-7 May 2004. The meeting was organized by the Department of Ruminant Medicine and Veterinary Epidemiology at SLU in Uppsala. Participants came from the Department of Animal Science and Animal Health at KVL in Copenhagen, the Department of Basic Veterinary Sciences at University of Helsinki, and the Department of Production Animal Clinical Sciences at NVH in Oslo. We would like to express our gratitude for the financial support granted this course (NOVA reference code 25402, 15 February 2004), thus enabling the teachers to meet for the first time in history to inform each others about the teaching of epidemiology/statistics and ongoing research projects in the Nordic countries and to exchange ideas about teaching and cooperation in various fields. Everybody agreed that this was a most worthwhile meeting and the participants also agreed to try to organize a follow up meeting in 2005. The cost for the course (26400 SEK = 2949 Euro) was below the amount allowed (3820 Euro). The budget for the meeting calculated with two participants from Norway, but unfortunately Eystein Skjerve was unable to attend for family reasons. Please find enclosed a short summary of the meeting and a summary of the costs for the meeting. Yours sincerely,

Marie Engel Project leader

Summary of the meeting of Nordic teachers in epidemiology and statistics Uppsala 6-7 May 2004
Postadress Box 7019 750 07 UPPSALA Besksadress Ulls vg 12 Tel. 018-67 23 01 Fax 018-67 35 45 E-post Marie.Engel@epid.slu.se

Participants: Denmark: Jens Frederik Agger, Annette Kjaer-Ersbll Finland: Anna-Maija Virtala, Christian Schnier Norway: Rolf Bjerke Larssen (Eystein Skjerve could not come) Sweden: Marie Engel, Ulf Emanuelson, Patrik hagen, Agneta Egenvall 1. Basic courses epidemiology and statistics Each country presented - history of teaching epidemiology in their country - which people are involved in teaching epidemiology/statistics today - which courses are given in each country (see following pages) - how courses are organized (see following pages) 2. Other courses where epidemiology is included Each country presented other courses where epidemiology is included. The possible cooperation in organizing elective courses in future was discussed. 3. Ongoing research projects Each country gave an oral and a written presentation on ongoing research projects at their respective departments. Swedish PhD-students presented their own projects. 4. NOVA courses in Veterinary Epidemiology The future of these courses was discussed. The participants agreed that the present organization with courses in two parts for two consecutive years is a better alternative than having three parts for three consecutive years, especially now when the PhD programs are getting shorter (in Denmark 3 years). Furthermore, as long as Wayne Martin and Ian Dohoo agree to continue teaching there is no rationale for making any other changes in the organization of the courses. There is a high workload to organize these courses. It was noted that NOVA now allows that 10% is put on top of the course-budget for administrative costs. 5. Master of Veterinary Public Health course at KVL Some modules have had to be cancelled due to too few participants. The module on Disease Control Strategies was a success. There have been complaints that the course fee is too high. However, the fee is not expensive considering the costs to organize the course. KVL is also funding parts of the course. Involvement of Nordic teachers in the course was discussed. 6. Next network meeting The Danish participants invited their Nordic colleagues to a second network meeting in Copenhagen May 13:th 2005. Homework for the participants: - Investigate if Nordic teachers can get access to the teaching materials on the KVL intranet. - Teachers shall specify which parts of MVPH they can teach in. - Consider further elective courses that could be suitable for Nordic cooperation. Participants in the network meeting:

DENMARK: Jens Frederik Agger, Associate professor Annette Annette Kjaer-Ersbll, Associate professor Department of Animal Science and Animal Health The Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University Groennegaardsvej 8 DK-1870 Frederiksberg C FINLAND: Anna-Maija Virtala, University lecturer Christian Schnier, PhD Department of Basic Veterinary Sciences Faculty of Veterinary Medicine University of Helsinki P.O. Box 66 (Agnes Sjberginkatu 2, room 4049) FI-00014 University of Helsinki NORWAY: Rolf Bjerke Larssen, Ass. professor Department of Production Animal Clinical Sciences Norwegian School of Veterinary Science POB 8146 Dep., N 0033 Oslo SWEDEN: Marie Engel, Senior lecturer Ulf Emanuelson, Professor Agneta Egenvall, Research assistant Patrik hagen, Lecturer (statistics) Department of Ruminant Medicine and Veterinary Medicine Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences P.O.Box 7019 SE-750 07 Uppsala

Courses in epidemiology and statistics in Nordic countries DENMARK

Basic epidemiology for veterinary students 3rd semester, animal science students 5th semester

(taught within the course Population Biology, together with biostatistics, ethology, nutrition and genetics). 14 lectures (2x35 min) and 14 labsessions (drop-in). Course book. http://campus01.kvl.dk/presentation/presentation.asp? menulanguage=dk&coursecode=103400-3 Population medicine and (herd) health management for veterinary students 10th semester and animal science students (integrated with other subjects; ethology, nutrition, herd health). 18 ECTS http://campus01.kvl.dk/presentation/presentation.asp? menulanguage=dk&coursecode=104509-3 Health and disease control in production herds for animal science students. 9 ECTS. http://campus01.kvl.dk/presentation/presentation.asp? menulanguage=dk&coursecode=065260-3 Applied epidemiology Optional course for veterinary students. 3 weeks, full days. http://campus01.kvl.dk/presentation/presentation.asp? menulanguage=dk&coursecode=108022-3&txtSearchKeyword=veterinary %20epidemiology PhD course in Veterinary epidemiology 3 modules (epi. description of data in populations, epi. analysis of continuous and dichotomous data, epi. analysis and hierarchical and longitudinal data), 3 x 6 ECTS. Master of Veterinary Public Health see homepage: http://uk.kvl.dk/continuing Research schools Research school for Animal Production and Health, see homepage: www.raph.dk

FINLAND
Quantitative epidemiology 1 weeks of general epidemiology; 20 hours of lectures, 20 hours of exercises.7th semester Basic statistics and scientific research 2 weeks; 25 hours lectures and final open book-examination, 10 hours calculus, 6 hours computer exercises. 6th semester. Epidemiology of infectious animal diseases 3 weeks. Basic knowledge of zoonoses and infectious animal diseases etc. 7th semester.

NORWAY (new curriculum since 2002)

Population medicine Epidemiology (1 wk) and Statistics (3 wk) taught during the 2nd semester Food safety Epidemiology (1 days) on infectious disease epidemiology, outbreak investigation and risk analysis, during 6th semester Preventive medicine Epidemiology (2 days) on use of measures of health and measures of risk and effect for production animals. Possibly also 1 day on diagnostic tests, evidence based medicine and prognosis (for companion animals and horses). During 7th semester Research methodology Elective course, where epidemiology and statistics (3 days?) will be integrated. 10th semester. Master courses in Food Safety and Aquatic Medicine Research methodology (9 ECTS) is compulsory in both courses. Epidemiology and risk assessment (6 ECTS) is compulsory in Food Safety course. Disease control in aquaculture (6 ECTS) is compulsory in Aquatic Medicine. Homepage: http://www.veths.no/templates/Page.aspx?id=611

SWEDEN
Population Medicine 4th semester. 3 units (1 unit= approx. 4 days) of epidemiology and 3 units of statistics taught together with ethology, animal husbandry and animal genetics. homepage: http://www.idmed.slu.se/popmed.htm Veterinary Public Health 11th semester. 2 units. Subjects related to VPH including outbreak investigation and risk analysis. Homepage: http://www.idmed.slu.se/VPH/VPH.htm Project and publication planning Optional course, 11th semester. Focused on project-planning and publication from a statistical perspective. Epidemiology of infectious diseases Optional course, 11th semester. Information on the teaching of basic epidemiology in the Nordic countries
Number of veterinary students: Denmark: 140 today; will increase to 180 Finland: 55 Norway: 56 Sweden: 70-80 today; will increase to 100 Lecturers: Denmark: Circulation of teachers. All can cover all, and are able to take over from one another.

Finland: Anna-Maija main lecturer. Norway: Rolf main lecturer. (Eystein teaches epi within Food Hygiene course). Sweden: Marie main lecturer. Teaching material: Denmark: A course book specifically written for the course (Houe et al: Veterinary epidemiology from hypothesis to conclusion) is thoroughly used by the students. Finland: Lecture notes (references given to books, but students do not read these) Norway: Houe et al (Veterinary Epidemiology), Petrie & Watson (Statistics for Veterinary Science) Sweden: Lecture notes, some excerpts from epi-books and epi papers. No compulsory course book. Use of computers: Denmark: Several computer labs in epidemiology and statistics. All lectures and all exercises (+ solutions) can be found on the campus net. Software used: Course in basic statistics use SAS. Finland: Several computer labs in epidemiology. Software used: Statistix, Excel, EpiInfo, WinEpiscope. Norway: No computer-labs in epidemiology or statistics. Teaching material can be found on the student-server. Sweden: One computerlab (2-3 hours) in epidemiology. Software used: Excel, WinEpiscope, EpiInfo Homepage for the course is used for communicating information to the students. Examination: Denmark: Course book allowed during exam. Three big questions in epidemiology (given in exam where other subjects are represented separately; integration did not work) Finland: No exam. Lecturer gives activating questions during lectures. At the end of the course students have to turn in a diary (10 pages) which they correct for one another. Norway: Exactly the same questions/problems occur in exam as have been used in the assignments. No books or notes allowed at exam. Sweden: Exam with questions/problems students have not seen before. No books or notes allowed. (In the integrated part of Population Medicine there is an integrated take-home exam, where all subjects are represented)

Kostnader nordiskt ntverksmte fr lrare i epidemiologi, i Uppsala 6 och 7 maj 2004

MAT Kaffe och lunch 2 dagar Middag (1800+380+424) SEK VER 1 VER 2,3,4 Summa BOENDE Hotell Park Inn (4 pers x 824 kr) Fyris camping (AM Virtala) 1 632 2 604 4 236

VER 5 VER 6 Summa

3 296 695 3 991

RESA Christian Schnier Anna-Maija Virtala Jens Frederik Agger taxi mm Annette Kjaer Ersbll taxi mm Flygresa Agger+ Ersbll Rolf Bjerke Larssen

VER 7 VER 6 VER 8 VER 9 VER 10 VER 11

(431.33 Euro) (509.80 Euro) (910 DKK) (3994 DKK) (1930.54 NOK) Summa

3 976 4 573 1 448 1 128 4 951 2 099 18 175

Totalsumma

26 402