An introduction to the principles and methods of epidemiology in a Canadian context

The third edition of Epidemiology for Canadian Students updates the only introductory epidemiology textbook grounded in Canadian research and studies, and it takes into account the COVID-19 pandemic.

Through this resource, students will learn core concepts, while also familiarizing themselves with Canadian registries, special-purpose cohorts, provincial health administrators, national statistical agencies and other sources that inform epidemiologic research in Canada.

The third edition includes new links to Statistics Canada resources, updated examples with reference to recent Canadian and international literature on topics such as COVID-19, and expanded coverage of causal diagrams.

Topics include:

• Basic principles and why epidemiological reasoning matters for health professionals
• Key parameters in descriptive and analytical epidemiology
• Sources of error in epidemiology and ways to quantify and control error
• The concept of bias, which is introduced with basic parameter estimates to make it more accessible to students
• Key study designs and their vulnerability to error
• How to use critical appraisal and causal judgement to evaluate epidemiological studies

Dr. Scott Patten obtained an MD from the University of Alberta in 1986, and subsequently completed an FRCP(C) in psychiatry (1991) and a PhD in epidemiology (1994) at the University of Calgary. He is a professor in the department of Community Health Sciences at the University of Calgary, where he holds the Cuthbertson and Fischer Chair in Pediatric Mental Health. He has over 20 years experience teaching epidemiology and supervising graduate students. As a researcher, he has published more than 500 scientific papers and is the editor-in-chief of the Canadian Journal of Psychiatry.

Scott Patten's profile page