By the end of this seminar students should be able to perform economic assessments of medical technologies, critically review assessments performed by others, comment on the limitations of these assessments, and understand the policy implications resulting from economic evaluations of medical care. This course examines the nature of health services and the delivery and financing arrangements that have evolved. In several policy areas, it explores the rationale for government intervention, the options available, and the impacts of selected options. The goal is to develop skill in analysis of policy alternatives involving objective identification of impacts and their consequences for major stakeholders. This introductory class covers fundamental principles of epidemiology, including disease burden measures and epidemiologic study designs and methodology.
Students gain experience interpreting and critiquing published epidemiologic literature.