Course detail

Welcome to Population Health Science: Principles for Research and Action

Program: Epidemiology & Biostatistics

Description:

Profound inequities in health persist globally, shaped by social, economic, and environmental conditions that extend far beyond individual behaviors or biology. Addressing these challenges requires a shift in perspective - one that considerers the broader forces influencing health across populations.

Population health science offers such a perspective. As an interdisciplinary field, it examines how health is distributed within and across groups, and what drives these patterns. By moving beyond individual-level risk factors, it provides a framework for understanding the societal conditions that produce health and disease.

Purpose and scope:

This course introduces population health science as a conceptual and methodological foundation for understanding how health is produced and distributed across populations. The course encourages students to critically examine how research questions are framed, how evidence is generated, and how findings can inform action. Emphasis is placed on designing research that is not only scientifically rigorous but also capable of informing policy, guiding programs, and shaping public health practice.

Learning objectives

By the end of the course, PhD students will be able to:

• Apply the nine foundational principles by Galea and Keyes to the design and interpretation of population health research
• Formulate and identify relevant research questions with potential for improving population health
• Critically assess how health and disease are distributed across populations and the factors that shape these patterns
• Understand key conceptual models in population health, including multilevel frameworks, life course perspectives, and dynamic systems approaches
• Evaluate the social determinants of health, including social, economic, environmental, and structural influences, and health inequity
• Apply a causal architecture approach to identify and prioritize the most impactful causes for population health
• Understand the principles of prevention and assess their relevance to population-level health improvement.

Prerequisites: 

Basic training in epidemiology is required (eg., the AAU course “Epidemiology – Basic principles” or similar).

Course syllabus:

The course combines lectures with workshops to build both conceptual understanding and practical skills in population health research. Students will be introduced to key frameworks and tools through guided instruction, critical discussion, and applied exercises. Emphasis is placed on developing population-level thinking and applying it to real-world research questions. The course is delivered over three days.

Key literature:

• Keyes, Katherine M., and Sandro Galea. Population health science. Oxford University Press, 2016.
• Thomas, Richard K. Population Health: An Introduction. Springer Nature, 2023.
• Other relevant papers will be provided to the participants shortly before the course.

Organizer: Postdoc Nicklas Vinter, MD, PhD, Department of Clinical Medicine, AAU

Lecturers: Nicklas Vinter and Peter Brønnum Nielsen

ECTS: 2,5

Date: 2, 3, 4 March 2026

Time: 9:00-15:30

Place: SUND building, Aalborg University, Selma Lagerløfs Vej 249

City: Gistrup

Number of seats: 25

Deadline: 9 February 2026

Important information concerning PhD courses:

There is a no-show fee of DKK 3,000 for each course where the student does not show up. Cancellations are accepted no later than 2 weeks before the start of the course. Registered illness is of course an acceptable reason for not showing up on those days. Furthermore, all courses open for registration approximately four months before start of the course. We cannot ensure any seats before the deadline for enrolment, all participants will be informed after the deadline, approximately 3 weeks before the start of the course.

To attend courses at the Doctoral School in Medicine, Biomedical Science and Technology you must be enrolled as a PhD student.

For inquiries regarding registration, cancellation or waiting list, please contact the PhD administration at phdcourses@adm.aau.dk When contacting us please state the course title and course period. Thank you.