Detectives in the Classroom
Why is the curriculum called Detectives in the Classroom?
Epidemiologists are called disease detectives. The curriculum is called Detectives in the Classroom because students will develop the understandings and skills of epidemiologists, investigators who study the occurrence of disease and other health-related outcomes in populations of people for the purpose of preventing or controlling health problems.
Epidemiologists are a lot like detectives who investigate crimes:
| Crime Detectives | Disease Detectives |
|---|---|
| • Investigate Crimes | • Investigate Diseases |
| • Look for clues at a crime scene | • Look for clues in the community |
| • Judge quality of evidence | • Judge quality of evidence |
| • Form hypotheses | • Form hypotheses |
| • Identify suspected criminals | • Identify suspected causes |
| • Present evidence in court | • Present evidence in scientific journals and at scientific meetings |
| • Help control crime | • Help control disease |