This introductory course provides an overview of central concepts and topical issues in genetic epidemiology, providing an overall framework for investigating the role of genetic factors in the etiology of common complex disorders. This course integrates human genetics, biostatistics and epidemiology. The main course objective is to provide the common terminology and fundamental concepts underlying the design and conduct of genetic epidemiologic studies. Advanced and novel genetic epidemiology study designs and methods will not generally be discussed in depth as this goes beyond the scope of the course.