Graduate Courses Taught by Biostatistics Faculty in Master of Science in Clinical Investigation (MSCI), Master of Public Health (MPH), and Interdiscipliary Graduate Program (IGP)

In the MSCI program the following one-semester four-hour courses are taught:
  • Biostatistics I 524-5009: Course prepares physician-scientists for a career in clinical research by teaching the fundamentals of biostatistics and modern statistical analysis methods, including descriptive statistics, parametric and nonparametric methods, linear and logistic regression, survival methods, power and sample size, as well as when and how to consult with a biostatistician. Emphasis is placed on modern methods of analysis and presentation required for publication in high-impact medical journals. (Byrne, 4 hours)

  • Biostatistics II 524-5015: Fundamental biostatistical concepts related to multivariable analyses in existence of confounding and effect modification. Topics include Student's t-test, one-way ANOVA, two-way ANOVA, linear, binary logistic, proportional odds logistic, conditional logistic, Cox proportional-hazard regressions. Basic concepts on repeated-measures analysis including a mixed-effect regression models and sample size and power computation. Proper strategies for developing reliable multivariable models, checking model assumptions, use of non-linear spines for fitting continuous data, model validation using bootstrap method. Prerequisite, Biostatistics 1 524-5009. (Shintani, 4 hours)

In the MPH program the following are taught:
  • Biostatistics I 514-5502: Basic concepts and methods of biostatistics, including data description and exploratory data analysis, study design and sample size calculations, probability, sampling distributions, estimation, confidence intervals, hypothesis testing, nonparametric tests, analysis of continuous, categorical, and survival data, data analysis for cohort and case-control studies, relative risk and odds ratio estimation, introduction to linear and logistic regression. (Arbogast, 4 hours)

  • Biostatistics II 514-5509: Modern multivariate analyses, based on the concept of generalized linear models. Includes linear, logistic and Poisson regression, survival analysis, fixed effects analysis of variance and repeated measures analysis of variance. Course emphasizes underlying similarity of these methods, choice of the right method for specific problems, common aspects of model construction, and the testing of model assumptions through influence and residual analyses. Prerequisite, Biostatistics 1 or consent of the course director. (Dupont, 4 hours)
The following course is taught in both programs:
  • Clinical Trials 514-5504: Introduces issues in design, conduct, and data analysis of clinical trials, emphasizing practical use of methods. Topics include types of the clinical trials, study design, blindness, randomization and stratification, sample size determination, interim monitoring, ethical guidelines, data analysis and interpretation of results. The parallel design, factorial designs, cross-over designs, nested designs for superiority, non-inferiority, clinical equivalence and bioequivalence trials will be discussed. Other topics include role of clinical trials in FDA drug approval process, meta-analysis, and management of clinical trial data. Enrollment is limited (Shyr, 3 hours).

The following 3-hour semester course was recently developed to reach a wide audience for students not in the above two programs:
  • Statistics for Biomedical Research (IGP 304): The lectures cover basic concepts, ideas, and techniques often used in statistics, especially biostatistics. Emphasis is on solving problems commonly encountered in biomedical research. Students will learn to carry out simple exploratory analysis and develop appreciation of variation, importance of design to the overall quality of a study, impact of assumptions on data analysis and interpretation, and artifacts and caveats in data analysis and interpretation. Regression analysis is introduced and safe nonparametric approaches are emphasized. Miscellaneous topics such as measuring change are covered. (Harrell and Slaughter, 3 hours)
Topic revision: r10 - 15 Mar 2008, FrankHarrell
 

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