Courses

All courses carry 3 credits unless otherwise specified.

540 Introductory Biostatistics (fall semester)
Introductory course.  Statistical concepts and interpretation of numeric data summaries along with basic analysis methods, using examples from medical and public health studies.

591L Reproductive Epidemiology 
Introduction to areas of active research in the field of reproductive health focusing on their public health significance, descriptive epidemiology etiology and prevention.  Addresses both methodologic and substantive challenges to reproductive and perinatal research.

597D Introduction to Statistical Computing in R (fall semester)
Introductory course. Foundational training in the modern tools of statistical computing and reproducible research using R. Manipulate, summarize, analyze, and visualize data using R.
Credit, 1.

597E Intermediate Statistical Computing
Prepare students with necessary computing skills for a career as a statistician or data analyst/scientist. Students will learn to use various tools to extract data from different sources (structured or unstructured), and transform them into forms that are ready for analysis and modeling. Students will also be able to build web based tools to deliver data products using R Shiny.
Credit, 1.

630 Principles of Epidemiology  
An epidemiological perspective on health. General approaches for describing patterns of disease in groups of people, and elucidating various processes involved in creating differing levels of health in human groups. Lecture and lab examples of a wide range of contemporary health problems.

631 Scientific Writing for Thesis, Dissertation and Grant Proposals in Epidemiology
Provides students with the necessary analytic techniques, technical resources, and writing expertise to design and write thesis proposal and final thesis manuscripts in the field of epidemiology. sstudents prepare a written proposal and a class presentation, and critique another presentations. Prerequisite: PUBHLTH 630.

632 Applied Epidemiology  
Intermediate level course. Application of epidemiologic methods to study the etiology, control, and impact on society of selected diseases. Prerequisite: PUBHLTH 630.

633 Communicable Disease Epidemiology  
Review of selected infectious diseases; emphasis on current theories of distribution, transmission, and control.

634 Nutritional Epidemiology  
Epidemiologic study design problems and issues; major methods of dietary assessment; non-dietary nutritional assessments; and the relative strength of evidence in support of diet-disease relationships. Prerequisite: PUBHLTH 630.

635 Psychosocial Epidemiology  
Links between life styles and risks to which individuals in populations are vulnerable. Models linking social stress and physiological responses, psychosocial mediators, and social support systems as they promote or reduce susceptibility to disease.

636 Epidemiological Assessment
Methods for epidemiological assessment of the efficacy and safety of medical technologies, including drugs, devices, and medical and surgical procedures.

639 Cancer Epidemiology  
Background in the principles of oncology and a review of epidemiological strategies used in cancer research. The major cancer risk factors and the key strategies of prevention.

640 Intermediate Biostatistics  
Intermediate course. Basic statistical literacy and skills in the analysis of biological and health data.  Use of the computer (Stata and R) and the analysis of data sets included.

690EW Epidemiology of Women's Health
Overview of current issues in women's health throughout the life cycle.  Exploring how epidemiologic methods are used to evaluate factors influencing reproductive health, cancer, cardiovascular disease and other common disorders.  Sstudents learn basic quantitative methods, study design concepts, and critical thinking skills.

690NR Biostatistics Methods 2: Applied Linear  
Intermediate course. Theory and application of linear regression and generalized linear regression models. Examples and exercises from scientific, medical, and public health research.

690JQ Biostatistics Methods 3: Modern Applied 
Advanced Course. Statistical modeling approaches including: penalized regression, methods for classification, statistical methods for biomarker discovery, robust regression, and flexible regression methods.

690T Applied Statistical Genetics  
Statistical concepts and R tools relevant to the analysis of genetic data arising from population-based association studies. Multiple comparison procedures, classification algorithms for high dimensional data, methods for haplotype estimation and unobservable phase.

691P Seminar - Physical Activity  
Epidemiologic methods in studies of physical activity. Seminar will cover measurement of physical activity and inactivity; establishing validity and reliability of physical activity; design of present-day epidemiologic studies of physical activity and health; and physical activity surveillance.

691F Data Management and Statistical Computing  
Introductory course. Basic data management principles and practice. Design of data collection forms, data processing/cleaning, sampling from databases, data security and generation of descriptive summary reports.

696D Independent Study in Public Health  
Special investigational or research problems for M.P.H. candidates or advanced sstudents. Scope of the work can be varied to meet specified conditions.
Credit, 3-6.

697G Bayesian Computation in Biostistics  
Theory and application of Bayesian methods for analysis of biomedical datasets. Bayesian thinking, estimation of single and multi-parameter models and Bayesian computation using Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) methods.

698 Practicum 
Opportunity for supervised field observation to gain practice experience in selected public health agencies.

699 Master’s Thesis
Independent research leading to a thesis on a public health subject. Results should be suitable for publication. Credit, 3-6.

700 Analysis of Epidemiologic Data  
Students will develop fundamental skills in data analysis and interpretation.  A major emphasis will be to gain practical experience in analyzing data using statistical software.

737 Advanced Methods in Epidemiology  
A methodologic core course. Details of concepts and quantitative techniques used in modern epidemiology. Prerequisites: PUBHLTH 630 and 632.

740 Mixed Models and Longitudinal Data Analysis  
Advanced course. Mixed model methods and longitudinal data analysis applications in statistics.

741 The Design and Analysis of Experiments in the Health and Pharmaceutical Sciences
Fundamental concepts in experimental design, with specific application to medical, public health, and pharmaceutical research. Extensive use of computer programs; many illustrative examples. Prerequisite: PUBHLTH 640.

742 Advanced Methods in Biometric Research  
Statistical methods in biological and public health research. Methods of statistical estimation, correlation theory, multivariate tests of significance including discriminant analysis, stepwise and multiple regression. Topics in nonparametric methods, and statistical methods for clinical trials. Prerequisite: PUBHLTH 640.

743 Analysis of Categorical Data in the Health Sciences  
In-depth examination of the use of the logistic regression model with applications. Analyses using a computer program. Prerequisite: PUBHLTH 744.

744 Computer Analysis of Health Sciences Data  
Applications of the linear regression model. Emphasis on use and interpretation of statistical software output. Prerequisite: PUBHLTH 640.

745 Sampling Methods for the Health Sciences  
Application of widely used sampling methods to situations commonly occurring in public health research. Alternative sampling strategies compared; emphasis on design of sample surveys. Types of samples stressed: simple random sample, stratified sample, systematic sample, and cluster sample. Also the combined ratio estimate, and large-scale, ongoing sample surveys such as the Health Examination Survey of the National Center for Health Statistics. Prerequisite: PUBHLTH 540.

746 Nonparametric Methods in Public Health Research  
Application of nonparametric methods to commonly occurring problems in public health research. Data from one, two, and multisample problems from environmental health, epidemiology, health administration, and health education. Prerequisite: PUBHLTH 540.

747 Multivariate Methods in Public Health Research  
Multivariate statistical theories and methods applied to public health data. Emphasis on consideration of alternative statistical procedures simultaneously for analyzing many variables. Prerequisite: PUBHLTH 744.

748 Applied Survival Analysis  
Introduction to statistical techniques used for the analysis of time-to-event data. Types of censoring mechanisms, graphical and numerical description of survival data, methods for comparison of survival between groups, Cox and AFT models to explain and predict survival as a function of baseline and time-varying covariates.

749 Statistical Methods for Clinical Trials    
Statistical techniques in the design, analysis and interpretation of clinical trials. Types of clinical research, study design, treatment allocation, randomization and stratification, quality control, sample size requirements, patient consent, introduction to survival analysis and interpretation.

796 Independent Study

797 Special Problems

891 Research Seminar

892A Doctoral Seminar in Epidemiology
Credit, 1.

892BW Advanced Epidemiological Methods Seminar
A PhD level seminar class that will explore complex and contemporary methodological concepts used in epidemiological research, as described in the published epi methods literature.
Credit, 1.

899 Doctoral Dissertation
Credit, 18.