MPH COURSE DESCRIPTIONS
REQUIRED COURSES
(MPH STUDENTS MUST TAKE ALL OF THESE COURSES)
Course pages can be found here.
Epidemiology 1 : Research Design
514-5501
This introduction to epidemiology focuses on measures of disease frequency and association,
observational study design, and diagnostic and screening tests. The course reviews the
use of these tools and the role of epidemiology in measuring disease in populations,
estimating risks, and influencing public policy. Study designs reviewed include
cross sectional, ecologic, case control and cohort studies.
Enrollment is limited.
Griffin ( 4 hours)
Biostatistics 1
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.
Enrollment is limited.
Arbogast (4 hours)
Clinical Trials
514-5504
Introduces issues in design, conduct, and data analysis of clinical trials,
emphasizing practical use of methods. Topics include types/objectives 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 (4 hours)
Health Behavioral Methods: Measurement and Motivation
514-5514
The course will address two core areas in health behavior research: 1) the
measurement of knowledge, attributes, attitudes and behaviors that are relevant
to health behavior research, with a focus on scale development and 2) the
dispositional and situational variables that underlie current theories of
behavior and behavior change, with current applications.
Elasy (3 hours)
Biostatistics 2
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. Enrollment is limited.
Dupont (4 hours)
Epidemiology 2 : Non-randomized Study Design
514-5508
The design of non-randomized studies, including factors that are important in
design selection. The design of cohort studies, including rationale for use of
the cohort study, prospective and retrospective cohort studies, assembly and
follow-up of the cohort, exposure measurement, outcome ascertainment,
confounders, effect modification, calculation of measures of occurrence and
effect, summary of multivariate statistical analyses for cohort studies. The
case-control study, including rationale for use, conditions necessary for
validity of the case-control study, selection of controls, sources of bias in
case-control studies, and multivariate analysis. The ecological study,
including when to use and when to avoid. Designs to usually avoid:
cross-sectional, case-series and exposed-subject designs. The course includes
didactic lectures and critical reading of important epidemiologic studies from
the current medical literature. The latter encompasses discussion of the
articles in small groups and structured presentation to the class.
Prerequisites: Epidemiology 1, Biostatistics 2, Clinical Trials, or approval of
instructor. Enrollment is limited to 24 students due to space restrictions, with priority given to MPH and MSCI students.
Ray (4 hours)
Program & Policy Evaluation (offered every other year)
514-5511
The evaluation of changes in the health care delivery system, either through
programs specifically implemented to achieve such changes or through changes in
health care delivery/financing policies. The primary designs--before/after,
concurrent/retrospective control, interrupted time-series-and their strengths
and limitations. Class will include didactic lectures and small group critical
reading/presentation of current program/policy evaluations published in leading
medical journals. Prerequisite: Epidemiology 2, Biostatistics 2 or approval of
instructor.
Ray (3 hours)
Environmental Health
514-5516
This course will review the 3 key public health functions of assessment, policy development
and assurance in relationship to environmental health issues. Topics covered will include
public health surveillance activities including bioterrorism issues; food safety;
air pollution, and genetics and public health. Students will learn where to obtain
publicly available population data on health-related events from a variety of surveillance
activities and special surveys.
Vergara (2 hours)
Grant Writing and Scientific Communication
514-5517
Principles of scientific written and oral communication, with a focus on grant
writing will be discussed. The principles of scientific grant writing will
include how to write the background and significance, previous work, and
methods sections. Students will review grants submitted to public health
service study sections, participate in a mock study section, and prepare a
sample grant application. Enrollment limited to matriculants in the MPH or MSCI
programs. MPH matriculants must have completed Epidemiology 2. Enrollment is
limited.
Ray & N. Brown (1 hour)
Research Ethics
514-5518
Presents issues in the responsible conduct of research, including ethics, data
management, research fraud, academic misconduct, and conflict of interest. The
course covers federal and institutional guidelines regarding research in human
and animal subjects. Topics include vulnerable populations in research,
confidentiality and the Institutional Review Board (IRB).
Cooper (1 hour)
Protocol Development
514-5527
This course focuses on development of the individual student's research
protocol. Each student will present the background, methods, and limitations of
their proposed research design in class. Students will complete the research
protocol for their Master's thesis as a part of the course. Enrollment is
limited to students in the MPH program.
Cooper (1 hour)
Dissertation Research
514-5599
The primary objective is completion of the thesis project. The student will
coordinate dissertation research activities with the Thesis Committee.
Cooper (up to 6 hours)
MPH Seminar (Present at 1 seminar, attend at least one other)
514-5519
A research seminar at which each student presents the results of the thesis research.
This will be organized into a 1 hour presentation with a Background and
Significance, Methods, Results, and Public Health/Research Implications
covered. A total of 4 seminars are scheduled each year. Each student schedules
a presentation at one of these (4 maximum) on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Students are encouraged to attend all of the others and must attend at least
one. Students must obtain approval of their Thesis committee prior to
presenting.
Cooper (1 hour)
Public Health Practicum
Each student will participate in a public health practicum which will provide students with
opportunities to develop practical skills and competencies in public health practice settings.
Griffin (4 hours)
ELECTIVE COURSES
(MPH students may substitute elective courses for a portion of the dissertation research credit.)
Clinical Economics and Decision Analysis (offered every other year)
514-5512
This course will provide an overview of qualitative and quantitative decision
making with a dominant focus on quantitative techniques for decision-making,
using clinical and economic endpoints and their role in clinical strategies of
care and health policy. Topics include: cognitive heuristics, Baye's theorem,
ROC analysis, the study of diagnostic tests, meta-analysis, health states and
utility measurement using expected value decision making, decision tree
analysis, Markov processes and network simulation modeling, quantitative
management of uncertainty, cost theory and accounting, cost-effectiveness and
cost-utility analysis.
Dittus, Speroff, Stiles (3 hours)