Epidemiologic Methods III

The objectives for this course are for participants to:

1. Articulate specific, testable hypotheses regarding determinants of disease.
2. Describe how proposed research questions contribute to active debates in epidemiology.
3. Describe and apply econometric study designs to answer causal questions in epidemiology, including the assumptions needed for causal inference.
4. Articulate advantages and disadvantages of epidemiologic and econometric study designs, considering the research question, exposure, and outcome under consideration.
5. Select appropriate statistical approaches for data analysis, considering the research question, data source, and measures available.
6. Describe and estimate the magnitude of potential sources of bias in observational, quasi-experimental, or randomized studies, including confounding, selection bias, missing data, and incorrect measurement.
7. Distinguish between the goals of descriptive, predictive, and causal studies, including a critical evaluation of the definition of causation and causality.
8. Understand and apply theories of disease distribution in epidemiology.

Epidemiologic Methods (EPI 203), Biostatistical Methods for Clinical Research I (BIOSTAT 200), Epidemiological Methods II (EPI 207) . Exceptions to this prerequisite may be made with the consent of the Course Director, space permitting.

Course content will be delivered via live lectures and discussion, which will occur on Mondays, 10:15 PM to 12 PM, March 31 to June 2. Attendance is required. Participation and engagement throughout the lecture and discussion will form part of the course grade. Each week, in preparation for class, readings and homework will be assigned.

The course will be divided into two units. The first 5-week unit will focus on interrogating causal inference theory, including how we define exposures and under what conditions we can think of exposure-outcome relationships as “causal”. These weeks will consist of in-person lectures and student-led discussions. Attendance in person is required; there will be no remote option.

The second 3-week unit will focus on an overview of major study designs in econometrics and how they can be applied to epidemiologic research questions. These weeks will consist of lectures delivered via Zoom only.

The final week will consist of student presentations of work developed over the course and will be in person.

Each session will be accompanied by required readings, typically in the form of journal articles and the course textbook, Causal Inference and the People’s Health (Schwartz and Prins) . Students are responsible for obtaining a copy of the course textbook. All other reading materials will be posted on the course's online syllabus.

Grading will be based on attendance and participation in discussion from weeks 1-5 (15%), weekly reading reflections posted on the course website for weeks 1-5 (10%), student-led paper discussion and written reflection (25%), completion of weekly problem sets during weeks 6-8 (30%), and development and presentation of an NIH grant-style specific aims page (20%).

Only UCSF students (defined as individuals enrolled in UCSF degree or certificate programs) will receive academic credit for courses. Official transcripts are available to UCSF students only. A Certificate of Course Completion will be available upon request to individuals who are not UCSF students and satisfactorily pass all course requirements.

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