Epidemiologic Methods III

The class will emphasize the determinants of disease incidence and the challenges of causal inference from observational studies. We will review alternative study designs and equip students to propose alternative approaches to evaluating a research question. In particular, we want students to understand the trade-offs implicit in any particular chosen design, relating to sample size and generalizability, measurement validity and precision, and internal validity. These considerations will be contextualized within extant literature on chronic disease and reproductive epidemiology, focusing on particular 'hot-topic' theoretical debates, such as early life sensitive periods, the obesity epidemic, determinants of dementia, measuring sensitive or stigmatized health experiences, and cohort trends in the incidence and prevalence of various outcomes.

Objectives

The objectives for this course are for participants to:

  • Articulate specific, testable hypotheses regarding determinants of health events or diseases and how these events/diseases influence functional outcomes;
  • Describe how proposed research questions contribute to active debates in epidemiology, including the origins of the obesity epidemic, cross-national differences in disease or health event incidence and prevalence;
  • Propose alternative study designs (e.g., case-control, cohort, quasi-experimental, or randomized trial) to test hypotheses;
  • Articulate advantages and disadvantages of alternative designs, considering the research question, exposure, and outcome under consideration;
  • Select appropriate statistical approaches for data analysis, considering the research question, data source, and measures available;
  • Describe and estimate the magnitude of potential sources of bias in observational, quasi-experimental, or randomized studies, including confounding, selection bias, and measurement bias;
  • Distinguish between the goals of causation-oriented and prediction-oriented research; and
  • Review applied quantitative articles in reporductive health and chronic disease epidemiology, summarize research questions, and identify pros and cons of: study design, measurement approach, and analytic approach for the specific research question.

Prerequisites

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

Faculty

Course Director:

Heidi Moseson, PhD, MPH

Lecturer, Epidemiology & Biostatistics
email: [email protected]

Format

Course content will be delivered via live lectures, which will occur on Fridays, 1:15 PM to 3:00 PM, April 7 to June 9. Participation and engagement throughout the lecture are strongly encouraged. Each week, in preparation for class, readings and homework will be assigned. At the beginning of each interactive lecture, we will walk through some "quiz" questions to prompt critical thinking about the readings, and then dive into the material via slides and discussion.  Lectures will be recorded in real-time and made available later in the day.

Materials

Each session will be accompanied by recommended readings, typically in the form of journal articles and specific websites. These materials will be posted on the course's online syllabus.

Grading

Grading will be based on weekly written reports/homeworks (80%), and an original paper/final research project (20%).

An applied data analysis project will be offered as an additional one-unit credit option. Epidemiology PhD students are required to enroll in the additional unit. All others taking the course who would like additional experience applying the course concepts to real-world data are welcome. The entire grade for the additional unit will be based on completion of the supplemental data analysis project.

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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Course Fees
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Spring Course Schedule

Apply by: Will not be taught during 2023-2024 academic year.