The Master of Population Health Sciences (MPHS) offered by the School of Medicine is a 10-month degree program for clinicians, clinical doctorates, medical students and health sciences students seeking training in clinical research methods. The curriculum emphasizes the role of epidemiology and biostatistics in approaching clinical effectiveness and outcomes research for all medical specialties. The MPHS does not require a research thesis upon completion of the program. Instead, the program innovatively uses applied course work to focus on the long-term mastery of skills. Using topics relevant to their careers and interests, MPHS students practice the art of developing research study protocols, performing systematic reviews, designing epidemiologic studies and much more. Many students go on to produce award-winning research using their applied course work and skills learned in the program.

Contact Info

Contact:	Ramona Kohl
Email:	mphs@wustl.edu
Website:	http://www.mphs.wustl.edu

• Master of Population Health Sciences
• MD/Master of Population Health Sciences
• Certificate in Clinical Effectiveness
• Certificate in Health Equity and Disparities
• Clinical Epidemiology Concentration 
• Health Equity and Disparities Concentration 

Research Projects & Assignments

The MPHS program uses applied course work, which means students use their own research projects and interests for class discussions and assignments. This format helps our students apply and master research concepts quickly, and it maximizes research productivity during students' time in the program.

For example, students will write and design research protocols, systematic reviews and meta-analyses, grant proposals and more. In addition, our instructors select case studies, prioritize reading lists, and shape class discussions from current, in-the-news clinical outcomes research and population health topics.

Students are not required to complete a research project for graduation. The focus in the MPHS program is on the practice and mastery of clinical research skill sets for long-term benefit.

Students are encouraged to have a primary mentor connected to their research while in the MPHS program. If needed, our program leadership can help students find a research project or mentor.

Visit our website for more information about our faculty and their appointments.

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MPHS Core Courses 

• Introductory Clinical Epidemiology 
• Intermediate Clinical Epidemiology 
• Grant Writing: Applying Clinical and Population Health Methods 
• Current Topics in Public Health for Clinicians 
• Introduction to R 
• Introductory Biostatistics for Clinical Research 
• Intermediate Biostatistics for Clinical Research 
• Ethics in Population and Clinical Health Research 

MPHS Elective Courses 

• Applied Research Independent Study 
• Applied Qualitative Methods for Health Research 
• Decision Analysis for Clinical Investigation and Economic Evaluation 
• Introduction to Health Disparities and the Structural and Social Determinants of Health 
• Randomized Controlled Trials 
• Communicating Research Findings to the Media and Lay Audiences 
• Development, Validation and Application of Risk Prediction Models 
• Dissemination and Implementation Science 
• Introduction to Propensity Score Methods 
• Multilevel and Longitudinal Data Analysis for Clinical and Public Health Research 
• Principles of Shared Decision Making and Health Literacy in the Clinical Setting 
• Systematic Reviews and Meta Analysis 
• Using Administrative Data for Health Services Research 

Fall Core Courses 

PHS 5010 Introductory Clinical Epidemiology

This course introduces the basic principles and methods of epidemiology, with an emphasis on critical thinking, analytic skills and application to clinical practice. Topics include: outcome measures; methods of adjustment; surveillance; quantitative study designs; and sources of data. Designed for those with a clinical background, the course will provide tools for critically evaluating the literature and skills to practice evidence-based medicine. Course activities: lectures, midterm and final exams, class participation, problem sets and papers. 

PHS 5011 Intermediate Clinical Epidemiology 

The second course in the Epidemiology series, this course builds upon the basic principles and methods of epidemiology and introduces additional tools and concepts that are critical to a comprehensive study design. Topics include risk and association, sampling strategies, interaction, confounding, adjustment, lifetables, applied causal inference, validity and reliability, social epidemiology, and approaches to data analysis. Upon exiting this course, students will be prepared to approach the study design portion of a protocol, as required by the final course in the Epidemiology series. Course activities: lectures, midterm and final exams, class participation, problem sets, and papers. 

Prerequisite: PHS 5010

PHS 5000 Current Topics in Public Health for Clinicians 

Students will review public health research, interventions and problems making headlines in print and television media. Discussion of how the problem is presented and evaluated will take place and students will discuss alternate approaches. Course activities: brief presentations, short written assignments, and class participation. Course note: Required for medical students. Limited to MPHS degree candidates or with instructor permission. This course cannot be taken pass/no pass.

PHS 5070 Introduction to R 

This course will introduce students to the software package R for use in cleaning and analyzing data. Topics covered include writing R programs; entering, importing and saving data; manipulating variables and creating new ones; dealing with missing values; merging and appending datasets; and running basic descriptive statistics and making graphs.  Students who receive a 90% or higher on the exam will be exempt from taking the course and will receive proficiency credit.

PHS 5040 Introductory Biostatistics for Clinical Research 

This introductory course in biostatistics is designed for medical students, clinicians, and health researchers. The course will introduce students to basic statistical concepts including hypothesis testing, probability distributions and relevant basic statistical methods. Through in-class and homework assignments, students will learn to apply statistical concepts to the medical context.  Upon completion of the course, students will be able to summarize quantitative data and carry out and interpret simple data description and analyses using the SAS program.

Prerequisite: PHS 5070 

PHS 5041 Intermediate Biostatistics for Clinical Research 

This intermediate course is designed for medical students, clinicians and health researchers and builds on the skills developed in Introduction to Biostatistics for Clinical Research. The course will focus on more advanced statistical concepts as applied to clinical and population-based data sets, including linear and logistic regression analyses, and survival analyses. Through applied coursework, students will learn how to analyze and interpret clinical research data. Upon completion of the course, students will be able to perform statistical data analyses for regression models with continuous, categorical, and survival outcomes using R, and will be able to use these models to address their research questions.

Prerequisites: PHS 5040 & PHS 5070 

Spring Core Courses 

PHS 5220 Grant Writing: Applying Clinical and Population Health Methods 

This course provides students with the opportunity to apply methods and principles learned in previous MPHS classes to the development of a grant application. Students prepare this application on a research question of their own choosing and in the format expected for National Institutes of Health (NIH) R03, R21, or K grant applications (research plan only). Students also have the opportunity to evaluate research proposals for scientific merit.

PHS 5012 Ethics in Population and Clinical Health Research 

This course will expose population and clinical health researchers to the various ethical issues and situations encountered in their profession. It will also familiarize them with available ethics and compliance resources. Case studies and scenario presentations will facilitate discussion on topics such as allegations of misconduct, data objectivity and presentation, publications, collaborators’ rights and responsibilities, intellectual property, and student-mentor relationships.

Fall Elective Courses 

PHS 5140 Randomized Controlled Trials 

This course provides a comprehensive introduction to randomized controlled clinical trials. Topics include types of clinical trials research (efficacy and effectiveness trials), study design, treatment allocation, randomization and stratification, quality control, analysis, sample size requirements, patient consent, data safety and monitoring plans, reporting standards, and interpretation of results. Course activities: lectures, manuscript critiques, class project, and paper.

PHS 5120 Applied Qualitative Methods for Health Research 

This course will introduce students to the most commonly used qualitative methods for health-related research and implementation science. It will provide a foundation in the application of qualitative methods to medical and health research. Topics addressed will include uses of qualitative data, designing studies, sampling strategies, collecting data, and qualitative analysis. A variety of methods will be discussed, with an emphasis on using focus groups and various interviewing techniques. Using case-based examples from active research studies, students will learn the best practices in qualitative research, how to plan and critically evaluate qualitative studies and articles, and fundamentals of writing strong qualitative aims for grant proposals. Upon completion of the course, students will be able to plan, propose, conduct, and analyze a qualitative study. Course activities are primarily discussion-based and include:  case-based presentations,  literature critique, and study development.  All deliverables are purposefully designed to help a student walk through the steps of planning, proposing, and conducting qualitative research.  Guest lectures by trained qualitative methodologists who are active qualitative researchers are included.

PHS 5130 Decision Analysis for Clinical Investigation and Economic Evaluation

In this course, we will introduce students to the methods and applications of decision analysis and cost-effectiveness analysis in health care technology assessment, medical decision making, and health resource allocation. At the conclusion of the class, the student will have an understanding of the theoretical basis for economic evaluation and decision analysis, its application, and hands-on experience in the application of the methods. Among the topics covered are the development of a research question, choice of decision perspective, development of a decision analytic model, estimation of costs and benefits, use of preference based measures, addressing uncertainty and preparation of a manuscript presenting a decision analytic study. 

PHS 5212 Introduction to Health Disparities and the Structural and Social Determinants of Health

The purpose of this course is to explore how structural and social determinants of health (SSDoH) produce and maintain health disparities. There will be a variety of learning modalities, including expert guest lectures to discuss cutting-edge research, key foundational and recent readings related to SSDoH and health disparities, and in-class discussion. The course will use case studies and a research proposal to help students apply what they’ve learned to real-life situations. By the end of the course, students will be able to (a) define health disparities; (b) explain how social and structural determinants of health – including interpersonal and structural racism – produce and maintain health disparities across each phase of disease development; and (c) identify strategies for assessing and addressing health disparities in their own research. 

Winter Elective Course

PHS 5210 Communicating Research Findings to the Media and Lay Audiences 

Understanding how to effectively communicate research findings and key messages to the media and lay audience is necessary for clinicians and researchers. This one-credit-hour course will address the different methods that can be used to disseminate research and related messages, some of the barriers to dissemination, and tips for working with the media. Course discussion and lectures will also review current media training at Washington University School of Medicine. Participants will leave this weeklong course with the skills, techniques, and confidence needed to communicate more effectively with a lay audience, as well as to give successful, engaging interviews and presentations related to their professional research. This class is pass/no pass only. Evaluation will be based on participation and completed assignments. Evaluation will also consider how well the student has learned material when communicating to lay audiences and the media. Course work will include class assignments, activities and discussion, guest speakers, and presentations.

Spring Elective Course 

PHS 5170 Principles of Shared Decision Making and Health Literacy in the Clinical Setting 

This course will provide a comprehensive introduction to principles of shared decision making and health literacy and their implications for clinical communication. Topics may include basic and applied research on shared decision making, principles of designing and evaluating patient decision aids, principles of health literacy, research on relationship between health literacy, numeracy, and health outcomes, best practices for communication with low-numerate and low-literate individuals, best practices (and controversies) in communicating probabilities and their associated uncertainty about screening and treatment outcomes, and best practices for designing and evaluating written information for clinical populations (such as intake forms, brochures, and informed consent documents). Course activities: lectures, manuscript critiques, class project, paper

PHS 5150 Systematic Reviews and Meta Analysis 

Introduction to the use of meta-analysis and related methods used to synthesize and evaluate epidemiological and clinical research in public health and clinical medicine. Concepts introduced and illustrated through case studies of public health and medical issues. Course activities: lectures, class discussion, group project, and paper.

PHS 5100 Development, Validation and Application of Risk Prediction Models 

This course will provide the knowledge and principles of predictive modeling, with applications to clinical and population health settings. Topics covered will include design, conduct, and application of risk predictions; statistical methods and analysis for model development and validation; evaluation of prediction models; emerging new methods; and risk stratification to identify a risk group, to assess eligibility to clinical trials and interventions, and to guide prevention priorities. The student will learn these topics through lecture, class discussions, data analysis lab, and homework.

Prerequisites: PHS 5040 & PHS 5041 

PHS 5080 Using Administrative Data for Health Services Research 

The objective of this advanced graduate course is to prepare students to understand and use large administrative healthcare databases to perform epidemiologic / health services research. Lectures will cover the translation of clinical care into healthcare utilization data, review various types of national and state administrative databases, describe methods for administrative database research, and emphasize key issues related to data security and confidentiality. We will consider the strengths and limitations of observational studies using large databases to augment evidence from randomized clinical trials. Students will get hands-on experience with administrative data via programming with R statistical software. Students will develop and present to the class a research proposal in their own area of interest using administrative data. Students will further gain experience with healthcare database research by reviewing journal articles weekly.

PHS 5160 Dissemination and Implementation Science 

This course provides an overview to dissemination and implementation (D&I) science (i.e., translational research in health). Topics include the importance and language of D&I science; designs, methods and measures; differences and similarities across clinical, public health and policy settings; selected tools for D&I research and practice; and future issues. Course activities: Lectures, class discussions, manuscript critiques, and class project (culminating in a poster).

PHS 5020 Applied Research Independent Study 

The purpose of the Independent Study course is to develop and refine the skills students learn in the fall core courses, Introductory and Intermediate Clinical and Epidemiology and Biostatistics series. Students enrolling in this course must come prepared with a circumscribed and well-defined project that relates to public health and population sciences. A research mentor within Washington University School of Medicine must be identified and approved of by MPHS leadership prior to the course enrollment. Objectives, a synopsis and milestones of the project per each student’s individualized syllabus should be identified and submitted to the MPHS leadership and mentor prior to the start of the semester. Students will be expected to submit a report, for example, drafted manuscript, an abstract for a conference, data analysis results, at the end of the spring semester to the MPHS leadership for credit. Course credit will be evaluated by both the research mentor and MPHS leadership. This two-credit course will be offered only as a pass/no pass course to current MPHS students.

Prerequisites: PHS 5010, PHS 5011, PHS 5040 & PHS 5041

PHS 5230 Multilevel and Longitudinal Data Analysis for Clinical and Public Health Research 

This course is designed for medical / public health students, clinicians, epidemiologists, and other public health researchers. The topics include basic statistical concepts and methods for continuous, categorical, count, and time-to-event data in multilevel and longitudinal settings. Through lectures, labs, homework assignments, and a final take-home exam, students will understand the basic statistical concepts and methods for these types of data, will be able to address research questions using the concepts and methods, will be able to perform basic data analyses with R, and will be able to interpret the results in the context of clinical and public health research.

Prerequisites: PHS 5041 & PHS 5070

PHS 5215 Introduction to Propensity Score Methods 

This introductory course on Propensity Score Methods is designed for medical students, clinicians and health researchers to understand propensity score methods and to foster the skills needed to plan and conduct their own research projects. This course will introduce the students to the techniques of using propensity score methods to control for confounding biases in non-randomized observational studies. Through lectures, labs, and homework assignments, students will learn the concept of propensity score methods and how to apply learnt statistical methods in a medical context.

Prerequisites: PHS 5070, PHS 5040, PHS 5041 & PHS 5010 

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