M19 PHS 500 Current Topics in Public Health

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, class participation. Course note: required for medical students.

Credit 1 unit.

M19 PHS 501 Introduction to 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. Course note: M21 503 required prerequisite.

Credit 3 units.

M19 PHS 502 Intermediate 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. Course note: M19-501 required prerequisite.

Credit 3 units.

M19 PHS 505 Ethics in Population and Clinical Health

This course will expose population and clinical health researchers to the various ethical issues and situations encountered in their research and clinical duties, with a focus on research-related issues and solutions. It will also familiarize them with available ethics and compliance resources. Case studies and scenario presentations will facilitate discussion on topics such as informed consent, rights to health, personal responsibility for health, allegations of misconduct, research with communities, data objectivity and presentation, publications, collaborators' rights and responsibilities, intellectual property, and student-mentor relationships.

Credit 1 unit.

M19 PHS 507 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/fail course to current MPHS students. Prerequisites: Approval from MPHS leadership and students must have completed the Introductory and Intermediate Clinical and Epidemiology and Biostatistics series.

Credit 2 units.

M19 PHS 510 Introduction to SAS for Clinical Research

This one-week course is designed to equip medical students, clinicians and health researchers with basic SAS programming skills. Students will learn how to operate SAS, import external data, create SAS data sets, create, format and manipulate variables, and export data and results. Upon completion of this course, students will have obtained a basic understanding of the SAS environment.

Credit 1 unit.

M19 PHS 511 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 R program. Prerequisite for the course is knowledge in R.

Credit 3 units.

M19 PHS 512 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 the R program, and will be able to use these models to address their research questions. Prerequisite for the course is an introductory course in biostatistics and R knowledge.

Credit 3 units.

M19 PHS 520 Introduction to R for Clinical Research

This one-week 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. 

Credit 1 unit.

M19 PHS 5254 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.

Credit 3 units.

M19 PHS 526 Patient Safety, Quality Management, and Quality Improvement

This course introduces principles of patient safety, quality measurement and quality improvement. Classes are designed to provide students with hands-on skills in systems thinking and in preventing, learning from, and dealing with medical error and adverse events. Students will also learn fundamentals in approaches to evaluating quality, including quantitative methods in measure development. We will discuss various approaches and challenges to knowledge translation and effective change management in improving quality. Students will be encouraged to use their real-world experiences in problem solving around patient safety concerns, to develop and evaluate quality measures in their respective fields and to develop a quality improvement project in their area of interest as part of the course. If student is not in the MPHS program, they must contact the program regarding registration.

Credit 3 units.

M19 PHS 527 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.

Credit 3 units.

M19 PHS 532 Applied Qualitative Methods for Health Research

This course will introduce students to the most commonly used qualitative methods for medical-related research. 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. Students will learn the best practices in qualitative research and how to critically evaluate qualitative studies and articles. Upon completion of the course, students will be able to plan, conduct and analyze a qualitative study. If student is not in the MPHS program, they must contact the program regarding registration.

Credit 3 units.

M19 PHS 540 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.

Credit 3 units.

M19 PHS 550 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, paper. Course note: Students are strongly encouraged to have taken or be concurrently enrolled in M21-560. If student is not in the MPHS program, they must contact the program regarding registration.

Credit 3 units.

M19 PHS 551 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, paper. Stata IC required. Course note: M21-570 required prerequisite. If student is not in the MPHS program, they must contact the program regarding registration.

Credit 3 units.

M19 PHS 559 Dissemination and Implementation Science

This course provides an overview of 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.

Credit 3 units.

M19 PHS 560 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. If student is not in the MPHS program, they must contact the program regarding registration.

Credit 3 units.

M19 PHS 570 Communicating Research Findings to the Media and Lay Audiences

A critical step in the dissemination of population-level clinical research is communicating research findings and key messages to the media and lay audiences. With conflicting messages coming from advocacy groups and others, the burden falls on the clinician-researcher to distill complex information, dispel misinformation, and tell a compelling story that resonates with the audience. The course will equip students with the skills, technique, experience and confidence needed to give successful, engaging media interviews and presentations related to the publication of research and expertise-specific topics. Through critique, tape and review exercises, class discussion, and guest speakers, students will learn about the facets that make an interview or presentation successful, including nonverbal communication and delivery skills (body language and vocal interpretation), content and messaging, and navigating interactions with the media. The instructor will evaluate each student's skill set and create a working skills inventory on which the student will build throughout the course in a series of on-camera experiences.

Credit 1 unit.

M19 PHS 580 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.

Credit 2 units.

M19 PHS 590 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.

Credit 1 unit.

M19 PHS 601 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. This course is required for medical graduates but optional for medical students.

Credit 3 units.

M19 PHS 610 Multilevel and Longitudinal Data Analyses for Clinical Research

The course is designed for medical students, clinicians and health researchers. The course is an extension of Intermediate Biostatistics (M19-512, instructor Yan Yan). The topics include basic statistical concepts and methods for various types of clinical data (continuous, categorical, count, and time-to-event outcome data) in multilevel and longitudinal settings. Through lectures, SAS labs, and homework assignments, students will understand the basic statistical concepts and methods for the four types of clinical outcome data in multilevel and longitudinal settings, will be able to address clinical research questions using these concepts and methods, will be able to perform basic data analyses on these types of data with SAS software, and will be able to interpret the results in the context of clinical research.

Credit 3 units.