Program Information
The epidemiology doctoral program requires a minimum of 90 semester credits beyond the bachelor’s degree. The requirements include a minimum of 12 credits in epidemiology foundation coursework, which in most cases will be satisfied by a student’s master’s degree. Applicants with a completed master’s degree are preferred (e.g., master of science in epidemiology or master of public health with a concentration in epidemiology or biostatistics). Regardless of master’s degree, all students will need to demonstrate that they have successfully completed the 11 credits of foundation courses in order to take more advanced epidemiology coursework. All students must complete a minimum of 37-38 hours of epidemiology core coursework, 15 credits of a concentration, 14-15 credits of general electives (which can be satisfied by master’s degree coursework if approved by the supervisory committee), and 12 credits of dissertation work. Students must also complete a teaching experience, which can be fulfilled via a teaching assistantship or other experience requiring college level classroom teaching.
The University of Florida Program is mentor driven. All applicants will be reviewed with the expectation that they will work with a primary mentor and receive graduate assistant funding to work on research projects and/or teach, if a full time student during their course of studies.
The core coursework of the University of Florida epidemiology doctorate program was designed to incorporate competencies recommended in the report of the 2002 workshop on doctoral education in epidemiology from the American College of Epidemiology and Association of Schools of Public Health; and criteria for applied epidemiology competencies.
The overall outcomes expected of all graduates are for them to be able to:
1. Apply epidemiological methods to address critical &/or emerging
public health and clinical research issues through the use of:
*Appropriate epidemiological research designs
*Advanced statistical analysis methods for health studies
*Data structures & measurement methods for health research
*Biological, behavioral & social theory applied to the understanding
& prevention of contemporary threats to health & well-being
*Depth of knowledge in an area of specialization
2. Assimilate the history, philosophy, & ethical principles of epidemiology into current research
3. Develop grant proposals & manage research projects
4. Write scientific papers for publication in peer-reviewed journals, & communicate research results to scientists, policy makers, & the public
5. Compete successfully for research & teaching positions in academic institutions, federal or state agencies, or private institutions
Processes and Curriculum for PhD Students in Epidemiology
Updated: February 24th, 2009
- 1. Full time students must work with their primary mentor to compose a Doctoral Committee by the end of their second full-time semester of the PhD program. Committees typically will be composed of four members: three faculty internal to the PhD Program, and one external, as required by the Graduate School.
- 2. Students must take all required courses for the Epidemiology PhD prior to taking the Comprehensive Qualifying Examination. This includes the 2nd Epidemiology PhD Seminar. These exams will generally take place at the end of year two for students without an existing master's degree in epidemiology.
- 3. Students may then sign up to take the Comprehensive Qualifying Examination. This will be a two day written test. One day will be devoted to Epidemiology Principles and Methods, and one day split between (a) Biostatistics and, (b) Written critique of a journal article. Students will be able to select among questions on exams to accommodate different methods course sequences (e.g., case control or cohort methods; infectious disease or chronic disease examples).
- 4. The Comprehensive Qualifying Examination will be designed and approved by the Qualifying Examination Committee (made up of four faculty members (two from COM; two from PHHP)). The Committee will solicit exam questions from epidemiology and biostatistics faculty and will call on relevant faculty to grade specific answers. At least two faculty members will grade each item and the Qualifying Committee will then discuss the outcomes and determine the final grade. Students may pass components or the whole exam. The Exam Committee will recommend one of three outcomes: pass; fail (with description); or qualified pass with special recommendations. If the Exam Committee has a split decision; it will be referred to the Executive Committee. If not approved (fail), students can retake sections of the exam only once more. Failure of any part of the Comprehensive Qualifying Examination twice will result in a student being dropped from the program.
- 5. Once the above exam is passed, the student will present a prospectus (a written proposal and oral presentation) to their Doctoral Committee members. The full Committee must meet and make recommendations about the proposal prior to the presentation.
- 6. Once the prospectus is approved, the candidate may proceed with the dissertation.
- 7. When ready, the candidate will give a final public presentation and defense. The full Committee must meet prior the public defense.
The figure below summarizes the course offerings and required components of the University of Florida epidemiology doctoral degree (current as of April, 2009). Students are required to discuss and receive approval of their program advisor (assigned mentor) for their program curriculum. The epidemiology course sequence requires one graduate level course in epidemiology as a prerequisite (for example, PHC 6001) that is not credited to the PhD.
Epidemiology PhD Curriculum Overview
I. EPIDEMIOLOGY FOUNDATION COURSES: 12 credits |
Credits |
|
|
FOUNDATION IN STATISTICS & DATA MANAGEMENT |
8 |
|
|
STA 6166/ PHC 6937 |
Statistical Methods in Research I (SAS-based) |
3 |
|
PHC 6053 |
Regression Methods for Life Sciences (SAS-based) |
3 |
|
GMS 6803 |
Data Management for Epidemiologic & Clinical Research |
2 |
|
FOUNDATION IN EPIDEMIOLOGY |
3 |
|
|
PHC 6002/GMS 6801 OR PHC 6003/GMS 6802 |
Epidemiology of Infectious Disease/Prevention, Control of Infectious Diseases OR Epidemiology of Chronic Diseases/Prevention, Control of Chronic Diseases |
3 |
|
II. EPIDEMIOLOGY CORE: 37 –38 credits |
|||
EPIDEMIOLOGICAL METHODS |
12 |
|
|
PHC 6000 |
Epidemiology Methods I |
3 |
|
PHC 6011 |
Epidemiology Methods II (SAS-based) |
3 |
|
GMS 6818 OR |
Design & Conduct of Clinical Trials I OR |
2 |
|
GMS 6826 OR |
Advanced Design & Methodology for Case-Control Studies OR Longitudinal Research Design |
2 |
|
Students select one additional course from the list below. (Please note: Students can select an additional course from the 2-credit methods courses above to fulfill this requirement) |
2 |
|
|
GMS 6842 |
Translational Research Methods |
2 |
|
GMS 6846 |
Meta-Analysis in Clinical, HSR, & Public Health |
2 |
|
GMS 6819 |
Design & Conduct of Clinical Trials II |
2 |
|
DOCTORAL SEMINAR SERIES |
6 |
|
|
GMS 6892 |
Epidemiology Seminar I |
3 |
|
PHC 7000 |
Epidemiology Seminar II |
3 |
|
JOURNAL CLUB SERIES |
2 |
|
|
PHC 6901 |
Epidemiology Literature Review & Critique |
1 |
|
GMS 6894 |
Epidemiology Journal Club |
1 |
|
ETHICS IN RESEARCH |
2 |
|
|
GMS 6931 |
Ethical & Policy Issues |
2 |
|
MEASUREMENT |
3-4 |
|
|
GMS 6821 & GMS 6822 OR |
Measuring & Analyzing Health Outcomes I & II OR |
4/3 |
|
|
|||
ADVANCED STATISTICS (can be taken post prelim exam): Appropriate courses are discussed with & approved by advisor. |
6 |
|
|
ADVANCED EPIDEMIOLOGY ELECTIVES:All students must select 6 credits of coursework from the list below, or from courses that are alternates & not applied to the Epidemiology Methods Core above) |
6 |
|
|
PHC 6014 |
Epidemiology, Prevention, & Control of Chronic Diseases II |
3 |
|
GMS 6815 |
Cardiovascular Epidemiology |
2 |
|
GMS 6812 |
Cancer Epidemiology Prevention & Control |
3 |
|
GMS 6816 |
Pediatric Epidemiology |
2 |
|
GMS 6811 |
Grant Writing Skills in Epidemiology & Clinical Research |
2 |
|
PHC 6162 |
Public Health Grant Writing |
2 |
|
PHC 6441 |
Health Disparities |
3 |
|
PHC 6938 |
Oral & Craniofacial Epidemiology |
3 |
|
PHA 6268 |
Pharmacoepidemiology & Therapeutic Risk Management |
3 |
|
PHC 6717 |
Theory & Methods in Public Health Disability Research |
2-3 |
|
PHC 6937 |
Social Influences in Public Health |
3 |
|
PHC 6937 |
Bias in Observational Research |
3 |
|
PHC 6937 |
Public Health Concepts in Infectious Disease |
3 |
|
PHC 6937 |
Special topics: Survival Analysis |
3 |
|
TEACHING EXPERIENCE – All students are required to complete a teaching experience, such as a teaching assistantship or practicum; the type of experience is discussed with & approved by the advisor (*elective credit by advisor approval) |
0* |
|
|
III. EPIDEMIOLOGY CONCENTRATION: 15 credits (Note: students either select the clinical concentration or select a general track in which they complete additional advanced epi coursework ) |
|||
Clinical Epidemiology – requires Clinical Trials I & II listed to fulfill core methods requirement & requires Measuring & Analyzing Health Outcomes I & II to fulfill core measurement requirement. Additional requirements include: GMS 6832 Cost Effectiveness & Cost Benefit Analyses in Health (3); GMS 6811 Grant Writing Skills (3); Seminar in Clinical Epi & Investigation (2); Advanced Electives (5); & Advanced Methods in Epi (2) |
|
|
|
IV. GENERAL ELECTIVES: 14-15 credits (courses listed below are only suggestions; students can elect 6000 level or higher coursework with the approval of their advisor; these can be satisfied with appropriate master’s work with approval of advisor) |
|||
GMS 6817 |
Epidemic Investigations |
2 |
|
GMS 6830 |
Epidemiology & Health Policy |
3 |
|
GMS 6832 |
Cost Effectiveness & Cost Benefit Analysis in Health |
3 |
|
GMS 6833 |
Health Care Policy & Vulnerable Populations |
3 |
|
GMS 6835 |
Health Policy Issues in Children |
3 |
|
GMS 6834 |
Health Policy & the Formulation of Payment Mechanisms for Health Care |
3 |
|
GMS 6881 |
Special Studies |
2 |
|
GMS 6882 |
Directed Reading |
2 |
|
GMS 6884 |
Research in EPI |
2 |
|
GMS 6893 |
Clinical & Translational Science Seminar Series |
2 |
|
HSA 7106 |
Seminar in Health Care Access & Utilization |
3 |
|
HSA 7116 |
Health Services Organizational Research |
3 |
|
HSA 7157 |
Research Foundations in Health Policy |
3 |
|
HSA 7414 |
Society, Health, & Medical Care |
3 |
|
PHC 6716 |
Survey Research Methods |
3 |
|
PHC 6405 |
Epidemiology of Aging |
3 |
|
V. DISSERTATION: minimum of 12 credits |
|||
PHC 7980 or GMS 7980 |
Research for Doctoral Dissertation |
12+ |
|
Course Descriptions
PHC/6166/PHC 6937 Statistical Methods in Research I (3) No Prereq.This course is a sophisticated introduction to the concepts and methods of biostatistical data analysis. The topics include descriptive statistics, probability, standard probability distributions, sampling distributions, point and confidence interval estimation, hypothesis testing, power and sample size estimation, one- and two-sample parametric and nonparametric methods for analyzing continuous or discrete data, and simple linear regression. The SAS statistical software package will be taught in this class for data, statistical analyses, and power calculations.
PHC 6053: Regression Methods for the Health and Life Sciences (3) Prereq: STA/PHC 6166 or equivalent SAS-based course. This course introduces graduate students in fields other than statistics to a wide range of modern regression methods. Emphasis is on modeling driven by actual data from studies in a variety of areas, primarily from health, biology, and ecology. The primary topics are multiple linear regression, logistic regression, and Poisson regression. A main goal is to determine what approach to use among the linear and nonlinear models, and how to determine if the fit is adequate. By the end of the course, students will achieve competence in carrying out the analyses in SAS.
GMS 6803: Data Management for Epidemiologic & Clinical Research (3) Prereq: Permission from instructor required. This course introduces techniques of data management as they apply to epidemiologic and clinical research. Students learn how to design and implement computerized databases, perform basic query and reporting operations, migrate data between various file formats, prepare databases for statistical analysis, and perform quality assurance procedures. Methods include lecture, discussion, and hands-on data assessment, analysis, and presentation. Software used includes SAS and EpiInfo.
PHC 6002: Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases (3) Prereq: PHC6001, or program approval. This is an intermediate level course, which will introduce the student to the unique aspects of infectious disease and epidemiological methods used in their study, prevention and control. The student will gain knowledge through lectures, case studies, simulated outbreaks, exercises and an individual project.
GMS 6801: Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases (3) Prereq: Permission from instructor required. This course teaches the tools necessary to understand and explore infectious disease epidemiology. A variety of important infectious diseases will be examined but not all epidemiology will be taught.
PHC 6003: Epidemiology of Chronic Diseases (3) Prereq: PHC6001, or program approval. This advanced epidemiology course is intended to be a survey of the major chronic diseases with emphasis on recent epidemiology research and findings. The course introduces the demographic aspects of chronic illness, causation in chronic disease, smoking (lung cancer) and obesity and the role of screening in the early detection of chronic diseases. This is followed by series of lectures on specific chronic diseases, including a discussion on the epidemiologic features including risk factors, prevention, early detection (when appropriate) and control of the disease. The specific chronic diseases which will be discussed in this course are cancers of the lung, cervix, breast, colo-rectum, and prostate, hypertension, ischemic heart disease, stroke, diabetes mellitus, chronic renal disease and renal cell carcinoma.
GMS 6802: Prevention and Control of Chronic Diseases (3) Prereq: Permission from instructor required. This course provides a detailed review of epidemiology, prevention, and control of major chronic diseases, risk factors, and methodology.
PHC 6000: Epidemiology Methods I (3) Prereq: PHC6001 and STA6166 (PHC 6937 SAS-based), or program approval. This course extends the concepts and methods of epidemiology from PHC 6001 (Principles of Epidemiology). Research design and analytic reasoning are emphasized throughout the class. The course provides an understanding of the methods of epidemiological study designs and their analyses including issues of bias, confounding, and effect modification. The goal of this class is to provide a strong background in analytic reasoning and research design, study execution, analysis, and research interpretation.
PHC 6011: Epidemiology Methods II (3) Prereq: PHC 6000 and PHC 6053 or program approval. This course extends the concepts and methods of epidemiology from PHC 6000 (Epidemiology Methods I). Hands on analytic methods in epidemiology are the primary emphasize of the class. Students will learn to form a sound epidemiologic research question; thoroughly review and understand the research on the question, to date; and propose, analyze, and interpret the findings from a population-based dataset. The goal of this class is to provide a foundation in applied epidemiological analysis and experience in peer-review productivity based on secondary data analysis. This course requires competence in SAS regression techniques.
GMS 6818: Design and Conduct of Clinical Trials I (2) Prereq: Permission from instructor required. This course focuses on various study designs, including phase I-IV, single-arm, crossover, factorial, and sequential multi-stage, plus the means to allocate study participants to appropriate treatment groups using randomization (blocked or stratified) and prognostic factors. In addition, the protection of study participants and the need for equipoise is covered, including regulatory restrictions and the latest patient privacy regulations for the dissemination and use of data associated with the participants in clinical trials. The importance of informed consent and the use of intent-to-treat analysis will also be emphasized.
GMS 6819: Design and Conduct of Clinical Trails II (2) Prereq: Permission from instructor required. This course introduces the complex issues surrounding the analysis and interpretation of clinical trials including power and sample size considerations in the context of clinical trials. In addition, analytic methods and their applications to clinical trials will be emphasized.
GMS 6844: Experimental and Quasi-experimental Research Designs for Community Settings (2) Prereq: a graduate course in epidemiology and a graduate course in statistics, and permission of instructor. This course provides instruction in: (1) group-randomized trials—experiments where the unit of assignment is an intact social unit (e.g., clinics, schools, communities, rather than individuals), and (2) controlled quasi-experimental trials—longitudinal and time-series experiments (including “natural” experiments) where random assignment is not possible, but high levels of internal validity remain attainable. The course is designed for advanced masters-level and doctoral-level students in medicine, public health, and other health professions, as well as advanced students in public policy, sociology, psychology or other social sciences with plans for a career in research.
GMS 6826: Advanced Design and Methodology for Case-Control Studies (2) Prereq: a graduate course in epidemiology and a graduate course in statistics, and permission of instructor. This course provides instruction on design, critical assessment, and implementation of case- control studies. This advanced course will focus on design and methodological challenges particularly important in case control studies. Variations of the case- control study including case series, case-crossover, case-cohort, and nested case-control studies will be covered.
GMS 6829: Longitudinal Research Design (2) Prereq: Permission of instructor required.
This course provides instruction in design, evaluation, and implementation of longitudinal research designs and focuses on evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of several designs as well as addressing other methodological issues (e.g. missing data, statistical power, and analysis of longitudinal data).
GMS 6842: Translational Research Methods (2) Prereq: Permission of instructor required. This course introduces the concepts of translational research using both components of the NIH definition, and its application to epidemiology and improved health.
GMS 6846: Meta-Analysis in Clinical, HSR, & Public Health (2) Prereq: Permission from instructor required. This course provides instruction in policy-related research method Meta-analysis, the systematic reviewing of strategic summarized research evidence comprehensively and, when appropriate, quantitatively synthesized data from multiple studies.
GMS 6892: Epidemiology Seminar I: Epidemiology: Past, Present, and Future (3) Prereq: Prerequisites are advanced graduate courses in epidemiology and statistics, and permission of instructor. Permission of the instructor required. The principal goals of this seminar class are to: 1) familiarize students with the historical development, philosophy and culture of epidemiology; 2) explore, critique, and have in-depth discussions regarding the current state of epidemiology practice and science; and 3) formulate innovative research questions and epidemiology study designs to answer important health-related scientific questions for the future. This course is intended primarily for doctoral students in epidemiology and is required for completion of the PhD in epidemiology.
PHC 7000. Epidemiology Seminar II (3) Prereq: PHC 6011, doctoral student status, and permission of program. This course follows Seminar I offered by GMS. The primary focus of this seminar series is to learn to construct research ideas and incorporate strong advanced and auxiliary methods topics and discussion based on students planned dissertations topics.
PHC 6901: Epidemiology Literature Review & Critique (1, repeatable to max 3) Prereq: PHC 6000 and PHC 6053 or equivalent or permission of instructor. This course is intended to extend students’ understanding of the field of epidemiology, and their ability to explore and critique research methods. In weekly sessions, the instructor, guest faculty, and students, will prepare a peer-reviewed article for class discussion that demonstrates or involves innovative epidemiology content or methods. A secondary goal of this class is to prepare students to perform peer-review themselves (e.g., for journals, study sections) by examples of this work from faculty.
GMS 6894: Epidemiology Journal Club (1) Prereq: advanced graduate courses in epidemiology and statistics, and permission of instructor. The principal goals of this journal club are to: 1) extend understanding of the field of epidemiology, and 2) practice reviewing and critiquing research studies. Advanced epidemiology masters-level and other doctoral-level students in medicine, public health, and other health professions with plans for a career in research may take this course with permission from the instructor.
GMS 6931: Ethical and Policy Issues in Clinical Research (2) Prereq: Permission from instructor required. Ethical and policy issues related to conduct of clinical research. Basic understanding of regulations that govern human research and introduction to topic of research with animals.
GMS 6821: Measuring and Analyzing Health Outcomes I (2) Prereq: Permission from instructor required. This course provides the basic knowledge of health outcomes measures and practical skills in selecting appropriate measures for research.
GMS 6822: Measuring and Analyzing Health Outcomes II (2) Prereq: Permission from instructor required. This course provides instruction in the measurement methods currently used in both medical research and in clinical settings.
PHC 6711: Measurement in Epidemiology and Outcomes Research (3) Prereq: PHC 6050, PHC 6001, or equivalent. This course emphasis is on the major designs of epidemiology and health services outcomes research and the principles of measurement for these studies, particularly the use of primary data collection. Special emphases include: formative work, questionnaire design; interviewing methods; reliability and validity studies; and the extension of data quality methods to the use of various record resources (e.g., medical records, administrative data), and physical performance, laboratory, and biomedical specimens. Measurements in outcomes research, for example health-related quality-of-life, satisfaction with care, health status, function, and physical performance, will be used as primary examples throughout the course.
PHC 6014: Epidemiology, Prevention, and Control of Chronic Diseases II (3) Prereq: PHC 6001 or equivalent. This advanced epidemiology course is intended to be a survey of the major chronic diseases (not covered in PHC 6003) with emphasis on recent epidemiology research and findings. This introduces the general principles of chronic disease surveillance and control, causation in chronic disease with emphasis on alcohol, tobacco and diet. This will be followed by a series of lectures on specific chronic diseases including a discussion on the epidemiologic features including risk factors, prevention, early detection (when appropriate) and control of the disease. The specific chronic diseases which will be discussed in this course are Leukemias and lymphomas, cancers of the skin, multiple myeloma, larynx, esophagus, liver, and pancreas, chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases, liver diseases and injuries and finally, chronic neurological diseases.
GMS 6815: Cardiovascular Epidemiology (2) Prereq: Permission from instructor required.
This course is intended to be a survey of the major chronic diseases with emphasis on recent epidemiology research and findings in a series of lectures that will introduce the demographic aspects, causation, and the role of screening in the early detection of chronic diseases.
GMS 6812: Cancer Epidemiology Prevention and Control (3) Prereq: Permission from instructor required. This course gives a detailed review of epidemiology, early detection, prevention, and control strategies of major cancer sites.
GMS 6816: Pediatric Epidemiology (2) Prereq: Permission from instructor required.
This course provides an overview of the epidemiology of some of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in infants and children including the clinical aspects, descriptive epidemiology and suspected risk factors.
GMS 6811: Grant Writing Skills in Epidemiology and Clinical Research (2) Prereq: Permission from instructor required. This course provides instruction in the grant process, with a specific focus on National Institutes of Health (NIH) procedures.
PHC 6162: Public Health Grant Writing (2) Prereq: PHC 6000, 6001. This course discusses problems encountered in the design and execution of epidemiologic population-based studies and community intervention studies in human populations. Students will be required to design a community intervention study addressing a condition of public health significance using epidemiologic or other social/behavioral approaches unique to public health. Students will be required to prepare a scientific protocol and a grant proposal using NIH /CDC Forms. Emphasis will be placed on grantsmanship in epidemiology and public health.
PHC 6938: Oral and Craniofacial Epidemiology (3) Prereq: PHC 6001 and PHC 6050 or equivalent. PHC 6000 and STA 6166 are recommended, but not required. This course is an introduction to epidemiology of oral and craniofacial diseases for students majoring in any aspect of the health sciences. In particular, the course will provide an overview of oral and craniofacial diseases and will discuss special issues related to the principles and methods of epidemiologic research in this field. In particular, the course will cover study design, data collection methodology, statistical issues, national health surveys, public health prevention and surveillance, and genetic epidemiology. Some lectures will include hands-on exercises. Students will prepare, critique, present and submit a manuscript for publication related to the epidemiology of oral and craniofacial diseases.
PHA 6268---Pharmacoepidemiology (3) Prereq: PHC 6001 Principles of Epidemiology and PHC 6000 Epidemiology Methods (or equivalent research methods coursework) or permission from instructor. The course covers basic principles and methods used in epidemiology as they apply to drug safety and effectiveness.
PHC 6717: Theory and Methods in Public Health Disability Research (2-3; max: 3) Prereq: PHC 6050, PHC 6001, or equivalent, or permission of instructor. The course emphasis is on the interplay of epidemiology, disability, and public health in America, and provides students with the theoretical framework and applied research methods for disability. The Public Health Service’s Healthy People 2010 document includes disability issues throughout and in a separate chapter. These issues and the HP 2010 disability work plan will be covered. Key to the organization of this materiel is a life-span approach, covering issues in maternal and child health through to aspects of disability in aging. The course also covers the application of disability data to public policy and public health planning.
PHC 6937: Social Influences in Public Health (3) Prereq: PHC 6001 Principles of Epidemiology and PHC 6000 Epidemiology Methods (or equivalent research methods coursework) or permission from instructor. Social determinants of population health (including acute and chronic health/disease outcomes, as well as health behavior) are the focus of this course. In addition to discussion of current findings, this course will serve as an introduction to methodological approaches to the field of social epidemiology with specific attention to measurement issues. The social processes that will be discussed include: social inequalities by social class and race/ethnicity, neighborhood/area effects, racism and discrimination, social capital and cohesion, and social networks and support. Intervention and policy implications will also be discussed. The course is designed for students who have prior familiarity with the basic principles and methods of epidemiologic research.
PHC 6937: Bias in Observational Studies (3) Prereq: PHC 6011 and PHC 6053 or equivalent or permission of instructor. Students are required to have applied SAS and this class assumes an advanced competency with epidemiologic principles and vocabulary. The goal of this class is to provide a foundation for addressing issues of bias in observational studies, in terms of both the statistical language required for its discussion and the statistical methods available for its remediation. Sources of bias include but are not limited to confounding, misclassification, measurement error, selection bias, ecologic bias, bias due to censored or missing data, overmatching, recall bias, and tacit assumptions of homogeneity.
PHC 6937: Public Health Concepts in Infectious Disease (3) Prereq: PHC 6001, PHC 6002, and PHC 6050 or equivalent or permission of instructor. Special topics and extension to the issues covered in PHC 6002, especially in regard to emerging infectious disease issues and epidemiologic research in this field.
PHC 6937 Special Topics: Survival Analysis (3) Prereq: PHC 6053 or equivalent (SAS-based experience). This is an introductory course in survival analysis for graduate students in the biological and physical sciences. This course will cover survival analysis data methods including Kaplan-Meier and Nelson estimators of the survival, accelerated failure time and proportional hazards model.
GMS 6817: Epidemic Investigations (2) Prereq: Permission from instructor required.
This course presents the principles of epidemiology surveillance, epidemic investigation, and field epidemiology.
GMS 6830: Epidemiology and Health Policy (3) Prereq: Permission from instructor required. This course reviews general principles of epidemiology and health policy and how epidemiological studies have influenced health policy using examples related to smoking, asthma, and Reyes Syndrome.
GMS 6832: Cost Effectiveness & Cost Benefit Analysis in Health (3) Prereq: Permission from instructor required. Economic approaches for health care issues including basic cost-benefit and other analyses of imitations.
GMS 6833: Health Care Policy and Vulnerable Populations (3) Prereq: Permission from instructor required. Policy tools used to explore how the health care system can serve vulnerable populations such as the poor, elderly, and children.
GMS 6835: Health Policy Issues in Children (3) Prereq: Permission from instructor required. This course uses policy analysis tools to examine critical issues in child health policy such as the development and funding of early intervention programs, the rise of new morbidities of childhood, and the health and insurance status of children in the United States.
GMS 6834: Health Policy and the Formulation of Payment Mechanisms for Health Care (3) Prereq: Permission from instructor required. In this course, policy analytic tools are used to analyze payment mechanisms used in health care. Students gain an understanding of the evolution of physician and other provider reimbursement in health care throughout the twentieth century. Basic economic theory related to compensation and its application to the health care delivery system are presented.
GMS 6893: Clinical and Translational Science Seminar Series (2) Prereq: Permission from instructor required. This seminar series is designed to further the training of students in multi-disciplinary and inter-disciplinary clinical and translational research. Content areas include leading causes of morbidity and mortality in the United States, issues relevant to rural health and diseases such as HIV/AIDS and conditions such as obesity which have significant impact and research needs. The series consists of weekly, two-hour sessions which include researchers from the bench to the community. Specifically, for each topic area, speakers will discuss the clinical, laboratory, and epidemiological and economic aspects of the particular condition along with potential intervention strategies and community outreach activities.
PHC 6716: Survey Research Methods (3) Prereq: PHC 6001 and, 6050 or equivalent, or permission of Instructor. This course provides an introduction to population surveys typical in descriptive (surveillance) and analytic epidemiologic research. The course has a strong emphasis is on telephone questionnaire methods, but also includes other data collection modes and their relative advantages and disadvantages. Survey sampling, survey planning and data collection, computer interviewing and data management techniques for research surveys are emphasized. The course includes generalized methods and didactic materials as well as case studies drawn from the experiences of the course instructor and other University researchers.
PHC 6405: Epidemiology of Aging (3) Prereq: PHC 6050, PHC 6001, or equivalent. This course examines the principles and methods of aging as applied to the study of aging. Examination of concepts such as trends in aging and the health of the aging populations, explanations and consequences of mortality decline, dominants of health and mortality, and how health care affects and is affected by aging are covered.
PHC 6912: Special Project: Independent Research (1-9; max: 9) Prereq: 18 credits of major course work. Student must undertake significant responsibility for all or part of a research project of particular interest. Required final paper and oral presentation. S/U.
GMS 6881: Special Studies (2) Prereq: Permission from the instructor is required. This course provides the student an opportunity to work with a faculty mentor on a research project. An emphasis is placed on ensuring the student is working within the context of a research team and is obtaining experiences across different phases of research including data collection and analysis.
GMS 6882: Directed Reading (2) Prereq: Permission from the instructor is required. This course provides the student an opportunity to examine specific topics under the direction of a faculty member. The topic(s) are mutually agreed upon between the student and the faculty member.
GMS 6884: Research in EPI (2) Prereq: Permission from the instructor is required. This course is supervised research with a faculty member.
