Intermediate Epidemiology and Biostatistics

Page content: Department/Institution Offering Unit | Unit Points | Contacts | Overall Objectives | Content | Assessment Breakdown | Timetable

Department/Institution Offering Unit

School of Population Health
Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry & Health Sciences
The University of Melbourne
Level 2, 723 Swanston Street
Carlton Victoria 3053

Unit Points

Research Points: N/A

Coursework Points: 12.5

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Contacts

Unit Coordinator/s:

Dr Melanie Matheson
School of Population Health
Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry & Health Sciences
The University of Melbourne
Level 2, 723 Swanston Street
Carlton Victoria 3053

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Overall Objectives

This is an introduction to quantitative research design and a revision of the methods, meaning and limitations of statistical analyses in medical research. At the completion of this subject the student will be able to understand the key issues in designing and writing up their AMS projects.

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Content

Skills to be developed through the subject will include developing:

• Perspective as to the role of research through the AMS year and your AMS project in equipping you to function in the rapidly changing world of clinical medicine and in providing you with a "taste" of life in the world of research.
• Understanding how to frame a research question
• Understanding the basis of research design and recognising the key design issues in your own research projects
• Understanding association and causation and the difference between these
• Awareness of the issues around data collection and quality
• Knowledge of the basic types of data and the appropriate ways to statistically summarise
• Understanding of basic statistics and a statistical package
• Understanding and applying the concepts of hypothesis testing, confidence intervals and statistical significance
• Understanding of the role of evidence based medicine
• Library database and endnote skills

Blocks: This subject will be divided over 2 blocks, the first is outlined here. The second teaching will be a 1 day intensive during September (to be confirmed), and will cover writing up your results and interpreting of statistics.

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Assessment Breakdown

Research Component: N/A

Coursework Component:
Assessment will be based on your research proposal (60%) and a brief submission based on the ethics component (20%) and a STATA assignment (20%). Once the research proposal has been developed, students will submit it for feedback (mid-August)

An assessment of the final submitted proposal (early Nov) will contribute 80% to your assessment for this subject. An assignment of up to 1000 words will be assessed for the Ethics component (20%) and will involve writing-up your choice of one of the take home tasks after they have been discussed in the Ethics workshops (submit end August)

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Timetable for 2009 (Click to download)