Population Health Sciences

PHS 5000 Current Topics in Public Health

After interesting research studies are presented at meetings or published in journals, news media often disseminate results to a broader audience. As health care providers, we will be asked about these news stories by patients and other contacts. By the end of this course, students will be able to: 1) Facilitate discussions about the accuracy of scientific representation in news media. 2) Prepare future health care providers to review population health research and communicate findings accurately. Course note: This course is only required for MD/MPHS students.

Credit 1 unit.

Typical periods offered: Fall

PHS 5010 Introductory Clinical Epidemiology

The first course in the Epidemiology series, this course introduces the basic principles and methods of epidemiology, with an emphasis on critical thinking, analytic skills, and application to clinical practice and research. Class time will include lectures, group problem solving, article critiques and class discussion. The course will provide tools for critically evaluating the clinical literature and skills to practice evidence‐based medicine.

Credit 3 units.

Typical periods offered: Fall Half A

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.

Credit 3 units.

Typical periods offered: Fall Half B

PHS 5012 Ethics in Population and Clinical Health Research

This course will expose population and clinical health researchers to some of the ethical issues, challenges, and situations encountered in their research, with a focus on devising solutions. It will also familiarize them with principles of responsible conduct of research and available ethics and compliance resources. Case studies from the media will supplement discussion on topics such as informed consent and human subjects research, responsible conduct of research and allegations of misconduct, research with vulnerable populations, data management and presentation, publications and peer review, collaboration and sharing data, societal impact of research, and mentee-mentor relationships. Students who attend eight course sessions will fulfil the National Institutes of Health requirements for training in responsible conduct of research. This class is a seminar that will be held in person. This class is not based on lectures. Instead, it is based on discussion, and thus relies on full participation from all students. Students must come to each session prepared to be active and thoughtful participants. This requires thoughtful and careful reading of assigned course materials prior to each class session. Additionally, the class covers timely research ethics issues in the media, to demonstrate how common ethical concerns arise and the multi-level factors that lead to ethical issues (e.g., system, organization, lab, individual). Students will be responsible for identifying these issues and discussing them in class.

Credit 1 unit.

Typical periods offered: Spring

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/fail course to current MPHS students.

Credit 2 units.

Typical periods offered: Fall, Spring

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 R program.

Credit 3 units.

Typical periods offered: Fall Half A

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, public health, and population-based data sets, including linear, logistic, and Poisson 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, count, and survival outcomes using the R program, and will be able to use these models to address their health research questions.

Credit 3 units.

Typical periods offered: Fall Half B

PHS 5070 Introduction to R for Clinical Research

This course is designed to introduce medical students, clinicians and health researchers to the R programming language. Students will learn how to operate R via R Studio; import external data; create data sets; create, format and manipulate variables; and export data and results. Each session will consist of a combination of lecture and practical hands on exercises. Upon completion of this course, students will have obtained a basic understanding of the R environment.

Credit 1 unit.

Typical periods offered: Summer Intersession

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. Course note: To register for this course, students must either have a terminal degree (e.g. PhD, PharmD, MD) or submit a one-page project idea to be approved by the instructor and have the commitment of a WashU clinical faculty mentor.

Credit 3 units.

Typical periods offered: Spring

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, practice lab, and homework.

Credit 3 units.

Typical periods offered: Spring

PHS 5120 Applied Qualitative Methods for Health Research

This course will introduce students to the most commonly used qualitative methods for medical-related research. By the end of this course, students will learn applications of qualitative methods to health-related research, focusing on practical skills while laying the foundation for understanding why we make certain methodological decisions. The course addresses descriptive research, methods to develop or refine survey measures, formative and impact evaluation, implementation science, and mixed methods (quantitative and qualitative together). Topics 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 interviewing techniques. Students will learn the best practices in qualitative research and how to critically evaluate qualitative studies and articles. The culminating project is qualitative research proposal; assignments are planned throughout the semester to intentionally build the skills toward that proposal. Students may integrate the activities with their research interests, but a pre-identified project is not required. Class-time includes interactive learning to reinforce lessons and work through common challenges encountered in qualitative research. Upon completion of the course, students will be able to plan, conduct, and analyze a qualitative study.

Credit 3 units.

Typical periods offered: Fall

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.

Credit 3 units.

Typical periods offered: Fall

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. The role of randomized trials in comparative effectiveness research and the evaluation of prevention strategies is also addressed. Application of results of trials to inform practice is emphasized throughout. Evaluation: Students design a randomized controlled trial in their own field of interest, write a protocol for it, and critique recently published medical literature.

Credit 3 units.

Typical periods offered: Fall

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, paper.

Credit 3 units.

Typical periods offered: Spring

PHS 5160 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.

Typical periods offered: Spring

PHS 5210 Communicating Research Findings to the Media and Lay Audiences

An important step in the dissemination of health research is effectively communicating key findings and messages to the media and lay audiences. And such skills are becoming increasingly critical in health and medicine in the face of competing narratives from influencers and others in social media, podcasts, and more traditional channels. This course will help students develop the experience, techniques and confidence to distill complex information into engaging and accessible messages that resonate with audiences across multiple media. Guest lecturers from throughout the medical school will also share their unique insight and experiences on topics from podcast production and storytelling to community engagement and successful interviewing. Evaluation will center on students demonstrating – in class discussions, assignments and the final video/audio projects – the communication concepts learned throughout the week.

Credit 1 unit.

Typical periods offered: Spring Intersession

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.

Credit 3 units.

Typical periods offered: Fall

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.

Credit 1 unit.

Typical periods offered: Spring

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. This course is required for medical graduates but optional for medical students.

Credit 3 units.

Typical periods offered: Spring

PHS 5230 Multilevel and Longitudinal Data Analyses for Clinical Research

The course covers basic statistical concepts and methods for continuous, categorical, count, and time-to-event outcome data in multilevel and longitudinal settings. The course focuses on the application of these methods in clinical and public health research, on the explanation of model specification, and on the interpretation of model results. The statistical methods are implemented using R packages. Prerequisite: Knowledge of generalized linear model and use of R.

Credit 3 units.

Typical periods offered: Spring