Please note: there may be some adjustments to the teaching arrangements published in the course catalogue for 2020-21. Given current circumstances related to the Covid-19 pandemic it is anticipated that some usual arrangements for teaching on campus will be modified to ensure the safety and wellbeing of students and staff on campus; further adjustments may also be necessary, or beneficial, during the course of the academic year as national requirements relating to management of the pandemic are revised.

Further Epidemiology and Statistics MED5430

  • Academic Session: 2022-23
  • School: School of Health and Wellbeing
  • Credits: 20
  • Level: Level 5 (SCQF level 11)
  • Typically Offered: Semester 2
  • Available to Visiting Students: Yes
  • Available to Erasmus Students: No
  • Taught Wholly by Distance Learning: Yes

Short Description

This course builds on the concepts and methods introduced in the Introduction to Statistical Methods course and the Introduction to Epidemiology course. It will introduce students to the application of more advanced but commonly used methods of data analyses (using a suitable statistical computing package) and the application of statistical and epidemiological principles to specific areas, including: cardiovascular disease, cancer, psychiatric disease, medical genetics and life-course epidemiology.

Timetable

Classes will be of 2 hours duration and there will be ten classes held over 10 weeks. In addition there will be 2 x 2hr computer practicals using an appropriate statistical software package 

Requirements of Entry

Students must have achieved at C3/12 in the Introduction to Statistics course

Excluded Courses

MED5021 Further Epidemiology And Statistics

Co-requisites

none

Assessment

A written assignment related to an epidemiological investigation and a statistical computing exercise in the form of short answer exercises. 

Course Aims

To build on the concepts and methods introduced in the Introduction to Statistical Methods course and the Introduction to Epidemiology course.

 

To introduce students to the application of more advanced but commonly used methods of analysis of data; to give students practical experience of the application of these methods to the analysis of data using a suitable statistical computing package.

 

To demonstrate the application of epidemiological principles and interpret the rationale for and results of statistical analyses applied to specific areas, including: cardiovascular disease, cancer, psychiatric disease, medical genetics and life-course epidemiology.

Intended Learning Outcomes of Course

On successful completion of this course students will be able to:

Critically debate epidemiological principles within health research and apply and interpret the results of appropriate analyses.

Analyse epidemiological issues specific to disease areas including psychiatric disease, cardiovascular disease and cancer and describe sources of data available.

Critically examine the concept of life-course epidemiology, analyse the development of this approach and discuss how it differs from conventional epidemiological studies.

Determine the contexts for which each of the following methods of analysis is appropriate: multiple linear regression; Poisson regression; negative binomial regression; random, foxed and mixed effects meta-analysis; Kaplan Meier Survival Plot; log rank tests and Cox's proportional hazard regression

 
Apply a statistical package to carry out analysis of data using the above methods and be able to interpret and critically evaluate the output from the package.

Minimum Requirement for Award of Credits

Students must submit at least 75% by weight of the components (including examinations) of the course's summative assessment.