PH 7031 – Epidemiologic Methods II

(CRN: 88943)

Matthew Magee

Epidemiology and Biostatistics

Fall Semester2014

Course Basics / Class Day/Time: / Thursdays, 1:00 to 3:30 PM
Class Location: / 34 Peachtree Building (Peachtree Street Building), Room 504
Prerequisite(s): / PH 7021 Epidemiologic Methods I
Required Course Materials / Rothman, K. Epidemiology: an introduction. Oxford University Press, 2012. (ISBN-10:0199754551)
Faculty Accessibility / Instructor(s) of Record: / Matthew J Magee, PhD MPH
Office Location: / Rm. 710 One Park Place
Phone Number(s): / 404-413-1797
Email: /
Office Hours: / Office hours by appointment

I.Course Description:

The methodological issues important to the design of epidemiologic studies of both infectious and noninfectious disease will be covered at an intermediate level. The material to be covered is intended to broaden and extend the student’s understanding of the elements of study design, data analysis, and inference in epidemiologic research, including issues related to causation, bias and confounding. The primary aims of the course are to provide a working knowledge of the fundamentals of epidemiology as well as to serve as a foundation for more advanced study of epidemiologic methods. The course will provide the student with a rigorous approach to critical reading of the medical literature. Each week articles reporting on research using varied designs and methods will be reviewed in order to illustrate the application of epidemiologic principles. By the end of the course, the student will be able to critique an article and identify its strengths and weaknesses. The course will consist of lectures. This course is formally PH7270 Intermediate Epidemiologic Methods.

II. Course Objectives / Competency / Assessment of Student Learning:

Course Objectives

  1. Understand how scientific research methods are used to create and test epidemiologic hypotheses.
  2. Understand key assumptions, limitations, and methods of assessing causality using epidemiologic methods.
  3. Identify appropriate analytic strategies for various study designs.
  4. Calculate measures of disease frequency and measures of disease association using SAS, and provide interpretation of these measures.
  5. Use analytic reasoning and quantitative methods to adjust for error in observational studies.

Competencies

This course is designed to support students in acquiring competence in the following three areas, as indicated in the School of Public Health Graduate Student Handbook (see MPH Core Competencies).

  • Interpret and communicate, via oral and written form to professional and lay audiences, the results of statistical analyses. (MPH Core Competency #3)
  • Calculate and interpret common epidemiologic measures to draw appropriate inferences. (MPH Core Competency #4)
  • Critically evaluate strengths and weaknesses of epidemiologic methods. (MPH Core Competency #5)

Assessment of Student Learning

Course Objectives (see above) / Program Competency / Assessment Method(s)
Objective 1. Hypotheses / EPID 1,3, 6 / In class discussions, problem sets, and analysis exercises
Objective 2. Causality / EPID 2, 3, 5 / In class discussions, problem sets, article presentations, midterm, final
Objective 3. Analytic strategy / EPID 4 and 5 / Analysis exercises, midterm, final
Objective 4. Calculation, Interpretation / EPID 2, 5, 6 / In class discussions, analysis exercises, and final
Objective 5. Adjusting for error / EPID 2, 5, 6 / Analysis exercises, midterm, and final
  1. Course Assignments and Requirements

This course assumes substantial and informed student participation. General discussion of theory and practice is encouraged and expected of all students. At a minimum, being informed requires class attendance, completion of assigned readings and homework, and preparation for exams. Class attendance and thoughtful participation are important and will be reflected in part in the final grade. Please notify the instructor of an absence before the class.

Course assignments will contribute to the final grade as follows:

1. Problem Sets (2) / 20%
2. Analysis exercises (2) / 20%
3. Participation: Quizzes, short homework, article presentations, attendance / 15%
4. Midterm / 20%
5. Final / 25%

1. Problem Sets (20%)

  • Two problem sets will be assigned that require calculations and short answers.
  • Students may work together on problem sets.

2. Analysis exercises (20%)

  • Two data analysis projects are planned to prepare students to generate tables and multivariable models for presentation of epidemiologic data at research conferences or in manuscripts.
  • A class dataset will be provided for the analyses, or students may use their own data.
  • Instruction for analysis exercises will be performed with SAS; however, students may use any software program to complete the assignments.

3. Participation: Quizzes, short homework, article presentations, attendance (15%):

  • In-class quizzes may be announced or unannounced.
  • Short homework assignments will be given at the end of class and may cover concepts from the lecture or relate to the analysis exercises (see assignment 2).
  • Each student will be assigned to a group that is responsible for presenting a journal article and leading class discussion. Journal articles must be chosen in consultation with the instructor at least 8 days prior to the presentation.
  • Attendance will be taken (unannounced) periodically through the semester and count toward your grade. Quizzes also count toward attendance and cannot be made-up.

4. Midterm (20%)

  • Will be take home.
  • Students may not work together.
  • Will require calculations and short answers.

5. Final (25%)

  • In class.
  • Will require calculations and short answers.
  1. Grading Policy

1

Grading Scale:

1

90 – 100 A

80 – 89B

70– 79C

60 – 69 D

Below 60 F

1

Rules for Withdrawls and Incompletes will follow official Georgia State University policy:

Withdrawals: A student who withdrawals at any time up to the mid-point of the quarter will be assigned a W or WF depending upon whether he/she is doing satisfactory work at the time of withdrawal. An average grade of D or F at the time of withdrawal will be assigned a grade of WF. After the mid-point of the quarter, the Registrar’s Office will assign an automatic WF to any student who withdraws from the course without a hardship withdrawal. If a student receives permission to withdraw under hardship, the Instructor will assign a W or WF grade depending upon the student’s work up to the point of time that the student withdrew.

Incompletes: A student will be given the grade I only if nonacademic circumstances beyond the student’s control prevent the student from completing a small segment of the course—e.g., the final examination. For a student to receive the grade of I, he/she must be doing satisfactory work (an average grade of C or better) up to the point that he/she could not continue. Arrangements must be made with Instructor to remove the incomplete grade within one quarter.

  1. Attendance and Class Participation Policy
  1. Late Assignments and Make-up Examination Policy

Late assignments are not accepted. Make-up exams are not provided, except in hardship cases that should be discussed in advance with the Instructor. There is no scheduled make-up time for exams.

This class policy of no credit for a late submission is a direct result of a recent development in professional academia. Students should understand this new professional standard, as it is now commonly applied to deadlines for submission of grant applications to the CDC, NIH, NSF, and other funding agencies, as well as conference abstracts, etc.

The importance of this policy has several aspects:

Recognition: You should be rewarded for a timely submission with an opportunity to receive credit for your effort.

Fairness:It is unfair for any one student to receive more time to prepare homework solutions. All students in the class will receive the same opportunity to be graded according to the same amount of time made available to them to complete each assignment.

Conduct: It is reasonable to expect a high degree of professionalism in a graduate program. This includes being on time, knowing the policies, and adhering to them.

  1. Syllabus Deviation Policy

The course syllabus provides a general plan for the course; deviations may be necessary.

  1. Student Code of Conduct and Policy on Academic Honesty

All students at this University are expected to engage in academic pursuits on their won with complete honesty and integrity. Any student found guilty of dishonesty in any phase of academic work will be subject to disciplinary action. The complete Academic Honesty policy is located in the GSU Graduate Catalog, Section 1350: Students and faculty are expected to review and conform to the university’s policy on academic honesty. Information on the Student Code of Conduct and related policies and procedures are available at:

Special attention should be paid to the sections on plagiarism and multiple submissions:

Plagiarism. Plagiarism is defined as, “appropriating and putting forth as one’s own the ideas, language, or designs of another” (The Living Webster, 1975) – and it is strictly forbidden. Written and oral presentations must be a student’s own work. Students plagiarizing or cheating in any form will face disciplinary action which could result in an “F” in this course and suspension or expulsion from the University. Copying from written materials, presentations, websites, etc. without source acknowledgement and referencing is plagiarism. Read it, appreciate it, learn from it, and make sure you source it – and then reflect it with your own thoughts and words! If you are uncertain about what constitutes plagiarism, please contact the instructor.

Multiple Submissions.It is a violation of academic honesty to submit substantial portions of the same work for credit more than once without the explicit consent of the faculty member(s) to whom the material is submitted for additional credit. In cases in which there is a natural development of research or knowledge in a sequence of courses, use of prior work may be desirable, even required; however, the student is responsible for indicating in writing, as a part of such use, that the current work submitted for credit is cumulative in nature.

  1. Disability Accommodations Policy

Students who wish to request accommodation for a disability may do so by registering with the GSU Office of Disability Services. Students may only be accommodated upon issuance by the Office of Disability Services of a signed Accommodation Plan and are responsible for providing a copy of that plan to instructors of all classes in which an accommodation is sought. The Office of Disability Services is located in the GSU Student Center, Suite 230 and online here:

  1. Course Evaluations Statement

Your constructive assessment of this course plays an indispensable role in shaping education at Georgia State. Upon completing this course, please take time to fill out the online course evaluation.

  1. Career Services

The School of Public Health provides career services & student leadership opportunities (student clubs & organizations) to all current SPH students and alumni. SPH Career Services can help students with resume writing, interviewing, job searching, internship development, and professional networking. Students are invited to attend our career events and workshops, and individualized career counseling appointments can be arranged. To see what career panels, career fairs, and events are available this semester, please visit: The SPH Career Services office is co-located with the Office of Academic Assistance in room 640 at One Park Place.

  1. Additional Policies

Communication

Students should check Desire2Learn at least every other day especially before arriving to class. The syllabus, any changes to the syllabus, lecture slides and homework will be posted to Desire2Learn. Should you have any questions about the course or its requirements, please ask your question during class or contact the instructor via Desire2Learn. Students also may make an appointment to meet with the Instructor on class concerns. Should you wish to contact the instructor about your grades, please address them in writing or in person.

Copyright Policy

For the purpose of copyright, students must adhere to the following rules:

1) Materials in the course reserves may only be accessed by a passcode or password by students enrolled in that course, and only for the semester of course enrollment.

2) Students may not distribute copies of course reserves materials to other students.

Electronics

Laptop computers are not permissible during lecture unless otherwise stated. One reason for this is to minimize distractions to other students. Out of respect for your fellow students and the instructor, please silence your cell phone and/or other devices, turn it off, or set it to vibrate. Please do not text message during class.

You will need a handheld calculator that allows you to carry out basic arithmetic and includes a natural logarithm function. You may not use your phone or computer calculator function or application in this course. Please check with me if any questions about this.

1

  1. Tentative course schedule, topics, and readings

Session / Date / TOPIC / ASSIGNMENTS / READINGS etc.
1 / 8-28-14 / Causal theory and strategy for epidemiologic analyses / Rothman: Chapts 1 & 3
2 / 9-4-14 / Stating analysis objectives; Exploratory data analysis / Short Homework 1: Aims / Haynes PMID: 16895808
Farrugia PMID: 20646403
3 / 9-11-14 / Statistics for epidemiology; testing hypotheses, p-values and 95% confidence intervals / Group A article discussion / Rothman: Chapt 8
4 / 9-18-14 / Confounding and approaches to adjustment / Group B article discussion / Rothman: Chapt 10
Greenland PMID: 19732410
5 / 9-25-14 / Logistic regression / Analysis Exercise 1 / Rothman: Chapt 12
Kleinbaum/Klein 1*: Chapt 1 2
6 / 10-2-14 / Logistic regression / Group C article discussion / Kleinbaum/Klein 1*: Chapt 3
7 / 10-9-14 / Proportionate hazards regression / Problem Set 1 / Kleinbaum/Klein 2†: Chapt 1, 2, 3
8 / 10-16-14 / Model building strategies; data cleaning; DAGS and application modelling / Group D article discussion / Robins PMID: 11338312
Greenland PMID: 9888278
9 / 10-23-14 / Experimental studies / Midterm due / Hill PMID: 13046664
10 / 10-30-14 / Meta-analysis; Ecologic analysis / Group E article discussion / Moher PMID: 19621072
11 / 11-6-14 / Statistical interaction, effect modification, biologic interaction / Analysis Exercise 2 / Rothman: Chap 11
12 / 11-13-14 / Building a study; Questionnaire validity / Problem Set 2 / Willett PMID 11744515
13 / 11-20-14 / Analysis appropriate to design, critiquing the literature / Group F article discussion / Pearce PMID: 8144304
11-27-14 / THANKSGIVING
14 / 12-4-14 / Scientific writing and manuscript preparation / Brown: Chapt 3
Samet PMID: 10472941

*Kleinbaum 1 Can be accessed on-line:

†Kleinbaum 2 Can be accessed on-line:

1