Epidemiology for Clinical Research
Code
101076
Academic unit
NOVA Medical School | Faculdade de Ciências Médicas
Credits
5
Teacher in charge
Profª. Doutora Carlota Zenaide Sousa Louro da Cruz
Teaching language
Portuguese and English
Objectives
Acquire realm of epidemiologic concepts relevant for clinical investigation.
Epidemiologic methods, critical reasoning and fundamental biostatistics essential to acknowledge and develop independent research oriented Praxis.
Exercise skills for carrying out epidemiologic\clinical studies in Medicine and Lifes Science fields of outcome oriented research; master qualitative concepts for the planning and conduction of epidemiologic and clinical/intervention studies.
Knowledge on how to discuss practical issues deriving from published studies on subjects: cancer, infectious diseases, chronic diseases, chronic-degenerative diseases, trauma and farmacoepidemiology. Biostatistics core to enhance students performance and capability for executing analysis, aiming at quantitative skills critical for design of epidemiologic observational /clinical intervention studies and scientific aspects of statistical inference and estimation, as tools for controlling random error, bias and confounding.
Prerequisites
Curricular Unit "Biostatistics I" or equivalent.
Subject matter
Measures of the occurrence of diseases: morbidity (prevalence, incidence) and mortality as well as adjusting them to compare populations.
Identification of the causes of diseases and its determinants.
Cause-effect relationship verifying the statistic association and the adjustments (bias, confounders) and derive causal inference. Criteria for causation as: strength of association, consistency temporality, dose-response, plausibility, specificity and replication).
Enable students to present data and distinguish several risk measurements.
Develop an understanding of the designs of observational studies (cross-sectional, case-control, cohort ) and other mixed study designs as well as interpret measures of association.
Master qualitative concepts for the planning and conduction of epidemiologic studies and clinical/intervention studies. Clinical trials
Farmacoepidemiology
Research oriented and outcome oriented epidemiology
Epidemiology of Infectious diseases. Models SIR and its variants
Bibliography
Handbook of Epidemiology. Wolfgang Ahrens; Iris Pigeot. Editors (Second Edition 2014)
ISBN 978-0-387-09833-3 ISBN 978-0-387-09834-0 (eBook); ISBN Bundle 978-0-387-09835-7 DOI
10.1007/978-0-387-09834-0 Springer New York Heidelberg Dordrecht London
Library of Congress Control Number: 2013946541
A Dictionary of Epidemiology by Miquel Porta
Sixth Edition USA p.376
ISBN 978-0-19-997672-0 | Hardback | 07 August 2014
Available as: Paperback | eBook
Epidemiology : An Introduction .Kenneth J. Rothman (Second Edition)2012
ISBN 978-0-19-975455-7 | Paperback
SITES:
American Journal of Public Health http://ajph.aphapublications.org/toc/ajph
American Journal of Epidemiology http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/content/
Epidemiology http://journals.lww.com/epidem/pages/default.aspx
International Journal of Epidemiology http://ije.oxfordjournals.org/content/current
JAMA https://jama.jamanetwork.com/issue.aspx
European Journal of Epidemiology http://www.springerlink.com/content/0393-2990/27/8/
Teaching method
Ten in-class sessions (lectures) of 3 hours each.
Non-Clinical sessions Pitch events, to be included in the weekly agenda.
Evaluation method
Types of assessment: mid-course written tests with multiple choice questions on the concepts, fundamentals and epidemiological methods; Resolution of critical analysis exercises and biostatistics, individually or in groups, take-home or in class with supervision in the classroom. Problem solving (individually or in groups) and critical commentary/participation in discussion of publications or scientific data, epidemiologic studies and clinical experimental studies, from a reading list.
Criteria of assessment: attendance will be registered. A qualitative evaluation of the attendance in two levels: assiduous/diligent not assiduous/not diligent (10% weight).
Time Schedule of the assessment-Schedule plan of evaluations to be presented at opening session. Chronogram of evaluation (to be released).
Courses
