Analysis of Publicly Available Databases for Epidemiologic and Health Services Research

EPI 526 Subject & Catalog Number

Description

This course addresses the use of existing public use databases to study important questions related to clinical risk factors, treatment, outcomes, and health policy. The course is designed to bridge coursework in epidemiological methods and biostatistics by providing practical experience manipulating and analyzing publicly available databases and complex surveys. Special attention is devoted to publicly available U.S. databases that are commonly used for epidemiologic and health services research and are readily available to new investigators. Such databases offer several advantages including their representative sampling designs allowing generalizability to larger populations, timeliness, and ability to evaluate trends, geographic variation, or rare conditions. Strengths and limitations of data sources will be considered. Practical issues in obtaining, linking, and analyzing databases will be emphasized throughout the course, and key statistical issues will be addressed, including appropriate analyses of complex survey designs. Students will complete programming exercises with STATA statistical software, prepare a proposal to analyze a specific research question using a public use database, and conduct analyses to address their research questions. 
Students should have working knowledge of Stata, basic programming skills, and Stata IC software.

Students in the MPH-EPI program have priority enrollment in this course. All other students must request instructor permission. Enrollment for non MPH-EPI students is based on a space available basis.