Biostatistics Application for Health Data: 2022/2023

Course Description

Biostatistics is the development and application of statistical reasoning and methods in addressing, analyzing, and solving problems in public health, health care, and biomedical, clinical, and population-based research. This course will cover descriptive statistics, probability theory, and a wide variety of inferential statistical techniques that can be used to make practical conclusions about empirical data derived from public health works. We will use two approaches to the mastery of the course materials: a) students will look in some detail at how statistical procedures are employed and b) students will conduct several basic procedures by exercising with real data to fully understand the logic and application of statistics.  In addition, the student will learn how to use a computer package, STATA, to quickly perform statistical analyses in more complex situations and how to interpret the results of the data analyses. Using this approach will enable students to be educated users and producers of statistical knowledge in the real world which is the application of statistics in public health and medical settings. This course is mandatory for doctoral students in health sciences.          

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, students should be able to:

  1. Describe the roles biostatistics serves in the discipline of health sciences,
  2. Describe the basic concepts of probability, random variation, and commonly used statistical probability distributions,
  3. Describe preferred methodological alternatives to commonly used statistical methods when assumptions are not met,
  4. Distinguish among the different measurement scales and the implications for the selection of statistical methods to be used based on these distinctions,
  5. Apply descriptive techniques commonly used to summarize health data,
  6. Apply common statistical methods for inference,
  7. Apply descriptive and inferential methodologies according to the type of study design for answering a particular research question,
  8. Apply basic informatics techniques with vital statistics and public health records in the description of public health characteristics and health research and evaluation.
  9. Interpret results of statistical analyses found in public health studies, and

Develop written and oral presentations based on statistical analyses for both public health professionals and educated lay audiences.