PUBH 5001

This course will introduce the varied ways that biostatistics is used in public health including assessing the etiology of disease, monitoring and detecting population health trends, and evaluating the effectiveness of health programs and policies. This course has been designed to complement Health Sciences 2003 and can be taken in tandem with or after that course. Students will learn to choose and build models of statistical inference for the epidemiologic study designs covered in Health Sciences 2003, all without the use of complicated mathematical formulas. Applications to real data will be emphasized using the R computer package. Students will learn to perform biostatistical coding, analyses and data visualization in R; interpret R output and draw conclusions; and describe findings in a public health context. Prerequisite(s): Admission to a graduate program