Development of an Introductory Biostatistics Course for Graduate Students in Biomedical Sciences

• Activity Number: 210
• Type: Contributed
• Date/Time: Monday, August 7, 2006 : 2:00 PM to 3:50 PM
• Sponsor: Section on Teaching Statistics in the Health Sciences
• Author(s): John Rutledge*+ and Kylie Bryant and Kathy Zhou and Yolanda Barron and Anita Mesi and Heejung Bang and Eduardo Martinez-Ceballos and Lorraine Gudas and Selina Chen-Kiang and Madhu Mazumdar
• Companies: Weill Medical College of Cornell University and Weill Medical College of Cornell University and Weill Medical College of Cornell University and Weill Medical College of Cornell University and Weill Medical College of Cornell University and Cornell University and Weill Medical College of Cornell University and Weill Medical College of Cornell University and Weill Medical College of Cornell University and Weill Medical College of Cornell University
• Keywords: biomedical sciences ; introductory statistics course ; experimental medicine ; online course

Abstract

The goals of this course included introducing the concepts of basic statistical methods used in laboratory research, distinguishing between statistical design and data analysis, teaching proper ways of reporting methods and results in papers, demonstrating how to critique statistical results in published literature, teaching use of codes written in the software program R, and introducing infrequently needed higher level methods for which statistical collaborators are needed. Course material was prepared using few books and published papers. Evaluation methods included journal clubs, a take home data analysis project, student presentations based on analysis of data generated from their laboratories, and written examination. Response has been positive. Byproducts include an online course for post-doctoral fellows and change in 'Instruction to Authors' for Journal of Experimental Medicine