Educational Epidemiology and Statistical Modeling: Who Is Involved and Who Really Should Be?

• Activity Number: 95
• Type: Roundtables
• Date/Time: Monday, July 30, 2012 : 7:00 AM to 8:15 AM
• Sponsor: Section on Statistics in Epidemiology
• Author(s): Madhu Mazumdar*+
• Companies: Weill Cornell Medical College
• Keywords: Medical Education ; Curriculum Evaluation ; Educational Outcome ; Educational Innovation

Abstract

Every medical school teaches biostatistics and epidemiology. Therefore, faculty who understand study design, database design and management, statistical analysis, and research should be available. These faculties could contribute as consultants or investigators in educational research. However, this is often not done, sometime due to lack of recognition that expertise in statistics and epidemiology is needed and often due to the extra cost that would be needed for this collaborative work. Consequently, there is lack of rigorous and generalizable educational research as this kind of research needs population-based designs, advanced analytic approaches, and psychometrically robust instruments. In the last decade, there are multiple reports written emphasizing the need for change in medical education curriculum for making it more in line with the altering health-care needs and changing health-care delivery systems. As a result, most medical schools are changing their educational curriculum and need for evaluation and research is rising. I'll discuss challenges and opportunities in this field using my involvement in these efforts at Weill Cornell Medical College.