409 Biostatistics Instructor: Dr. David Stumpf
Course Description:
This course is designed for the biomedical researcher and health care analyst. Topics include descriptive statistics; hypothesis development and testing; estimation; t-tests; chi-squared tests; analysis of variance; linear regression; correlation; nonparametric tests; survival analysis; odds ratio and attributable risk. Biomedical applications are discussed for each topic, as well as overall application of statistical methods in the informatics field.*
Text:
D’Agostino, R.B., Sullivan, L.M., & Beiser, A.S. (2006). Introductory applied biostatistics. Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole, Cengage Learning .
Statistics for the Terrified, Fifth Edition, John H. Kranzler, November, 2009, Pearson: Prentice Hall
More Damned Lies and Statistics: How Numbers Confuse Public Issues by Joel Best. University of California Press
Statistics for the Terrified, Fifth Edition, John H. Kranzler, November, 2009, Pearson: Prentice Hall
More Damned Lies and Statistics: How Numbers Confuse Public Issues by Joel Best. University of California Press
Software:
SPSS
Syllabus:
409_syllabus.pdf | |
File Size: | 303 kb |
File Type: |
Reflections:
I left the Biostatistics course for one of the final courses in the program mainly because I was not looking forward to this class. I Ffgured it was my last course, and I just had to get through it. Without any background in statistics I was entering unfamiliar territory. One of the textbook's title for the course said it all, Statistics for the Terrified, that was me. Surprisingly this was one of my favorite courses in the MMI program. Dr. David Stumpf led the course and since it was the summer session there where only about seven of us enrolled, he was on top of the course the entire time.
Weekly assignments included evaluation of a research article focusing on the statistical analysis. Although challenging at first, as my knowledge base expanded I found I was able to apply what I was learning. It helped me understand the statistical analyses allowing me to critically analyze research papers. I enjoyed learning the SPSS statistical software program and found it very intuitive and easy to navigate. I loved doing the homework assignments, which were, guided practice problems relating to health care. I found these problems very relevant to real life situations in healthcare and saw how we can use the software in the informatics field. The solutions to the problems were available each week and I tried to complete the assignments prior to our weekly office hours so that Dr. Stumpf could clarify any questions. These weekly session with Dr.Stumpf provided the opportunity to review the material and ask questions interactively. Although participation was minimal I was able to attend most of the sessions and found them to be informative.
The final research paper was an extremely meaningful project that allowed me to apply the concepts and techniques from the course to analyze a real life situation in my work environment. I chose to analyze patient appointment confirmation methods in my dental practice. The paper took me through the process of identifying the problem, stating a hypothesis and alternate hypothesis, defining variables, and designing the study. Once the data was collected, I was able to use the knowledge I gained in the course along with the SPSS software to determine and apply the appropriate method of statistical analysis and summarize the results.
Weekly assignments included evaluation of a research article focusing on the statistical analysis. Although challenging at first, as my knowledge base expanded I found I was able to apply what I was learning. It helped me understand the statistical analyses allowing me to critically analyze research papers. I enjoyed learning the SPSS statistical software program and found it very intuitive and easy to navigate. I loved doing the homework assignments, which were, guided practice problems relating to health care. I found these problems very relevant to real life situations in healthcare and saw how we can use the software in the informatics field. The solutions to the problems were available each week and I tried to complete the assignments prior to our weekly office hours so that Dr. Stumpf could clarify any questions. These weekly session with Dr.Stumpf provided the opportunity to review the material and ask questions interactively. Although participation was minimal I was able to attend most of the sessions and found them to be informative.
The final research paper was an extremely meaningful project that allowed me to apply the concepts and techniques from the course to analyze a real life situation in my work environment. I chose to analyze patient appointment confirmation methods in my dental practice. The paper took me through the process of identifying the problem, stating a hypothesis and alternate hypothesis, defining variables, and designing the study. Once the data was collected, I was able to use the knowledge I gained in the course along with the SPSS software to determine and apply the appropriate method of statistical analysis and summarize the results.
Artifacts:
research.pdf | |
File Size: | 1103 kb |
File Type: |