(even years)

This course is to serve as a general introduction to clinical trials and will emphasize trial design issues. This is not a course on the biostatistics of clinical trials. It is expected that at the conclusion of the course, a student will be able to plan a clinical trial. Each class will consist of a two-hour lecture followed by a one-hour discussion. The weekly session will focus on either a group discussion of the assigned reading or a practical application based on the material presented during the two-hour lecture. Students will be evaluated on their participation in class (20%); a clinical trial document (50%), which should include the rationale for the study, study design, objectives and endpoints, sample size and analysis sections, and consent form; and a class presentation of their trial or another topic (30%).

This is an advanced course that addresses epidemiologic research issues as they apply to important clinical topics in obstetrics and gynecology and related clinical disciplines. Lectures and workshops are designed to acquaint students with important issues in the field of reproductive epidemiology, to use a body of literature to demonstrate the strengths and weaknesses of epidemiologic research designs as they have been applied to obstetrics and gynecology and related clinical disciplines, to expose students to the range of topics studied, to teach advanced epidemiologic principles using a problem-based approach, and to stimulate students interested in reproductive epidemiology to develop independent research questions.

This will be an advanced course addressing epidemiologic issues as they apply to important clinical topics in infectious diseases. Lectures and discussions will serve two primary goals: 1) to explore epidemiologic methods specific to infectious diseases (e.g., adherence to therapy) or that have important applications to infectious diseases (e.g., molecular epidemiology); and 2) to explore the epidemiology of particular infectious diseases or syndromes (e.g., HIV). This course will acquaint students with the classic literature in the field of infectious diseases epidemiology, teach advanced epidemiologic principles using a problem-based approach, and demonstrate the strengths and weaknesses of research methodologies as they have been applied to infectious diseases.

This course will introduce students to methods and study design principles that are specific or unique to clinical research and trials in neurology, child neurology, neuro-ophthalmology, neurosurgery, and related fields.