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Overview
Biostatistics is an essential skill for every public health researcher and scientist. This course is an introductory course on biostatistics. Topics include types of data, summary measures of numerical and categorical data, visual displays, common probability distributions, statistical hypothesis testing, common statistical tests, and regression analysis. Throughout the course, both STATA and R will be used to practice biostatistics skills.
Course Details
The specific objectives of this course are to provide a basic understanding of:
- To understand the basic biostatistics terms and notation.
- To understand the concepts underlying most statistical analyses, as a foundation for more advanced methods.
- To acquire skills to manage and summarize data and conduct basic statistical using STATA or R.
- To be able to present and visualize data.
- To understand basic statistical analyses in published journals.
None
Lecture: TBA
Computer Labs: TBA
Suggested texts that maybe helpful but not required:
Principles of Biostatistics by M. Pagano and K. Gauvreau, Duxbury Press. 2nd edition. 2018. Chapman and Hall/CRC.
Acock, Alan C. (2018) A Gentle Introduction to Stata (6th ed.). United States, Stata Press.
Stata
The statistical software package Stata (Stata Corporation, College Station, TX) is used throughout the TICR Program and is required for this course; version 16 or higher is acceptable. A six-month student license for Stata/BE is the least expensive option that will be suitable to complete all course assignments. For students intending to enroll in courses over 1-2 years, an annual or perpetual license are better long-term options. If your research requires working with more variables, you also may wish to consider Stata/SE. We recommend that you have a personal copy of Stata and bring it on a laptop for all course sessions. Stata may be purchased at a discount for UCSF faculty/staff and official UCSF Students. You must use your ucsf.edu email address to receive the discount. If you do not purchase your own copy of Stata, UCSF faculty/staff/students may request access to Stata through the UCSF Research Analysis Environment.
R
R is a free software environment for statistical computing and graphics. It compiles and runs on a wide variety of UNIX platforms, Windows and MacOS. To download R, please choose your preferred CRAN mirror.
RStudio
The RStudio is a set of integrated tools designed to help you be more productive with R. It includes a console, syntax-highlighting editor that supports direct code execution, and a variety of robust tools for plotting, viewing history, debugging and managing your workspace. To download RStudio visit: https://www.rstudio.com/products/rstudio/download/
Books may be purchased either through the publisher or a variety of commercial venues (e.g., Amazon.com).
All materials will be available on the course's online syllabus.
Grades in the course will be assigned as follows: homework assignment 50%, Midterm assignment 20%, and final examination 30%.
Students not in full-year DEB Education Programs who satisfactorily pass all course requirements will, upon request, receive a Certificate of Course Completion.
Only UCSF students (defined as individuals enrolled in UCSF degree or certificate programs) will receive academic credit for courses. Official transcripts are available to UCSF students only. A Certificate of Course Completion will be available upon request to individuals who are not UCSF students and satisfactorily pass all course requirements.
For UC-Affiliated learners, the course fee is $3,200
For Non-UC-Affiliated learners, the course fee is $3,800
UC-Affiliation: Concurrent enrollment in a University of California-sponsored residency or post-doctoral fellowship program that is recognized by the Office of Graduate Medical Education; or a registered student in one of the professional schools or graduate programs at the University of California (in a program other than the TICR program); or individuals who hold full-time salaried University of California faculty, academic or staff positions. Please note: Individuals will be asked to provide proof of UC status.
The specific objectives of this course are to provide a basic understanding of:
- To understand the basic biostatistics terms and notation.
- To understand the concepts underlying most statistical analyses, as a foundation for more advanced methods.
- To acquire skills to manage and summarize data and conduct basic statistical using STATA or R.
- To be able to present and visualize data.
- To understand basic statistical analyses in published journals.
None
Lecture: TBA
Computer Labs: TBA
Suggested texts that maybe helpful but not required:
Principles of Biostatistics by M. Pagano and K. Gauvreau, Duxbury Press. 2nd edition. 2018. Chapman and Hall/CRC.
Acock, Alan C. (2018) A Gentle Introduction to Stata (6th ed.). United States, Stata Press.
Stata
The statistical software package Stata (Stata Corporation, College Station, TX) is used throughout the TICR Program and is required for this course; version 16 or higher is acceptable. A six-month student license for Stata/BE is the least expensive option that will be suitable to complete all course assignments. For students intending to enroll in courses over 1-2 years, an annual or perpetual license are better long-term options. If your research requires working with more variables, you also may wish to consider Stata/SE. We recommend that you have a personal copy of Stata and bring it on a laptop for all course sessions. Stata may be purchased at a discount for UCSF faculty/staff and official UCSF Students. You must use your ucsf.edu email address to receive the discount. If you do not purchase your own copy of Stata, UCSF faculty/staff/students may request access to Stata through the UCSF Research Analysis Environment.
R
R is a free software environment for statistical computing and graphics. It compiles and runs on a wide variety of UNIX platforms, Windows and MacOS. To download R, please choose your preferred CRAN mirror.
RStudio
The RStudio is a set of integrated tools designed to help you be more productive with R. It includes a console, syntax-highlighting editor that supports direct code execution, and a variety of robust tools for plotting, viewing history, debugging and managing your workspace. To download RStudio visit: https://www.rstudio.com/products/rstudio/download/
Books may be purchased either through the publisher or a variety of commercial venues (e.g., Amazon.com).
All materials will be available on the course's online syllabus.
Grades in the course will be assigned as follows: homework assignment 50%, Midterm assignment 20%, and final examination 30%.
Students not in full-year DEB Education Programs who satisfactorily pass all course requirements will, upon request, receive a Certificate of Course Completion.
Only UCSF students (defined as individuals enrolled in UCSF degree or certificate programs) will receive academic credit for courses. Official transcripts are available to UCSF students only. A Certificate of Course Completion will be available upon request to individuals who are not UCSF students and satisfactorily pass all course requirements.
For UC-Affiliated learners, the course fee is $3,200
For Non-UC-Affiliated learners, the course fee is $3,800
UC-Affiliation: Concurrent enrollment in a University of California-sponsored residency or post-doctoral fellowship program that is recognized by the Office of Graduate Medical Education; or a registered student in one of the professional schools or graduate programs at the University of California (in a program other than the TICR program); or individuals who hold full-time salaried University of California faculty, academic or staff positions. Please note: Individuals will be asked to provide proof of UC status.
Meet the Faculty
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Ali Mirzazadeh, PhD, MD, MPH
Associate Professor, Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics
Email
How to Enroll
Whether you're exploring the field, enhancing your skills, or working toward a larger academic goal, most individual courses are open to everyone. Current learners enrolled in DEB Education programs have priority in enrollment for this course. Any extra spaces are available to non-DEB Education learners (i.e., those from the Institute for Global Health Sciences, School of Nursing, external groups, etc).
You’ll find details on course fees, how to apply and pay, and the full course schedule on the Course Enrollment & Payment page. Be sure you understand the enrollment policies and payment process before completing the enrollment form.
And remember: you only need to submit one form for all the new courses you want to take.