Advanced biostatistics and epidemiology

The purpose of the course advanced Biostatistics and Epidemiology is to introduce students to the methodological and statistical aspects of evidence based medicine (EBM) and medical decision-making. Special attention will be given to the presentation of the statistical aspects of research protocols and of the main reporting guidelines for studies in observational and experimental medical research, the main statistical methods for meta-analysis in systematic reviews of existing clinical studies and the development of predictive models for clinical decision making.

At the end of the course students are expected to be able to conduct analyses and generate evidence that supports decision-making processes. In particular, they are expected to: write the statistical analysis section of a research protocol (for observational studies, clinical trials or systematic reviews), including sample size calculation; follow reporting guidelines when disseminating research results; apply the appropriate methods for meta-analysis of continuous or categorical endpoints; to plan and conduct a study for estimating a predictive medical model.