ELECTIVE COURSES

Each elective has an affiliated team assignment. Students will be divided into temporary teams within electives and asked to make a presentation.

Drug Development

Seminar topics include: How are Drugs Discovered and Developed, Case Study of the Pre-clinical Stages of Drug Development, Moving a Compound through the Drug Development Process, Good Manufacturing Practices--a Global Perspective, and Overview of Diagnostic Device Development. Entirely webinar based, this elective consists of weekly webinar discussions (generally held at 9 am Eastern Time) by experts from academia, industry, and government who have years of hands-on experience with large and small pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and related organizations. There are no individual homework assignments and students have the opportunity to interact with the faculty in real time.

Secondary Analysis of Clinical Trials

Secondary analysis involves the use of existing data to conduct research beyond the primary question which the original study was designed to answer. This course covers topics commonly encountered in such research, including subgroup analysis, meta-analysis, non-linear relationships, and longitudinal data analysis. Relevant statistical methods will be presented and the capabilities of Stata for such analyses will be emphasized. Common mistakes and ways to avoid them will be highlighted. The pre-recorded lectures in this elective are supported by interactive webinars and have an associated individual assignment (quiz).

Survey Design

This course covers the crafting of survey questions, the design of surveys, and different sampling procedures that are used in practice. Longstanding basic principles of survey design are covered. Statistical aspects of analyzing complex survey data will be featured, including the effects of different design features on bias and variance. Different methods of variance estimation for stratified and clustered samples will be compared, the handling of survey weights will be discussed, and the capabilities of Stata for such analyses will be emphasized. This elective consists of a blend of recorded online lectures and interactive webinars. The recorded lectures have an associated individual assignment (quiz).