• Marie Diener-West, PhD (Section 01)
  Department of Biostatistics, Hygiene E3622
  Johns Hopkins University
  Bloomberg School of Public Health 
  phone:   410-502-6894
  fax:        410-955-0958
  Office Hours: TBA and by appointment

• Scott L Zeger, PhD (Section 02)
  Department of Biostatistics, Hygiene E3527
  Johns Hopkins University
  Bloomberg School of Public Health
  phone: 410-955-3067
  fax: 410-955-0958
  Office Hours:  TBA

LECTURES:

10:30 am-12 pm Tuesday, Thursday

• Section 01:
         Sommer Hall  (Room E2014)
   

• Section 02:
         Sheldon Hall (Room W1214)

LABS for review, questions, and help with the problem sets:

Lab 1: Monday 1:30 PM - 3:00 PM  Hygiene W2008 Lab 2: Monday 3:30 PM - 5:00 PM  Hygiene W2008 Lab 3: Tuesday 1:30 PM - 3:00 PM  Hygiene W2008 Lab 4: Tuesday 3:30 PM - 5:00 PM  Hygiene W2008 Lab 5: Wednesday  1:30 PM - 3:00 PM  Hygiene W2008 Lab 6: Wednesday  3:30 PM - 5:00 PM  Hygiene W2008 Lab 7: Thursday 1:30 PM - 3:00 PM  Hygiene W2008 Lab 8: Thursday 3:30 PM - 5:00 PM  Hygiene W2008 Lab 9:  Friday 1:30 PM - 3:00 PM  Hygiene W2008 Lab 10:  Friday 3:30 PM - 5:00 PM  Hygiene W2008 Note: 3:00-3:30 is open time for questions COMPUTER LAB for STATA help:     (starting Wednesday, January 23, optional) Monday - Friday 2:30 - 3:20 PM Hygiene W3025

LAB INSTRUCTORS:

• Marie Diener-West

• Elizabeth Johnson

• John McGready

• Scott Zeger

TEACHING ASSISTANTS:

Simina Boca Benilton Carvalho Chongzi Di Sheng-Chih (Peter) Jin Samara Kiihl Juleen Lam Matthew McCall Chi Wang Gayane Yenokyan Hong Zhu

OFFICE HOURS for Teaching Assistants
      (starting Wednesday, January 23, optional)

COMPUTER LAB for Stata help
    (starting Wednesday, January 23, optional)

LECTURE NOTES:

• Copies of the course materials are distributed during class. Purchase of these materials is included in registration. Copies of most materials are available for downloading in the "Classes" section of the course web site.

• Version 8.0 or higher of Acrobat Reader is needed for opening the course materials on the website.

Download Acrobat Reader
(version 8 required)

WEB SITE:

http://biostat.jhsph.edu/courses/bio623

Userid:  bio623

Password:  (given in class)

Contains course schedule, office hours, lecture notes, self-evaluation problems, Stata lecture notes, problem sets, quizzes, solution keys, and data sets.

DIGITAL AUDIO:

• Digitized audio of each lecture is available on the course website after each lecture.

TEXTBOOK:

• Lawrence C. Hamilton. Statistics with Stata 9, 2006, Duxbury Press, Belmont, CA.
   

• Recommended book for which we will provide reading assignments:
  Bernard Rosner, Fundamentals of Biostatistics, 2006, Duxbury  Press, Belmont, CA.
   

• Online Hypertext Book

CALCULATOR:

• Basic functions (+, -, x, ÷), logarithms and exponents, simple memory and recall, factorial key.

COMPUTING PACKAGE:

• Stata, Stata Press, College Station, Texas (1-800-statapc)

GRADING (total of 100) based on:

• 20% completion of 4 problem sets (points deducted if turned in late)

Students may work together, but must hand in their own version of the problems set -- DO NOT SUBMIT AN EXACT COPY of another student's work.

• 5% Quiz 1 
• 5% Quiz 2
   
• 35% Midterm examination (in class)
• 35% Final examination (in class)

COURSE OBJECTIVE:

Students who successfully master this course will be able to:

1. Use statistical reasoning to formulate public health questions in quantitative terms:

   1. Understand the role of statistical reasoning within the scientific model.

   2. Understand and apply the counterfactual definition of cause in public health research.

   3. Distinguish between continuous, categorical, binary and time-to-event data.

   4. Understand that evidence for establishing an association between a risk factor and health outcome is generated by comparing the distribution of the outcome in otherwise similar populations with different levels of the risk factor.

   5. Use stratification in design and analysis to minimize confounding and  identify risk modification.

    

2. Conduct statistical computations and construct graphical and tabular displays for regression analysis:
    

   1. Use the statistical analysis package Stata to perform multivariable regression models.

   2. Document and archive the steps of your statistical analysis by creating a Stata do-file.

   3. Create and interpret scatterplots and adjusted variable plots that display the relationships between an outcome and multiple risk factors.

   4. Create and interpret tables of regression results including unadjusted and adjusted estimates of coefficients with confidence intervals from many models.
       

3. Use probability models to describe trends and random variation in public health data:
    

   1. Distinguish between the underlying probability distributions for modeling continuous, categorical, binary and time-to-event data.

   2. Recognize the key assumptions underlying a multivariable regression model and judge whether departures in a particular application warrant consultation with a statistical expert.
       

4. Use statistical methods for inference in multiple regression to draw valid public health inferences from data:
    

   1. Conduct a simple linear, logistic or survival regression and correctly interpret the regression coefficients and their confidence interval.

   2. Conduct a multiple linear, logistic or survival regression and correctly interpret the coefficients and their confidence intervals.

   3. Examine residuals and adjusted variable plots for inconsistencies between the regression model and patterns in the data and for outliers and high leverage observations.

   4. Fit and compare different models to explore the association between outcome and predictor variables in an observational study.

The course is designed to enable students to develop their data analysis skills.  Four important datasets will be analyzed by the students using the statistical package Stata throughout the 621-624 course sequence.

OTHER LINKS  

• "Fine Particulate Air Pollution and Mortality in 20 U.S. Cities" by Samet, Zeger, et al   (view article) 

• Stata Working Directories

• Stata Graphs using the Menus

• About Stata do-files
   

• Other Links to Math Trick

• Recommended Survival Analysis Text Books

• Gas Emissions and the Economy

• Biostatistics Poetry -2007

• Final Exam Formula Page

• Department of Biostatistics

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Last updated Sunday, March 30, 2008
©2008, Department of Biostatistics,              Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health              All Rights Reserved	music