Course Summary
This course explores the concepts of validity and bias in epidemiology research, and teaches you how to identify and address them in your own research projects.Key Learning Points
- Understand the principles of validity and bias in epidemiology research
- Learn how to identify and address sources of bias in your research
- Explore advanced methods for dealing with bias in epidemiology research
Job Positions & Salaries of people who have taken this course might have
- Epidemiologist
- USA: $65,000 - $125,000
- India: INR 5,00,000 - INR 15,00,000
- Spain: €30,000 - €60,000
- Research Scientist
- USA: $70,000 - $130,000
- India: INR 6,00,000 - INR 18,00,000
- Spain: €35,000 - €70,000
- Data Analyst
- USA: $50,000 - $100,000
- India: INR 3,50,000 - INR 10,00,000
- Spain: €25,000 - €50,000
Related Topics for further study
Learning Outcomes
- Identify sources of bias in epidemiology research
- Apply advanced methods for addressing bias in epidemiology research
- Design and conduct valid epidemiology research studies
Prerequisites or good to have knowledge before taking this course
- Basic understanding of epidemiology research methods
- Familiarity with statistical analysis software such as R or SPSS
Course Difficulty Level
IntermediateCourse Format
- Online
- Self-paced
- Video lectures
Similar Courses
- Introduction to Epidemiology
- Clinical Epidemiology
- Applied Biostatistics
Related Education Paths
Notable People in This Field
- Dr. Andrew Gelman
- Dr. John Ioannidis
Related Books
Description
Epidemiological studies can provide valuable insights about the frequency of a disease, its potential causes and the effectiveness of available treatments. Selecting an appropriate study design can take you a long way when trying to answer such a question. However, this is by no means enough. A study can yield biased results for many different reasons. This course offers an introduction to some of these factors and provides guidance on how to deal with bias in epidemiological research. In this course you will learn about the main types of bias and what effect they might have on your study findings. You will then focus on the concept of confounding and you will explore various methods to identify and control for confounding in different study designs. In the last module of this course we will discuss the phenomenon of effect modification, which is key to understanding and interpreting study results. We will finish the course with a broader discussion of causality in epidemiology and we will highlight how you can utilise all the tools that you have learnt to decide whether your findings indicate a true association and if this can be considered causal.
Knowledge
- Identify different types of biases that may occur in epidemiological studies, in order to apply strategies to reduce such biases.
Outline
- Module 1: Introduction to Validity and Bias
- Introduction to Course
- Validity
- Selection Bias
- Information Bias
- About Imperial College & the team
- How to be successful in this course
- Grading policy
- Glossary & Additional readings
- Examples of Selection and Information Bias
- Quiz Instructions
- Validity and Types of Bias
- MODULE 2: Confounding
- Introduction to Confounding
- Criteria for Confounding
- Criteria for Confounding: An Example
- Recap: How to Identify Confounding
- MODULE 3: Dealing with Confounding
- Controlling for Confounding at the Design Stage
- Controlling for Confounding at the Design Stage: Example
- Controlling for Confounding at the Analysis Stage
- Controlling for Confounding at the Analysis Stage: Example
- Directed Acyclic Graphs (DAGs)
- Recap: How to Control for Confounding
- Quiz Instructions
- Dealing with Confounding
- MODULE 4: Effect Modification
- Effect Modification
- Confounding vs Effect Modification
- Causation
- Course Summary
- Confounding or Effect Modification?
- Quiz Instructions
- Quiz Instructions
- Confounding and Effect Modification
- Bias, Confounding and Effect Modification
Summary of User Reviews
Learn about validity and bias in epidemiology with this online course on Coursera. Students agree that this course is informative and well-structured, providing a comprehensive overview of the subject matter. Many users found the interactive nature of the course to be particularly engaging.Key Aspect Users Liked About This Course
Interactive nature of the coursePros from User Reviews
- Comprehensive overview of the subject matter
- Informative and well-structured content
- Engaging and interactive course design
- Experienced and knowledgeable instructors
- Flexible pacing and scheduling options
Cons from User Reviews
- Limited opportunities for personalized feedback
- Some technical issues with the online platform
- Requires a basic understanding of epidemiology concepts
- May not be suitable for individuals with advanced knowledge of the subject matter
- Lacks practical applications and real-world examples
Filippos Filippidis
4.9 Raiting
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