Program Overview

Clinical Epidemiology (EPI 204)

The Clinical Epidemiology (EPI 204) course applies the methods of epidemiology to clinical rather than public health decisions, focusing on how to predict, diagnose, and treat disease.

Course Objectives

The specific objectives of this course are to provide a basic understanding of:

• sensitivity, specificity, prior and posterior probability
• likelihood ratios, ROC curves
• inter-observer agreement, reliability, and measurement error
• calibration plots, net benefit calculations, decision curves
• multivariable risk models (both their development and evaluation)
• special issues related to the evaluation of screening tests and programs
• quantifying treatment benefits and harms using the results of randomized trials and observational studies
• Bayes’s theorem, as applied both to diagnosis of disease and interpretation of the results of research studies

Prerequisites

Designing Clinical Research (EPI 202) is a prerequisite for this course. Exceptions may be made with the consent of the Course Director, space permitting.

Faculty

• Course Director: Michael Kohn, MD, MPP, Professor Emeritus, Epidemiology & Biostatistics
• Course Director Emeritus/Current Co-Director: Tom Newman, MD, MPH, Professor Emeritus, Epidemiology & Biostatistics and Pediatrics

Format

Each week, new material is introduced via a recorded lecture and recommended readings. The class gathers for a large group discussion, and a problem set is assigned each week. The goal of the problem sets is to reinforce the main points brought forth in lecture as well as to cover more detailed nuances found in the readings.

Large Group Discussion

• Content: Brief formal review of lecture followed by question-and-answer
• Time: Tuesdays, 8:45 to 10:15 AM, beginning September 16

Small Group Discussion

• Content: Overview and discussion of lectures, and review of homework assignments
• Time: Thursdays, 1:15 to 2:45 PM, beginning September 18

Drop-in Help

• Content: Course faculty are available to address questions on course content
• Time: Wednesdays, 1:15 to 2:45 PM, beginning September 17

Materials

• Evidence-Based Diagnosis by T. Newman and M. Kohn with illustrations by Martina Steurer, Cambridge University Press, 2nd Edition, 2010
• Optional: Designing Clinical Research, by Browner & Newman et al, Chapter 12

Grading

Grading is based equally on homework (including the problem-writing assignment) and a take-home final exam. Students will turn in 9 problem sets, a problem-writing assignment, and a final exam.

Program Options

We offer a broad array of educational opportunities in the disciplines required for the conduct of human research, including:

• Master's in Clinical & Epidemiologic Research
• Advanced Training in Clinical Research Certificate
• One-Year Clinical Research Workshop
• Summer Clinical Research Workshop

Additional Information

Only UCSF students 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. The UCSF Graduate Division Policy on Disabilities is applicable to this course.