ADTP: Sci Wri: Hlth Srvc Rsrch (3 cr)
In this course students will be trained in effective written communication skills by developing scientific journal articles in health services and outcomes research. By the end of this course students will be able to: use the basic principles of clear writing to improve her or his writing skills; identify problems in his or her own and others’ writing; correct problems in his or her own and others’ writing; develop written communication through weekly take home exercises and writing; and write journal articles in health services and outcomes research.
Advanced Health Services Research Methods (3 cr)
This interactive course will provide a working knowledge of health services research methods and how to apply these methods to answer typical research questions in health services research. The course will examine concepts but will have an applied focus with hands-on research using publicly available datasets or those that students have access for their dissertations/manuscripts. Students will learn to critically evaluate the methods, apply the methods to study a well-defined research question with testable hypothesis, implement these methods using an existing dataset in SAS or STATA and prepare a preliminary report that can be incorporated in the “Methods, Results, Discussion” section of a journal article and present the results to peers.
Decision Analysis in Healthcare (3 cr)
The course provides an introduction to decision analysis - the systematic structuring and evaluation of a decision scenario involving uncertainty. The course is designed to introduce students to the decision analytic framework that involves formulating alternatives, assessing costs, incorporating individual’s preferences, and addressing uncertain events. Students will develop modeling skills in using the framework, and gain some familiarity with basic decision-analysis tools such as TreeAge® and Microsoft Excel®.
Ethical and Regulatory Aspects of Clinical Research (2 cr)
Topics covered in this course include history, guidance, and framework for ethical clinical research; IRB review, informed consent and investigator panel; subject selection, coercion and undue inducement and ethics of research with children; risks and benefits, research with adults who cannot consent and participant panel; ethics and international research; ethics of randomized clinical trials, the use of placebo in trials and conflicts of interest; research use of stored tissue and data and incidental findings and RCR session covering topics such as mentoring and research misconduct. The course is composed of seven online sessions and one on-site lecture.
Health Outcomes Research Designs (2 cr)
This course focuses on the skills required to design, conduct, and analyze research topics in Health Outcomes Research. By the end of the course, student will be able to formulate a feasible research question, and formulate hypotheses; select appropriate research designs to test hypotheses; select appropriate data collection methods and analyses, and critically evaluate your own research and that of other social scientists.
Health Services Research with Secondary Data (3 cr)
This course is designed to impart knowledge about secondary data research including common study designs, advantages and limitations, acquire skills in basic steps to extracting and analyzing secondary data, and have hands-on experience in conducting analysis with secondary data. Upon successful completing of this course students will be able to : 1) conceptualize, initiate, conduct, and disseminate research for which secondary data are the data source; 2) evaluate the advantages and limitations of secondary data for conducting research; 3) import, extract, edit, and organize secondary data via software specifically designed for large data sets; 4) construct accurate and thorough data extraction logs throughout a secondary data research project and 5) conduct an independent, semester-long research project utilizing a large secondary database.
Health Survey Research Methods (3 cr)
This course seeks to increase participants’ understanding of survey research methods and to develop basic skills in survey development and administration. Through readings, discussions, and labs, participants will gain familiarity with the use of surveys from the medical/pharmaceutical literature. Participants will also have the opportunity to further develop their written and oral communication skills, as well as analytic skills.
HEOR-HSOR Research Internship (4-12 cr)
This is an elective course in which students will learn to apply their learning in academia to other organizations under the direct supervision of qualified professionals in these organizations. The organizations can include and not limited to pharmaceutical companies, clinical research organizations, federal, state, and local governments, policy think-tanks (example; Mathematica, Rand Corporation) and health care systems. The experience will provide the student an opportunity to work with leaders and leading organizations and understand how research in the academic world can be transferred to research in organizations in the context of the mission, vision, and scope of the organizations and their clientele. The internship can range from 4 – 12 weeks. The student will be primarily responsible for identifying, interviewing and securing an internship position in their areas of interest and registering for credit.
Patient-Reported Outcomes (3 cr)
This course provides a foundation in health outcomes research with an emphasis on patient reported outcomes (PROs) in health services research. Discussions include an introduction to health services research, selection criteria for PRO measures, methods to assess self-reported health status, health related quality of life (to include utility), symptom experience, and broadly used generic and disease-specific PRO instruments.
Pharmacoeconomic Evaluations (3 cr)
This course is an overview of the role of economic evaluation in health care with a special emphasis on pharmacy-related issues. The course introduces students to the fundamental principles of economic evaluations, different types of economic analyses, sources of data, quality-of-life valuations, assessment of utility, and current approaches to pharmacoeconomics and outcomes research. The application of pharmacoeconomic evaluations in clinical practice, pharmaceutical industry, managed care organizations, and other practice settings are discussed.
Pharmacoepidemiology (3 cr)
This course introduces the history, and basic concepts and principles of the field of Pharmacoepidemiology. The topics focus on medication utilization, medication safety, population health, and health outcomes and perspectives from various stakeholders. Upon completion of this course the students will be able to: describe basic concepts and principles of Pharmacoepidemiology and apply standard epidemiologic methods to clinical pharmacy; discuss issues related to medication safety, adverse events and adverse drug reactions, medication utilization, comparative effectiveness research, and health outcomes; assess the strengths and weakness of Pharmacoepidemiology studies; assess medication; acquire skills to design and implement Pharmacoepidemiology research; identify d the role of Pharmacoepidemiology studies in clinical practice, decision making, and health policy and discuss current challenges and opportunities in Pharmacoepidemiology.
Social and Behavioral Theory in Health Outcomes Research (3 cr)
This graduate-level course is intended to familiarize graduate students in pharmacy, public health, or other health care fields with basic social and behavioral theories related to health behavior change and health outcomes. This course will apply social/behavioral theories used in research and practice to design, evaluate, and disseminate health promotion programs and interventions to address health outcomes at both individual and community levels. This course reviews concepts related to health behavior change at individual and social/environmental levels, and identify potential barriers and/or facilitators to health behavior change that can be addressed across internal and external environments. Applications of social/behavioral theories to health outcomes research in health disparities, high risk, and special populations are discussed.