This course will examine principles of biostatistics, in the context of real-world public health issues. The aim of the course is to help those without a technical background to read and interpret biostatistical content in the medical and public health literature.

Topics, chosen by frequency of occurrence in the literature, will include:

• Introduction to sampling distributions, hypothesis tests and estimation
• Analysis of normal data, including t-tests and linear regression
• Analysis of binary data, including 2x2 tables, Mantel-Haenszel methods and logistic regression
• Analysis of count data, including comparing rates between two groups,
• Poisson regression and survival analysis
• Meta-analysis

Throughout the course, the emphasis will be on understanding the reasons why the techniques are appropriate, underlying assumptions and interpretation of results, rather than the mechanics of calculation. Each topic will draw upon one or two papers from the literature. Both lectures and small group tutorials will be used to facilitate learning and provide opportunities to explore specific topics in more detail.

By the end of the course, students will be able to:

• Explain the various mathematical and biostatistical concepts covered during the course
• Recognize differences in data distributions via visual displays
• Give examples of different types of data and know the appropriate techniques for analysing: continuous outcomes; binary data; count data; and survival data
• Interpret the results of: t-tests and linear regression; 2x2 tables, Mantel-Haenszel methods and logistic regression; Poisson regression; Cox regression; and meta-analysis
• Critically appraise the evidence presented in published research studies

Assignments (60%), In-class assessment (35%), Quiz (5%)

Attendance and participation at a 4-day intensive program on 20-23 March, which runs 9am - 5pm each day (~28hrs), plus additional sessions on the following Friday mornings (9:30am-12noon): 9 March; 16 March; 30 March; 27 April; 11 May; 25 May; 8 June.

An undergraduate degree in the health or medical sciences, science, the humanities or social sciences, of an acceptable standard. Completion of Year 12 maths or equivalent is recommended.

• POPH8100: Fundamentals of Epidemiology
• POPH8313: Analysis of Public Health Data

Betty R Kirkwood & Jonathan AC Sterne. Essential Medical Statistics (2^nd Ed). Oxford: Blackwell Science Ltd, 2003. ISBN-13: 978-0865428713

nb. As of Dec 2011, advice from the supplier is that the newer 3^rd edition (ISBN-13: 978-1405158961) of this text is still at the editorial stage; publication date TBA.