Courses for Clinical Research Curriculum

The following courses are offered as part of a two-year curriculum that is open to all clinical researchers in the Texas Medical Center. Students in the MS in Clinical Research Degree program receive 9-12 hours of formal credit for these courses using the Petition for Course Equivalency described above. Call 713-500-6708 to register for these courses.

Course Name: Intro to Epidemiology Research
Instructor: Moyer
Course Description: This course provides a basis for an understanding of the concepts and methodological skills necessary for designing and interpreting observational studies. These include validity (random error, bias and confounding), measures of disease occurrence and impact, measures of association, reliability and generalizability, causal inference, and critically reviewing evidence.
Prerequisite: None (above admission requirements for MS in Clinical Research Program)
Schedule: This course is given from 5:00-6:30pm each Wednesday evening for 10 weeks (1.0 credit hours).

Course Name: Clinical Trial-Design
Instructor: Tyson
Course Description: This course prepares the student to design and analyze randomized trials of medical interventions. Covered topics include basic study design, recruitment, randomization, masking, data collection and quality control, participant adherence, sample size considerations, data monitoring and analysis, and meta-analysis.
Prerequisite: None (above admission requirements for MS in Clinical Research Program)
Schedule: This course is given from 5:00-6:30pm each Wednesday evening for 10 weeks (1.0 credit hours).

Course Name: Health Services
Research
Instructor: Thomas
Course Description: This course begins with an overview of healthcare financing, access to care, quality of care, and health policy.  Subsequent classes will focus on: conceptualization of healthcare quality (including the classic “structure, process, and outcome” framework) and safety; quality of care measurements; risk adjustment; and introductions to survey research and qualitative research.
Prerequisite: None (above admission requirements for MS in Clinical Research Program)
Schedule: This course is given from 5:00-6:30pm each Wednesday evening for 8 weeks (1.0 credit hours).

Course Number: CLRS 5006
Course Name: Clinical Research
Design Workshop
Instructor: Kennedy, Tyson
Course Description: In this problem-based course, each student is expected to build a clinical research proposal in his/her field of interest. Each week, students are asked to present the appropriate parts of their protocols to facilitate the discussion of successive stages in study design. This course is run in small group sessions (6-14 students per group) to facilitate active participation and interaction.
Prerequisite: Consent of instructor
Schedule: This course is given from 5-6:30p.m. each Wednesday evening for 13 weeks (1 credit hour).

Course Number: CLRS 5007
Course Name: Use of Computers in Clinical Research
Instructor: Lasky
Course Description: This is a hands-on laboratory course. Each student is expected to complete computer-based projects that demonstrate skills searching databases, managing data, and analyzing data sets. Software packages used in the course include Internet-based searching programs, and PC-based spreadsheet, database, and statistics software packages.
Prerequisite: None (above admission requirements for MS in Clinical Research Program)
Schedule: Students schedule the computer modules according to their schedules and the availability of the course instructors. More in-depth classroom courses are offered for specific applications when there is sufficient interest and availability of instructors (1-3 credit hours).

Course Number: CLRS 5008
Course Name: Scientific Writing
Instructor: Moyer
Course Description: This course covers the essential goals of scientific writing and presentation: clarity, succinctness, and consistency as they apply to specific areas of scientific writing. Detailed specific recommendations will be given for abstract, manuscript, and grant preparation.
Prerequisite: None (above admission requirements for MS in Clinical Research Program)
Schedule: This course is given from 5-6:30p.m. each Wednesday evening for 8 weeks (0.5 credit hour).

Course Number: CLRS 5009
Course Name: Biostatistics for
Clinical Investigators
Instructor: Kennedy, Lasky
Course Description: This course begins with an overview of descriptive statistics and provides students with the tools to perform univariate analyses using parametric and non-parametric methods for paired and unpaired designs. Emphasis is placed on choosing appropriate tests, evaluating assumptions for the tests, understanding the limitations of statistical tests, and appropriate interpretation of test results. Survival analysis and multiple regression techniques are introduced to familiarize the student with the availability and limitations of these tests.
Prerequisite: None (above admission requirements for MS in Clinical Research Program)
Schedule: This course is given from 5-6:30p.m. each Wednesday evening for 15 weeks (1.5 credit hours).

Course Number: CLRS 5011
Course Name: Literature Appraisal
Instructor: Moyer
Course Description: In this course, the students will be expected to learn rules of evidence and demonstrate critical evaluation of the medical literature. Students will have an opportunity to demonstrate these concepts and skills by appraising the evidence in various areas of clinical research. This critical appraisal of existing evidence will be used to determine fruitful areas for new investigation. This course is run in small group sessions (6-10 students per group) to facilitate active participation and interaction.
Prerequisite: None (above admission requirements for MS in Clinical Research Program)
Schedule: This course is given from 5-6:30p.m. each Wednesday evening for 10 weeks (1 credit hour).

Course Number: CLRS 5012
Course Name: Ethical Aspects of Clinical Research
Instructor: Tyson
Course Description: This course introduces the fundamental ethical principles of autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence, and justice and applies these principles to clinical research involving human subjects. The use of unproven therapies, the use of placebos, the consent process, institutional review board submission and review processes, conflict of interests, and the costs of clinical research are covered.
Prerequisite: None (above admission requirements for MS in Clinical Research Program)
Schedule: This course is given from 5-6:30p.m. each Wednesday evening for 6 weeks (0.5 credit hour).

Course Number: CLRS 5013
Course Name: Introduction to Translational Research
Instructor: Milewicz
Course Description: This course is an overview of the clinical research that bridges basic science and patient-based research. Topics include pharmaceutical research, genetic research, gene therapy, and genomics.
Prerequisite: None (above admission requirements for MS in Clinical Research Program)
Schedule: This course is given from 5-6:30p.m. each Wednesday evening for 7 weeks (0.5 credit hour).

Course Number: CLRS 5014
Course Name: Seminars in Clinical
Research
Instructor: Kennedy
Course Description: In this course, each student prepares, presents, and defends a clinical research protocol in his/her field of interest. Students are encouraged to critique the proposals presented by other students and to participate as a group in problem solving. Enrollment in this course is limited (10-16 students) to facilitate active participation and interaction.
Prerequisite: Consent of instructor
Schedule: This course is given from 4-5:00p.m. each Tuesday for 25 weeks (1 credit hour).

Courses for MS in Clinical Research Degree Program

The following advanced courses are offered as part of the MS in Clinical Research Degree Program.

Course Number: CLRS 5003
Course Name: Advanced
Epidemiology
Instructor: Miller
Prerequisite: Clinical Epidemiology or Consent of instructor
Course Description: This course covers the analysis of complex observational studies with emphasis on the identification of interaction and control of confounding variables. Other topics include the use of matching, selection of appropriate control groups, and identification of potential sources of bias. A problem-based approach is used in which students are asked to solve design and analysis problems using existing data sets.
Schedule: This course is given from 1-4:30 p.m. each Wednesday for 17 weeks in the spring (4 credit hours).

Course Number: CLRS 5010
Course Name: Advanced Biostatistics for Clinical Investigators
Instructor: Lasky
Course Description: This course will focus on the mechanics of applying biostatistical techniques in a research setting. Emphasis will be placed on assumption testing and techniques of model fitting. Students will be expected to critically evaluate, develop, and execute analysis plans using descriptive analysis and regression techniques.
Prerequisite: Biostatistics for Clinical Investigators or consent of instructor
Schedule: This course is given from 1-4:30 p.m. each Wednesday for 17 weeks in the spring (4 credit hours).

Course Number: CLRS 5015
Course Name: Using Research to
Inform Health Care Policy and
Practice
Instructor: Center faculty
Course Description: In this course, the students apply rules of evidence and health services research to clinical practice, practice guidelines, and health care policy. Decision analysis and methods for quantifying benefit, risk, and cost will be used to evaluate health care interventions at the individual patient and population levels. This critical appraisal will be used to launch discussions of mechanisms to bridge the gap between clinical research evidence and health services delivery and health policy.
Prerequisite: Consent of instructor
Schedule: This course is given from 1-4:30 p.m. each Wednesday for 16 weeks in the fall (4 credit hours).

Course Number: CLRS 5016
Course Name: Evaluating Costs and Benefits in Clinical Research
Instructor: Phillips
Course Description: This course will introduce the concepts and methods for the economic analysis of health care interventions. Topics will include cost-benefit and cost-effectiveness analyses with an emphasis on quality of life assessments, cost-utility analyses, decision analyses, and the application of these methods to the evaluation of alternative health care interventions.
Prerequisite: Consent of instructor
Schedule: This course is given from 1-4:30 p.m. each Wednesday for 16 weeks in the fall (4 credit hours).

Course Number: CLRS 5017
Course Name: Advanced Clinical
Research Study Design
Instructor: Tyson, Kennedy, Thomas, Groff
Course Description: This course will build on design concepts for observational and interventional studies that were introduced in the prerequisite courses. Topics will include the use of matching and restriction to minimize bias in observational studies, consideration of analytic strategies (eg. correlated samples, use of propensity scores) in study design, survey research methods, the relationship between quality improvement and clinical research, adaptive randomization, alternatives for consent for research, factorial designs, cluster randomization, using patient values to select important study outcomes, weighing benefits and harms, approaches to stopping rules, and enhancing feasibility of clinical trials.
Prerequisite: Clinical Epidemiology and Clinical Trials
Schedule: This course is given from 1-4:30 p.m. each Wednesday for 16 weeks in the fall (4 credit hours).

  UTHSC-H General .pdf