Master of Science Degree in
Epidemiology and Clinical Research

Global Health Concentration

In addition to completing the core courses required for an MS degree in epidemiology, students can receive a Global Health Concentration designation by completing these requirements:

 

Required course:

HRP 237: Practical Approaches to Global Health Research (IPS 290, MED 226)
How do you come up with an idea for health research overseas? How do you develop a research question, concept note, and get your project funded? How do you manage personnel in the field, difficult cultural situations, or unexpected problems? How do you create a sampling strategy, select a study design, and ensure ethical conduct with human subjects? This course takes students through the process of health research in under-resourced countries from the development of the initial research question and literature review to securing support and detailed planning for field work. Students progressively develop and receive weekly feedback on a concept note to support a funding proposal addressing a research question of their choosing. Aims at graduate students; undergraduates in their junior or senior year may enroll with instructor consent. This course is restricted to undergraduates unless they have completed 85 units or more.
Autumn | 3 units

 

Selectives (Take at least 6 credits from this list):

SOMGEN 207: Theories of Change in Global Health
Open to graduate students studying in any discipline whose research work or interest engages global health. The course undertakes a critical assessment of how different academic disciplines frame global health problems and recommend pathways toward improvements. Focuses on evaluating examples of both success and failure of different theories of change in specific global health implementations.
Pre-requisites: Econ118, CEE265D, HumBio 129S, or HumBio 124C
Spring | 3-4 units

MED 236: Economics of Infectious Disease and Global Health (HUMBIO 124E) (not given in 2017-18)
Introduction to global health topics such as childhood health, hygiene, drug resistance, and pharmaceutical industries from an economic development perspective. Introduces economic concepts including decision-making over time, externalities, and incentives as they relate to health.

HRP 235: Designing Research-Based Interventions to Solve Global Health Problems (AFRICAST 135, AFRICAST 235, EDUC 135, EDUC 335, HUMBIO 26, MED 235)
The excitement around social innovation and entrepreneurship has spawned numerous startups focused on tackling world problems, particularly in the fields of education and health. The best social ventures are launched with careful consideration paid to research, design, and efficacy. This course offers students insights into understanding how to effectively develop, evaluate, and scale social ventures. Using TeachAIDS (an award-winning nonprofit educational technology social venture used in 78 countries) as a primary case study, students will be given an in-depth look into how the entity was founded and scaled globally. Guest speakers will include world-class experts and entrepreneurs in Philanthropy, Medicine, Communications, Education, and Technology.
Winter l 3-4 units

HRP 252: Outcomes Analysis (BIOMEDIN 251, MED 252)
Methods of conducting empirical studies which use large existing medical, survey, and other databases to ask both clinical and policy questions. Econometric and statistical models used to conduct medical outcomes research. How research is conducted on medical and health economics questions when a randomized trial is impossible. Problem sets emphasize hands-on data analysis and application of methods, including re-analyses of well-known studies. Prerequisites: one or more courses in probability, and statistics or biostatistics.
Spring | 4 units

Student/Alum Publications and awards

Dec 2017: Congratulations Ph.D. candidate, Stelios Serghiou, for being awarded the David Sackett Young Investigator Award 2017 by the Journal of Clinical Epidemiology for his paper on Field-wide meta-analyses!
"Field-wide meta-analyses of observational associations can map selective availability of risk factors and the impact of model specifications"

Nov 2017: Congrats to recent Ph.D. grad, Andrew Goldstone, on his recent publication with NEJM! Keep up the fantastic work!
"Mechanical or Biologic Prostheses for Aortic-Valve and Mitral-Valve Replacement"

July 2017: Congrats to MD/Ph.D. candidate, Nathan Lo, on his publication!
"Public Health and Economic Consequences of Vaccine Hesitancy for Measles in the United States"

April 2017: Congrats to Ph.D. candidate, Katherine Holsteen, for writing a competitive grant for the Center for Digital Health!

March 2017: Congrats Ph.D. candidate and guest speaker, Nathan Lo, for giving a talk in London for the Gates Neglected Tropical Disease Modeling Consortium meeting. Talk title: "Strengthening guidelines for helminths and NTDs: applications of cost-effectiveness analysis”

February 2017: Congrats Ph.D. candidate, Nathan Lo, for his publication in NEJM
"The Perils of Trumping Science in Global Health — The Mexico City Policy and Beyond"