Advanced Biostatistical Methods

(3 Credit Hours) · Undergraduate

This course introduces advanced statistical methods used in biological and biomedical research. Topics include study designs commonly used in health research including case-control, cross-sectional, prospective and retrospective studies; statistical analysis of different data types arising from biological and health research including Gaussian data, categorical data, count data, survival data, correlated/clustered data models, and diagnostic tests. All statistical methods are illustrated with examples from the biology and health sciences. Students are expected to have basic knowledge in R programming, probabilities and distribution theory, descriptive statistics, statistical inferences including hypothesis testing and estimation, and working knowledge of linear regression, before they can register for the course. Upon completion of the course, students are able to recognize and give examples of different types of data arising in biological and health studies, and apply appropriate methods to analyze such data.