Fall 2020 COVID-19 Rules

  • You will wear a mask to each and every in-person class. Removal of your mask, or pulling your mask down below your nose will be cause for you to be asked to leave.
  • The first two rows of seats in the classroom are to remain vacant except for accommodation reasons.
  • Do not approach the front of the room farther than the second row of seats.
  • Leave two seats (at least) between you and other students along the rows.

Course Instructors

Alex Edwards

Office Hours: Thursdays 10am - 12pm EST Zoom: https://zoom.us/j/6260286669

Course Teaching Assistants

Rachel Parker
- 2nd Year PhD - - Office Hours: Monday 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm EST - Zoom: https://emory.zoom.us/j/94430030568

Xiaochu Lin
- 2nd Year MSPH - - Office Hours:Friday 3:30 pm – 5:30 pm EST - Zoom: https://zoom.us/j/89921169785

Sabah Munir
- 2nd Year MSPH - - Office Hours: Thursdays 8:00am - 10:00am EST - Zoom: : https://zoom.us/j/91214282921?from=msft

Mian Guo,
- 2nd Year MSPH - - Office Hours: Wednesday 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm EST - Zoom: https://zoom.us/j/91659113099

Lydia Rautman
- 2nd Year MPH - - Office Hours: Slack Only or by Appointment

Please Note: You may visit any TA for help, even those not in your lab section.

Course Meetings

For Paul’s Labs:

  • This course will at the following times
    • In Person: Tuesday 8am - 9:50am
    • Synchronous: Tuesday or Thursday 3:15 - 5:05 On Zoom
    • Asynchronous: Anytime you like, the video will be posted by 12pm each Friday

Grade Scale

Grade Range
A [95 - 100)
A- [90 - 95)
B+ [85 - 90)
B [80 - 85)
B- [75 - 80)
C [65 - 75)
F < 65

Introduction

For the administrators reading this: This course provides an overview of a number of statistical techniques aimed at the analysis of public health data . We will study We will address relevant methods in the context of public health data. Each student conducts an analysis project that relates to public health analysis using given data.

This course will primarily use the SAS programming language with an emphasis on reproducible research.

For the students: How to read a paper, look at health phenomena in empirical ways, and make decisions based on data. Also, to try and have fun.

Course Objectives

Upon completion of this course, students will understand and be able to apply basic techniques in descriptive and inferential statistics. These will include: techniques in graphical and numerical descriptive statistics; elementary probability calculation; point and confidence interval estimation and hypothesis testing for population means, proportions, differences of means and differences of proportions; elementary non-parametric techniques and simple contingency table analyses. Students will be introduced to basic operations in SAS on personal computers. The ultimate goal of this course is to provide students with the knowledge and training they need to understand and explain the role of quantitative methods in describing and assessing a population’s health. ____________________________

MPH/MSPH Foundational Compentencies

  1. Analyze quantitative data using biostatistics, informatics, computer-based programming and software, as appropriate.
  2. Interpret results of data analysis for public health research, policy or practice.

Textbooks

There are no required text for this course.

Assignments and Weights

Assignments Weight
Lab Homework Semi-Weekly 50%
Lab Project 50%
Total: 100%

Please Note: Each student in my labs is allotted 4 total extension days that may be used on any assignment. You may use single days or up to two days per assignment. You must notify me before the assignment is due that you wish to use extension days.

Course Schedule

Dates Activity
8/24 Introduction To BIOS-500L and The SAS Environment
8/31 Data, You and SAS
9/7 No Lab
9/14 Exploratory Data Analysis: Univariate
9/21 Exploratory Data Analysis: Categorical
9/28 No Lab
10/05 Data Visalization
10/12 Hypothesis Testing: T-test and ANOVA
10/19 Hypothesis Testing: ANOVA and Chi-Square
10/26 No Lab
11/02 Final Project Assigned
11/09 Final project Work Time
11/16 Final project Work Time
12/06 Final Project Due 11:59pm EST

Please Note: During the final project meeting we will still meet in some form or another. We will discuss this later in the semester.

RSPH POLICIES

Accessibility and Accommodations

Accessibility Services works with students who have disabilities to provide reasonable accommodations. In order to receive consideration for reasonable accommodations, you must contact the Office of Accessibility Services (OAS). It is the responsibility of the student to register with OAS. Please note that accommodations are not retroactive and that disability accommodations are not provided until an accommodation letter has been processed.

Students who registered with OAS and have a letter outlining their academic accommodations are strongly encouraged to coordinate a meeting time with me to discuss a protocol to implement the accommodations as needed throughout the semester. This meeting should occur as early in the semester as possible.

Contact Accessibility Services for more information at (404) 727-9877 or . Additional information is available at the OAS website at http://equityandinclusion.emory.edu/access/students/index.html

Honor Code

You are bound by Emory University’s Student Honor and Conduct Code. RSPH requires that all material submitted by a student fulfilling his or her academic course of study must be the original work of the student. Violations of academic honor include any action by a student indicating dishonesty or a lack of integrity in academic ethics. Academic dishonesty refers to cheating, plagiarizing, assisting other students without authorization, lying, tampering, or stealing in performing any academic work, and will not be tolerated under any circumstances.

The RSPH Honor Code states: “Plagiarism is the act of presenting as one’s own work the expression, words, or ideas of another person whether published or unpublished (including the work of another student). A writer’s work should be regarded as his/her own property.” (http://www.sph.emory.edu/cms/current_students/enrollment_services/honor_code.html)