Biostatistics Short Courses

When you walk across the campus, you are reminded that learning never stops. Professional development and career growth are part of our culture and the underlying current that allows individuals to be lifelong learners. Not only can these opportunities teach you new skills, but they ensure that you will remain at the forefront in your field.

The CCTSI Biostatistics, Epidemiology, and Research Design (BERD) program partners with the Center for Innovative Design and Analysis (CIDA) to offer several short courses, seminars and a hackathon to the Anschutz Medical Campus as well as to individuals from the greater front range. These opportunities are designed to provide a high-level overview of topics in biostatistics from Fundamentals of Statistical Literacy, to Study Design, to Big Data, and Data Science; there is an option that aligns with your interests and needs as a professional.

Short courses are a great opportunity for anyone on campus who is not a professionally trained biostatistician to gain knowledge in the different content areas. We offer a wide variety of options and we are always open to feedback about topics that the campus is interested in.

Learn more about why you should sign up >

A Biostatistics Short Course

A six-week short course for those wanting to become acquainted with basic clinical trial methodology, either to broaden their knowledge of public health and clinical research, or to obtain a basis for more advanced study of the design and conduct of clinical trials. Introduces clinical trial design in the context of epidemiological concepts, covers various topics in the design and conduct of clinical trials, and profiles clinical trials that illustrate these issues.

Schedule of Topics

Study Design History and Comparisons
Identifying the Research Hypotheses and Study Population, Collecting Data
Exploration of Clinical Trial Designs I
Exploration of Clinical Trial Designs II and Analyzing the Data
Sample Size, Power, and Sequential Monitoring
Novel Study Designs and Reporting Results

A credit card can be used for payment. To inquire about using a Speedtype, please contact cida.admin@cuanschutz.edu.

Sponsored by the Biostatistics, Epidemiology, and Research Design (BERD) core of the CCTSI.

A Biostatistics Short Course

A six-week short course for researchers or students wanting to learn more about data science, machine learning, data visualization, and tools for reproducible research and team science. Three lectures provide an introduction to machine learning (ML) in biomedical research, covering topics such as: differences between ML and classical statistical models, the basic steps for building and validating predictive models (“supervised ML”), tools for interpreting ML models, variable selection, and “unsupervised ML” (e.g. “clustering methods” to derive patient subgroups, and principal component analysis for “dimension reduction”).

Schedule of Topics

Overview of Data Science
Introduction of Machine Learning in Biomedical Research
Clustering and Pattern Finding ("unsupervised" Machine Learning)
Powerful Predictive Models and Variable Selection ("supervised" Machine Learning)
Fundamentals of Data Visualization
Reproducible Research and Team Science

This introductory short course does not replace formal education in biostatistics. Continuous attendance is encouraged. In-class and online participation is required. A certificate of completion will be provided with 5 out of 6 in-class lectures attended.

This course will be virtual.

A credit card can be used for payment. To inquire about using a Speedtype, please contact cida.admin@cuanschutz.edu.

Sponsored by the Biostatistics, Epidemiology, and Research Design (BERD) core of the CCTSI.

A Biostatistics Short Course

A six-week course typically offered in the fall. The Fundamentals of Statistical Literacy Short Course will help you improve your ability to critically assess literature and understand and communicate biostatistical issues. Topics are introduced and discussed in the context of the research process and tied back to phases of research that investigators will understand.

Material is presented in short videos, in-class lecture and discussion, and group study and presentation of specific case studies taken from real-world scenarios. This class will not teach you how to carry out the analyses themselves, as there is no coding and minimal computation.

Schedule of Topics

Statistics in the Research Process; Probability and Random Variables
Percentages and Proportions; Confidence Intervals
Hypothesis Testing
Variable Relationships and Modeling
Multiple Predictors; Model Fit
Power, Sample Size, and Effect Size; Correlation

A credit card can be used for payment. To inquire about using a Speedtype, please contact cida.admin@cuanschutz.edu.

Sponsored by the Biostatistics, Epidemiology, and Research Design (BERD) core of the CCTSI.

A Biostatistics Short Course

A six-week short course offered in the spring for those wanting to follow-up to the companion course to the Fundamentals of Statistical Literacy I. This course will help you improve your ability to critically assess literature and understand and communicate biostatistical issues. Topics are introduced and discussed in the context of the research process and tied back to phases of research that investigators will understand.

Material is presented in short videos, class lecture and discussion, and group study and presentation of specific case studies taken from real-world scenarios. This class will not teach you how to carry out the analyses themselves, as there is no coding and minimal computation.

Schedule of Topics

Good Science Through Good Statistical Thinking and Decision Making
Covariate Adjustment and Model Selection
Models for Non-Normal Data
Repeated Measures and Longitudinal Data Analysis
Missing Data and Imputation
Censoring, Truncation, and Survival Analysis

A Biostatistics Short Course

A six-week short course for researchers or students wanting to learn more about foundations and applications of data visualization. The course has three segments with 2 lectures each. The first segment introduces visualization foundations and discusses general design principles for creating effective visual representations. The second segment covers the visualization of two common data types (multidimensional data and network data), along with tools for visualizing and analyzing tabular and network data. The third segment covers interactive data exploration in the context of time series and text data, and the use of visual representations for communication and storytelling. Coding skills are not required for this course.

This is different from Fundamentals of Data Science and is a great companion to the course in theme and information although they are not connected nor is one a prerequisite for the other.

Schedule of Topics

Introduction to Data Visualization: What, Why, and How
Designing Graphical Figures and Tables
Visualizing Tabular Data & Introduction to Tableau Application
Visualizing Networks and Trees & Introduction to Cytoscape Application
Interactive Data Exploration & Visualizing Time Series and Text
DataVisual Communication and Storytelling

A Biostatistics Short Course

A six-week short course for researchers or students wanting to learn more about the foundations of Electronic Health Records-based research. This course provides a practical introduction to EHR data and the study design process. Bring your research question with you as we will also walk through the overall process of conducting an EHR-based study on the CU campus including the COMIRB application and Health Data Compass request process. Finally we will touch on how to combine EHR data with other resources on campus like the Colorado Center for Personalized Medicine Biobank. Coding skills are not required for this course.

Schedule of Topics

Fundamentals and Ethics of EHR-based Research
Introduction to EHR Data
Defining the Study Population, Exposures, and Outcomes
Assessing Study Feasibility and Preparing the Data Request
Requesting, Receiving, and Analyzing Data
Combining with Specialty Data Sources (e.g., Colorado Center for Personalized Medicine Biobank)

How does one obtain the correct answers? By asking the right questions! This course is an introduction to causal inference as one of four core data science tasks in the health sciences. The course will focus on causal inference in epidemiology, including use of directed acyclic graphs (DAGs) to illustrate research questions, identify sources of bias, and aid in interpretation of findings.

Schedule of Topics:

Data science tasks: asking the right questions to get the right answers
Causal diagrams (DAGs): key elements and how each relate to causal inference
To adjust or not adjust? Confounder adjustment, overadjustment, and unnecessary adjustment
Overadjustment – when mediation analysis goes wrong
Interaction and effect modification
Conceptual models

Upcoming classes

Fundamentals of Study Design

Biostatistics Short Course

Registration Open

September 6 - October 11
Wednesdays
4:00 - 6:00 p.m.

Fundamentals of Data Science Literacy

Biostatistics Short Course

Registration Open

October 10 - November 14
Tuesdays
5:00 - 7:00 p.m.

Statistical Literacy I

Biostatistics Short Course

Registration Open

October 24 - December 12
No class on October 31, November 21
Tuesdays
6:00 - 8:00 p.m.

Statistical Literacy II

Biostatistics Short Course

Registration Open

January 30, 2024 - March 5, 2024
Tuesdays
6:00 - 8:00 p.m.

Fundamentals of EHR Data

Biostatistics Short Course

Registration Open
February 26 - April 8, 2024
Skip March 18
Mondays
4:00 - 6:00 p.m.

Fundamentals of Data Visualization

Biostatistics Short Course

Registration Open

February 27 - April 9, 2024
Skip March 19, 2024
Tuesdays
5:00 - 7:00 p.m.

Causal Epidemiology

Biostatistics Short Course

Registration Open

September 27 - November 8, 2023
Wednesdays
3:00 - 5:00 p.m.

colorado school of public health

coloradoSPH

Center for Innovative Design & Analysis

Upcoming classes

Center for Innovative Design & Analysis

Colorado School of Public Health

Biostatistics Short Courses

Fundamentals of Study Design

Fundamentals of Data Science Literacy

Statistical Literacy I

Statistical Literacy II

Fundamentals of Data Visualization

Fundamentals of Electronic Health Record Data Research

Introduction to Causal Inference in Epidemiology

Upcoming classes

Center for Innovative Design & Analysis

Colorado School of Public Health