Syllabus

EHS 655 Human Exposure Analysis

3 credits

 

Room 2615A SPH I
8:30-10 AM Tues Thurs

Instructor: Rick Neitzel
Office: Room 6611D SPH Tower
Phone: 734-763-2870
Email: rneitzel@umich.edu
Office hours: by appointment

 

Course Description

Students taking this course will learn how to conduct statistical analyses of human exposures, and will apply these skills to an actual dataset containing exposure, biomarker, and health outcome data. They will also develop skills for understanding, interpreting, and communicating exposure information and for identifying and communicating evidence-based risk management recommendations. This course will be relevant to second-year MS, MPH, and PhD students in all EHS subplans, with a specific relevance for IH and OEE students.

The lecture content of the course will describe common data analysis techniques, beginning with simple descriptive analyses and continuing through more complex regression-based approaches. The lecture content will familiarize students with the different approaches, and readings will provide examples of the application of these approaches.

The computer lab-based course content will provide students with time and a common environment in which to explore and apply these analytical techniques on a shared dataset containing human exposure and health outcome data. Analyses in the course will be conducted using the Stata statistical package.

The final project of the course will be a report synthesizing and describing all of the analyses conducted over the course of the semester. Students will also evaluate exposure-response relationships by combining their exposure estimates with observed health effects in the course dataset, and will conduct a limited literature review to evaluate whether these effects are consistent with other published exposure-response estimates. Finally, students will develop recommendations for necessary exposure reduction strategies depending on the results of their exposure and risk analyses.

 

Prerequisites

Graduate standing, meet basic SPH requirements for introductory biostatistics and epidemiology courses, familiarity with SPSS or an equivalent statistical package. Please see the Course Instructor if you have questions about prerequisites.

 

Course Format

This class will have two primary components. The first component (representing approximately half of course contact hours) will be lecture and discussion, and the second will be applied analysis work in an SPH computer lab.

 

Learning Objectives

In this course, we will explore various aspects of data analysis and interpretation. Throughout the course we will emphasize the processes of critical thinking and scientific writing.

 

 Learning objective

Level of knowledge expected

The students taking this class are expected to learn about:

L1

Different approaches for analysis of exposure data

Advanced

L2

Different approaches for analysis of health outcome data

Advanced

L3

Different approaches for assessing the relationships between exposure and health outcome data

 Advanced

L4

Interpretation and presentation of exposure analysis data

Intermediate

L5

Identification and presentation of exposure reduction recommendations

Intermediate

 

Student Competencies

 

 Competency

Level of competency expected

The students that have taken this class are expected to be able to:

C1

Conduct analyses of exposure (and, to a lesser degree, health effect) data using a common statistical program (e.g., SPSS, Stata, etc)

Advanced

C2

Identify and address common limitations of exposure (and, to a lesser degree, health effect) data

Advanced

C3

Identify appropriate analytical techniques for exposure and health effect data

Advanced

C4

Describe and provide rationale for decisions made in exposure and health effect analyses

Intermediate

C5

Articulate key results of exposure and health effect analyses

Intermediate

C6

Compare analytical results to available risk estimates to determine consistency of their findings with other published literature

Intermediate

C7

Develop and communicate evidence-based risk management recommendations

Intermediate

 

Computer labs

Course computer lab work is designed to provide students with a hands-on opportunity to explore and analyze a dataset of exposures and health outcomes.  Please click here to view a quick start guide

View in a new window to Stata, as well as an example Stata .do fileView in a new window and example dataset View in a new windowcorresponding to the example .do file.

 

Canvas

The schedule for the course is maintained on the Canvas site, with supplemental readings, lecture slides and handouts linked as Resources. Announcements of changes or additions to the course schedule, readings and assignments will be made in class and posted to the Canvas site.

 

Readings

Readings will be drawn from the primary literature and available on Canvas. Consider the readings as resources to clarify material covered in lectures and to deepen your own appreciation of topics of interest. You will find it useful to review the readings recommended on the syllabus before coming to class, particularly if your background is weak in a particular area.  You may then want to consult the readings after lecture to reinforce certain topics.

 

Performance Evaluation

Your grades will be based on five elements: class attendance/participation, a final report, nine semi-weekly analysis assignments, and presentation of an article review:

  1. Class participation and attendance: 20%
    This class is taught at a graduate level, and regular attendance and participation in classroom discussion is required.

  2. Semi-weekly analysis assignments: 18%
    In most weeks of the class, several questions will be posed regarding new data available that week.  

  3. Final Report: 30%
    Over the course of the semester, students will be required to prepare a report summarizing their exposure and health effect data analysis, interpretations, and recommendations.
    The final report will be due on the date indicated under "Assignments".
  4. Midterm Report: 20%
    The midterm report will be a comprehensive description of the analyses performed on the course dataset to date.  
    The midterm report will be due on the date indicated under "Assignments".
  5. Article Review/"Poster" session: 12%
    During the second half of the semester, each student will select one recent primary research literature article with a strong exposure analysis component to present orally during class. Poster presentations will provide a brief background of the research question, summary of the approach, strengths and limitations of the exposure analysis approach, and suggestions for ways the exposure analysis could have been enhanced.
    Research articles will be selected and presented on the dates indicated under "Assignments."

 Letter grades are assigned on the standard scale normalized by percent total as indicated:

100    A+                87-89 B+                  77-79 C+

93-99 A                    83-86 B                    73-76 C

90-92 A-                  80-82 B-                   70-72 C-

 

Classroom Courtesy and Special Precautions for Flu Season

Please turn off cell phones and texting devices during class and limit laptop use to course note taking. Be on time for class and return to the classroom on time after break. Finally, should you become ill, especially with flu-like symptoms, please stay at home. Contact the course instructor for information on how to catch up with course materials following your illness.

 

Academic Integrity

The following is the School of Public Health statement on academic integrity (Standard of Academic Conduct, University of Michigan School of Public Health, June 2004):

“The faculty of the School of Public Health believes that the conduct of a student registered or taking courses in the School should be consistent with that of a professional person. Courtesy, honesty, and respect should be shown by students toward faculty members, guest lecturers, administrative support staff, and fellow students. Similarly, students should expect faculty to treat them fairly, showing respect for their ideas and opinions, and striving to help them achieve maximum benefits from their experience in the School.

Student academic misconduct refers to behavior that may include plagiarism, cheating, fabrication, falsification of records or official documents, intentional misuse of equipment or materials (including library materials), and aiding and abetting the perpetration of such acts. The preparation of reports, papers, and examinations, assigned on an individual basis, must represent each student’s own effort. Reference sources should be indicated clearly. The use of assistance from other students or aids of any kind during a written examination, except when the use of aids such as electronic devices, books, or notes has been approved by an instructor, is a violation of the standard of academic conduct.”

The standards of academic conduct and procedures for dealing with alleged violations of these standards are detailed online at the following URL: http://www.sph.umich.edu/students/handbook/rights.html.

Allegations of violation of this honor code and standard of academic integrity will be handled according to SPH procedures as detailed in the web site, http://www.sph.umich.edu/students/handbook/rights.html