Monash University Handbook 2011 Postgraduate - Unit

Refer to the specific census and withdrawal dates for the semester(s) in which this unit is offered.

Synopsis

This unit will involve students being exposed to a real-life biostatistical problem arising in an academic health research environment or industry. They will be supervised by an experienced biostatistician with a staff or honorary appointment at Monash University. Students will be allocated, or may select, one research project to be involved in, and will be required to make regular contact with the associated health research personnel together with the supervisor. The student will perform an analysis of appropriate complexity for the project and present and interpret the results in a written form to the health researcher and supervisor.

Objectives

On completion of this unit students should be able to:

1. appreciate the challenges facing a biostatistician in professional practice;
2. demonstrate strategies for elicitation of pertinent research questions and associated biostatistical issues from a health or medical research project;
3. collaborate with a medical researcher in devising a strategy for statistical analysis of the research data;
4. perform data integrity checks and an appropriate statistical analysis;
5. present the results and their interpretation in a written report suitable for presentation to a clinical research journal.

Assessment

Written report 100%

Chief examiner(s)

Professor Andrew Forbes

Prerequisites

MPH1040, EPM5002, EPM5003, EPM5004, EPM5005, EPM5009, EPM5014

Prohibitions

This unit is only available to students enrolled in the Graduate Certificate, Graduate Diploma or Masters of Biostatistics.