Basic Statistics for Health Researchers (Danish course) Class 0
Graduate School of Health and Medical Sciences at University of Copenhagen
This is a generic course. This means that the course is reserved for PhD students at the Graduate School of Health and Medical Sciences at UCPH.
Anyone can apply for the course, but if you are not a PhD student at the Graduate School, you will be placed on the waiting list until enrollment deadline. After the enrolment deadline, available seats will be allocated to the waiting list.
The course is free of charge for PhD students at Danish universities (except Copenhagen Business School), and for PhD students at NorDoc member faculties. All other participants must pay the course fee.
Course title
Basic statistics for health science researchers, Class 0
Learning objectives
This course will teach you how to use statistics in a research context by giving you a thorough repetition of basic statistical concepts and models illustrated with case studies from health science.
A student who has met the objectives of the course will be able to:
• Interpret basic statistical information from research papers: descriptive statistics, sample size calculations, estimates of effect or association, confidence intervals, and p-values.
• Understand the basic statistical analyses most commonly used in health science: two-sample and paired t-test, linear regression, correlation, analysis of variance (ANOVA), analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), linear models, risk difference, relative risk, odds ratio, chi-square test, logistic regression, survival analysis and linear mixed models.
• Carry out the most commonly used basic statistical analyses using R statistical software, interpret the results, and present them in appropriate tables and figures.
• Recognize the limitations and potential misinterpretations of statistical analyses related to e.g. model violations, confounding, missing data, lack of power, and multiple testing.
• Follow advanced statistics courses from the Graduate School at the faculty of health science.
• Take advice from a statistician, e.g. in the advisory service at the Section of Biostatistics.
Content
Basic statistical concepts (datatypes, distributions, estimation, confidence intervals). Significance tests (power and sample size calculation, adjustments for multiple testing). Planning and interpretation of statistical analyses (exploratory vs confirmatory analyses, randomized vs observational studies, confounding, mediation, effect modification, estimation vs prediction). Analysis of quantitative outcomes (t-tests, ANOVA, linear regression, correlation, ANCOVA, multiple linear regression). Analysis of binary and categorical outcomes (association in two-way tables, logistic regression). Introduction to survival analysis (Kaplan-Meier curves, log-rank test, Cox regression). Introduction to analysis of repeated measurements and clustered data (linear mixed models, simplification).
Prerequisites:
• ESSENTIAL: Familiarity with basic R functionality and data management, e.g. from the course “Introduction to R for basic statistics” (taking place before the Christmas holidays).
• RECOMMENDED: Familiarity with statistical concepts e.g., from completing a statistics course during previous education and from reading research papers.
Language
Danish
Form
3 hr forum lectures and 3 hr exercises classes per week for ten weeks. Attending 8 out of the 10 exercises is required to pass the course. Mandatory homework assignment in groups of 2-3 students.
Course directors
Assistant professor Aksel Jensen
Teachers
Associate professor Julie Lyng Forman, Assistant professor Aksel Karl Georg Jensen, and others.
Dates and time
Lectures: Mondays: 27 January, 3, 17, 24 February, 3, 10, 17, 24, 31 March, 7 April 2025, taught live all days 10.00-13.00 followed by an optional one-hour live questions and answers session 13.00-14.00.
Exercise Class 0: Wednesdays: 29 January, 5, 19, 26 February, 5, 12, 19, 26 March, 2, 9 April 2025, all days 12.00-15.00.
Please note that the exercise classes 0, 1, 2, 3 take place at different times.
Course location
CSS
Registration
Please register before 15 December 2024.
Other similar courses
Basic statistics for health science researchers – English: A similar but more intensive version of this course, with two full days of teaching per week for five weeks only. (Spring term only)
Statistics for experimental medical researchers: An introductory statistics course targeted at pre-clinical researchers with six full days of teaching in total. Reduced curriculum compared to this course, but with more statistical methods for small sample sizes. (Fall term only)
Relevance to graduate programmes
The course is relevant to PhD students from the following graduate programmes at the Graduate School of Health and Medical Sciences, UCPH:
All graduate programmes
Participants
Ph.D.-students. In case of vacant seats, also other health researchers.
Seats to PhD students from other Danish universities will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis and according to the applicable rules. Applications from other participants will be considered after the last day of enrollment.
Note: All applicants are asked to submit invoice details in case of no-show, late cancellation or obligation to pay the course fee (typically non-PhD students). If you are a PhD student, your participation in the course must be in agreement with your principal supervisor.