Population Health Sciences (PHS)

This course introduces the discipline of bioethics from a research perspective. The course will provide an overview of the history of bioethics as well as defining key principles and analytical approaches to addressing current ethical issues encountered in human subject research.

Presents general approaches to multivariate statistical analysis, including elaboration and control of confounding, and key multivariate statistical analysis techniques, i.e., analysis of variance; bivariate linear regression and correlation; multiple linear regression; multiple and partial correlation; and binary and multinomial logistic regression. Analyzes selected datasets, i.e., 2012 Southeastern Pennsylvania Household Health Survey performed by the Public Health Management Corporation, and federal datasets, e.g., NHANES.

This course introduces the multilevel model and multilevel statistical modeling (MLM), aka hierarchical linear modeling (HLM), a statistical approach for the analysis of clustered and hierarchical data. MLM can investigate the relationships between individuals and their contextual lives (neighborhoods, hospitals, families, etc.) to determine which individual and contextual variables contribute to outcomes. The course will introduce methods to determine the predictors at both levels and the variance between and within individual and contextual levels. This course also introduces methods for longitudinal modeling approaches and analysis in the same framework. The course will focus primarily on application of the statistical models using a freely available software specific to multilevel analysis (HLM 7). Thus, students who complete the course will be able to analyze multilevel cross-sectional and longitudinal data and interpret the results from such analysis.

Introduces fundamentals of course design and facilitation for classroom-based and online learning, including instructional design theory, online moderation techniques, technologies for online learning, development of course objectives, the Quality matters Rubric for quality online course design, and support resources available to both faculty and students.

This course provides experience in design and critical review of scientific evaluative studies applicable to evaluation of health intervention programming. The course will cover material intended to enable students to critically examine various approaches and methods developed for interventional studies. Specifically, this course will use a classical validity approach to the design and evaluation of health intervention studies. The course will present classical theories of causality and experimental design to include operationalization of variables, threats to validity, and experimental, quasi-experimental and non-experimental research designs. The culminating assignment for the course is a research proposal for a population-health relevant evaluative research study and as such this course serves to prepare students for future technical writing and proposal development, the cornerstones of scientific communication and funding requests.

This course is intended as an opportunity for Population Health Science PhD students to gain skills and experience in the conduct of research and in the application of various research methods, and/or to apply already learned skills to real-world research problems. Appropriate research activities include any across the spectrum of research, for example: planning a study, writing a grant application, joining an already underway research project as a research assistant, collecting data, data analysis, and dissemination activities such as authoring or co-authoring a manuscript. The student will choose a research mentor and arrange for the activities and deliverables that will constitute the PHS 660 course.

This 'journal club' will be convened to discuss, analyze, and review articles from major journals. Its purpose will be to critically evaluate recent articles from the scientific literature. Participants will be expected to read and carefully review all manuscripts selected, and to voice their views in response to several questions such as the significance of the issue(s), appropriateness of the research design, the statistical analyses, and the plausibility of the findings.

This is a self-directed course for students to prepare for the PhD Comprehensive Examination, which is a requirement for Advancement to Candidacy for the PhD degree in the College of Population Health. Students will review exam requirements and the body of knowledge that will be tested. See the '"PhD Comprehensive Examination and Dissertation Handbook'" online under the Handbooks section of the Student Resources page at for more information.

Students sign up for this course in the trimester in which they will take the PhD Comprehensive Exam. Exam results are recorded on this course. Students must retake this course if they do not pass all parts of the PhD Comprehensive Exam. Grades on subsequent examinations replace prior grades in this course. There is a maximum number of retakes allowed. See the '"PhD Comprehensive Examination and Dissertation Handbook'" online under the Handbooks section of the Student Resources page at for more information.

Students sign up for this course to begin the development of the dissertation proposal. The course includes seminars and other activities to assist the student in developing a dissertation proposal that meets the requirements of the PhD in Population Health Sciences. The course culminates with the preparation of an annotated outline of the draft dissertation proposal.

Students sign up for this course in the trimester in which they will defend the dissertation proposal. The results of the proposal defense are recorded on this course.

Students sign up for this course after the successful defense of the dissertation proposal. This course is self-directed and provides additional time and support to complete the final dissertation document.

Students sign up for this course in the trimester in which they will defend the final dissertation. The results of the final dissertation defense are recorded on this course.