IGP 304: Statistics for Biomedical Research (Spring 2009)

Instructors

• Chris Slaughter PhD, Assistant Professor of Biostatistics
  • mailto:james.c.slaughter@vanderbilt.edu; D-2207 Medical Center North; 322-0439
• Frank Harrell PhD, Professor of Biostatistics, Chairman, Dept. of Biostatistics
  • mailto:f.harrell@vanderbilt.edu; S-2323 Medical Center North; 322-2001

Grading Assistant

• Manya Whitaker
  • mailto:manya.c.whitaker@vanderbilt.edu
  • Campus mail address: Dept. of Psychology and Human Development, 230 Appleton Place, Peabody College Box 512

Lectures

• Tuesdays 10:00-11:30; D-2221 Medical Center North
• Thursday 10:00-11:30; D-2221 Medical Center North
• As of 23Feb08: Friday, 1:30-4:45, D-2221 Medical Center North
• Exceptions:

Help sessions: by request to instructors

Class News

• Quiz 2 will be given on Thursday Jan 29. The quiz will be open-note (closed book) and cover material discussed through Thursday Jan 22.

Prerequisites

• Good command of standard algebra
• Excellent skills in storing, moving, and organizing computer files and using a text editor

Discussion Board | Biostatistics Clinics (Friday is for basic science)

Syllabus | Pre-course Survey

Textbook and reading materials

• [EMS] Essential Medical Statistics, 2nd edition. We will cover most chapters, with additional materials from other sources. (amazon.com link, also check the Rand book store)
• [SN] Statistics Notes. Fifty-two valuable short articles on misuses and correct uses of statistics in medical research.
• [LHSP] Little Handbook of Statistical Practice
• [SP] Statistical Problems to Document and to Avoid. A collection of misuses of statistics.
• [H] Handouts
• Glossary of Statistical Terms
• Some useful formulas for simple and multiple regression, and a summary of model assumptions
• Chun Li's blog
• Interesting statistics notes from the BBC
• Waterboarding and Wilcoxon: What Medical Researchers Might Learn About Statistics From the CIA by Andrew Vickers

Software

• See the syllabus
• Annotated R Notes from class sessions
• Statistical calculators

Datasets for homework assignments

• Many are here

Homework and exams

• Note: send your work directly to the grading assistant by e-mail or campus mail. See above for addresses.
• Homework 1 using Rosner's FEV data
  • Questions 1-3 are due Friday, Jan 23
  • Questions 4-6 are due Friday, Jan 30
• Homework 2 (Due Friday, Feb 13)
• Homework 3 (Due Friday, Feb 27)
• Homework 4 (Assigned 20Mar09 due 27Mar09)
• Homework 5 (due Apr 24)
• Assignments from last year
  • Homework 3 (assigned Feb 19 due Feb 26)
  • Midterm Exam (assigned Feb 28 due Mar 13 9am in S-2323 Medical Center north or e-mailed directly to grading assistant)
    • Distribution of Midterm grades and comments
  • Quiz 3 (take home handed out Mar 20 due 10a Apr 1 to grading assistant)
  • Homework 4 (due 4/15)
  • Some solutions to homework problems and to the midterm. Note: The computer code provided in the solutions is meant just to show how to do certain "manual" calculations in R. You can do these calculations any way you want.
  • Final Exam (due 9am 28 April to Chris; questions to discussion board only)
  • Extra Project

Lectures

• BRET
• Graduate School grading system