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Evidence, Discovery, & Reasoning 1

Evidence, Discovery, & Reasoning 1
September 18, 2024-December 4, 2024

Course Director
Aaron Brown, MD
Assistant Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine
brownam3@upmc.edu

Course Description

The skills of reading biomedical literature, interpreting data, and evaluating clinical studies are the focus of this course, integrating themes of clinical expertise and scientific reasoning.  Students learn basic statistical methods and  how clinical trials, medical databases, and translational medicine are foundations of evidence-based medicine and patient-centered care. 

USMLE Step 1 Content Area: Biostatistics, Study design & interpretation, Interpretation and use of evidence-based data and recommendations in clinical decision-making

Course Objectives

  1. Demonstrate understanding and application of evidence based medicine content relative to USMLE as well as physician practice and life-long learning including:
    1. The development of a research question
    2. Potential study designs and associated benefits and limitations
    3. Foundations of descriptive and comparative statistics
    4. Reporting and interpretation of study outcomes including statistical and clinical significance
    5. Bias and confounding
    6. Interpretation of survival data
    7. Components of study execution with specific attention to randomized controlled studies
    8. Diagnostic testing characteristics and application to clinical decisions
    9. Evaluating and interpreting meta-analysis and cost analysis data
  2. Provide a foundation for further EDR content such as the critical appraisal of literature, creation of the Longitudinal Research Project, Population Health, and Clinical Reasoning

Educational Methods​

  • Small group workshops
  • Self-study
  • Weekly quizzes

Evaluation

Evaluation for this course is based on a cumulative score of >=70% on the weekly quizzes.

Requests for excused absences should be submitted via Elentra. Unexcused absences may result in grading penalties as outlined in the Policy on Absence and Attendance.