QBS 270 Quantitative Biomedical Sciences Journal Club

All first year QBS PhD students are required to enroll in the Quantitative Biomedical Sciences Journal Club except in the Summer quarter; however it is encouraged that QBS PhD students attend this journal club in subsequent years. An essential element of scientific training is in the critical analysis and communication of experimental research in an oral format.

• Fall: Epidemiology - Dr. Janet Peacock 

This course emphasizes critical evaluation of epidemiological studies and the development of effective presentation skills. Students will gain exposure to a breadth of epidemiological methodologies while examining classical and current epidemiological studies within public health and biomedical research. Class will meet weekly. Each week, all students will read one peer-reviewed, published study and an additional article or other paper for supplemental reading.  One student will present on the published study, and we will all discuss the study as well as the relevance of the additional reading. Discussion will include an assessment of study components as related to study design, statistical analyses, inference and interpretation, bias, generalizability,  and implications. Students will be asked to specifically discuss components of the study (e.g., to restate what one figure or table presents).

First-year doctoral students are required to present twice during the quarter.

• Winter: Biostatistics - Dr. Jiang Gui

This course discusses new findings and applications in biostatistics and data science. The goal of the course is to develop critical thinking in biostatistical methodology. Starting the second week of the term, students will present two related paper with an emphasis on biostatical methods and the rest of the class will submit a short written summary (1-2 pages) that covers the paper motivation, approach, results, strengths and weaknesses. During class, a student will give a 35-minute presentation on their papers followed by 10 minutes of class discussion. In addition to reading and summarizing their selected paper for the week, all students are expected review the two presented papers prior to class in order to participate in the discussion.

• Spring: Bioinformatics -Dr. Nicholas Jacobson & Dr. Alfredo Tirado-Ramos

The critical analysis and communication of experimental research in both written and oral formats is an essential element of scientific training. Students in the spring QBS journal club will select nine recent digital medicine and biomedical informatics papers from a set of approved journals. Starting the second week of the term, students will read one of the selected papers per week and submit a short written summary (1-2 pages) that covers the paper motivation, approach, results, strengths and weaknesses. During class, two students will each give a 45-minute presentation (40 min. of presentation with 5 min. for questions) on their papers (students will present twice during the term). In addition to reading and summarizing their selected paper for the week, all students are expected to review the two presented papers prior to class. Time permitting, additional topics for group discussion related to publishing your own research will include journal selection, impact factors, the peer review process, and authorship criteria. 
 

 

All (0.5 unit)

Instructor

Janet Peacock (Fall), Dr. Jiang Gui (Winter), Dr. Nicholas Jacobson & Dr. Alfredo Tirado-Ramos (Spring)

Prerequisite

N/A.