Advanced Training In Clinical Research
(ATCR)
Certificate Program
Summer, Fall, Winter, and Spring
Director: Jeffrey N. Martin, MD, MPH
Applications for the ATCR Program
for 2008-09 are due by June 2, 2008.
Noteworthy:
- All courses are
held in the TICR Program's facilities at China
Basin Landing with the exception of the morning courses during the
Summer Quarter, when they are held on the Parnassus campus.
- Scholars are strongly encouraged to own a wireless-capable
laptop computer for use in computer labs in various courses and to take
advantage of the wireless internet network at China
Basin.
- Application and payment for the ATCR Program
includes the courses offered during the summer quarter (i.e. the Summer
Clinical Research Workshop). Please do NOT register and pay separately
for the Summer Clinical Research Workshop. We will let you know if you
are accepted into the ATCR Program in early July. If you are not accepted
into the ATCR Program and desire to take the Summer
Clinical Research Workshop, you will still have time to register
for the summer program.
| OVERVIEW |
 |
ATCR is a four academic quarter program intended for advanced
pre-doctoral students, post-doctoral fellows and faculty members who desire
rigorous training in the methods and conduct of clinical research. This
includes instruction in the epidemiologic and biostatistical methods used
in observational and experimental clinical research as well as training
in the oral and written presentation of clinical research. In addition
to required coursework, scholars are expected to develop and implement
their research projects throughout the year and will have access to TICR
faculty for methodologic guidance. Trainees achieving program objectives
are granted a Certificate of Program Completion.
| OBJECTIVES |
 |
- Learn the methods required to perform both observational and experimental
clinical research.
- Plan and implement one or more clinical research projects.
- Analyze, interpret, and present clinical research data.
For more information on objectives and requirements for
a Certificate of Program Completion, please see Requirements
and Goals.
| PREREQUISITES |
 |
- Possession of a MD, PhD, DDS or PharmD degree, or currently enrolled
as a medical, dental, or pharmacy student and will have completed at
least two years of training in the respective professional school prior
to enrollment in the ATCR program.
- Supervisor's assurance that at least 70% of time will be available
September to June to divide between the activities of this program and
the conduct of the trainee's clinical research projects.
- Access to a research mentor in trainee's home department.
- Affirmation of the Professional
Conduct Statement (signed during orientation).
| TWO TRACKS FOR RECEIVING
PROGRAM CREDIT |
 |
Traditional ATCR Program
We offer two options for those seeking admission to the ATCR program.
The first is the traditional ATCR Program that we have offered in the
past culminating in a Certificate of Program Completion from the Department
of Epidemiology and Biostatistics for scholars who successfully complete
program requirements. This option is ideal for those who desire to gain
the core knowledge and skills needed to become a clinical researcher but
who do not feel the need to obtain an official transcript from the University
of California listing course credits. This would apply to scholars who
do not plan to attempt to transfer credit received for completed ATCR
courses to graduate degree programs either at UCSF (e.g., the
TICR Master's Degree Program in Clinical Research) or at other universities.
This is a lower cost option compared to the credit-bearing ATCR program.
In order to apply for this program, please follow the instructions below
for Application to Traditional ATCR Program.
Credit-bearing ATCR Program
The second option is the credit-bearing ATCR Certificate Program that
offers trainees the opportunity to earn graduate division credit for the
courses taken as part of ATCR. Students choosing this option would then
have an official UCSF transcript indicating the courses and grades earned,
and those who successfully complete the program would receive a Certificate
of Program Completion from the University of California. This program
is primarily for those who are uncertain about pursuing a formal degree
(e.g., the TICR Master's Degree Program in Clinical
Research at UCSF) at the beginning of the program and who desire more
to time make that decision. Students who elect the credit-bearing ATCR
Certificate Program will be able to apply units of coursework credit taken
in ATCR in the Summer, Fall, and Winter quarters toward the Master's Degree
in Clinical Research if they apply and are accepted into the Master's
program. Students would need to decide and apply by the published deadline
for the Master's program (typically mid-March). Please note that admission
into the Master's Program is competitive and that satisfactory completion
of courses taken while in the ATCR Certificate Program is not a guarantee
of acceptance into the Master's Program. Please also note that if you
intend to apply to the Master's program, you will need to take the ATCR
courses on a graded basis following the grading
policies for the Master's Program. Finally, since the ATCR credit-bearing
program is a UCSF Graduate Division Certificate Program, it necessarily
comes with higher fees. In order to apply for the credit-bearing ATCR
program, please follow the instructions below for Application
to Credit-bearing ATCR Certificate Program.
In summary, the prerequisites, program of study, and mentoring requirements
described below are identical for the two tracks. The differences between
the tracks are the ability to apply credits toward the Master's Degree
in Clinical Research, the nature of the Certificate granted, and cost.
| PROGRAM OF STUDY |
 |
REQUIRED COURSES
(Summer | Fall
| Winter | Spring | Year-long)
Individuals accepted into the ATCR Program must successfully
pass the required courses in each quarter in order to proceed in the program.
Thus to be eligible to continue the ATCR program in the fall, individuals
must have successfully passed each of the summer courses.
Summer
Designing
Clinical Research
EPI 202 (S. Hulley, Director; 2 units)
This course follows the text Designing Clinical Research
to provide instruction in developing a research question and creating
a protocol that includes a literature review, study design, subject
sampling and recruitment, instruments and other measurement approaches,
sample size, consent form, budget and timetable. Each trainee produces
a 5-page protocol for an actual study and reviews and supports the work
of colleagues.
Responsible
Conduct Of Research
EPI 201 (B. Lo, Director; 0.5 units)
Trainees learn through case discussions how to identify and resolve
common ethical dilemmas that arise in clinical research, how research
on human subjects is regulated by the federal government, and what constitutes
research misconduct. Each trainee produces a written document resolving
the ethical considerations involved in the research protocol developed
in the Designing Clinical Research course.
Building
a Career in Clinical Research
EPI 227 (M. Whooley, Director; 0.5 units)
Trainees learn about choosing a mentor, time management, generating
finished projects, getting grants and getting a job; about how UCSF
administration works; and about sources of clinical research funding
and career options in industry and foundations as well as NIH and other
government agencies. Each trainee produces a detailed 2-year career
plan.
Introduction
to Statistical Computing in Clinical Research
BIOSTAT 212 (M. Pletcher, Director; 1 unit)
Instruction in use of computer software for managing and analyzing clinical
research data; roles of spreadsheet and relational database programs;
use of STATA for managing, cleaning, describing, and analyzing data.
Fall
Epidemiologic
Methods
EPI 203 (J. Martin, Director; 3 units)
Instruction in clinical research study design; measures of disease occurrence
and disease association; the different mechanisms of bias in clinical
research (selection, measurement, and confounding); and a conceptual
approach to multivariable analysis.
Clinical
Epidemiology
EPI 204 (T. Newman, Director; 3 units)
Instruction in the research implications of evidence-based clinical
medicine, including the specifications of diagnostic tests, screening
tests, and prognostic tests.
Biostatistical
Methods for Clinical Research I
BIOSTAT 200 (B. Jersky, Director; 3 units)
Introduction to descriptive statistics, distributions, probabability,
exploratory data analysis, and selected variable parametric and non-parametric
inference. The STATA software package will be used throughout to implement
concepts learned in class and to allow scholars to begin to explore
their own data.
Winter
Clinical
Trials
EPI 205 (D. Grady, Director; 1.5 units)
Instruction in experimental design options; methods of randomization;
blinding, interventions and controls; measuring outcomes and adverse
effects; follow-up, compliance and postrandomization problems; ethical
issues; and working with pharmaceutical companies.
Database
Management Systems for Clinical Research
EPI 218 (M. Kohn, Director; 1 unit)
Instruction in choosing the appropriate data management system; design
of research databases; options in data entry; form and report generation;
computer security; and budgeting for data management personnel and equipment.
Biostatistical
Methods for Clinical Research II
BIOSTAT 208 (D. Glidden, Director; 3 units)
Instruction in multiple predictor analyses as a tool for control of
confounding and for constructing predictive models. Topics will
include linear regression and logistic regression. The STATA statistical
package will be used throughout.
Spring
Systematic
Reviews (Meta-Analysis)
EPI 214 (S. Bent, Director; 1 unit)
Instruction in the methods of systematic and unbiased identification
of primary research studies; abstraction of data; determination of summary
estimates and evaluation of heterogeneity.
Publishing
and Presenting Clinical Research
EPI 212 (W. Browner, Director; 1 unit)
Instruction in preparing abstracts, posters, all aspects of manuscripts,
and oral presentations; instruction in oral presentations includes videotaping
and critique of trainees’ presentations.
Biostatistical
Methods for Clinical Research III
BIOSTAT 209 (D. Glidden, Director; 3 units)
A continuation of the Winter Quarter course in multivariable statistical
analysis that includes instruction in survival analysis and analysis
of repeated measures and clustered data. The course culminates with
student presentations of statistical analyses of their own research
projects.
Year-Long
ATCR
Seminar
EPI 230 (M. Pletcher, Director)
These monthly seminars provide a support group for discussing the design
or conduct of trainees' studies and for critique of contemporary clinical
research literature.
Grant
Writing Workshop on Mentored Career Development Awards
(T. Mitchell, Director; not for credit)
Instruction in writing successful grant applications for NIH mentored
career development awards. Workshop uses examples from patient-oriented
research career development awards (K23s). Underlying concepts for the
career development plan, mentoring plan, and research plan also apply
to research scientist development awards (K01s) and clinical scientist
development awards (K08s).
ELECTIVE COURSES
Fall
Measurement in Clinical Research
EPI 225 (A. Stewart, Director; 1.5 units)
Instruction in the critical importance of measurement to clinical research
including: defining concepts prior to selecting measures; evaluating
the conceptual and psychometric adequacy of measures; and locating,
reviewing, selecting potential measures.
Winter
Decision
& Cost-Effectiveness Analysis
EPI 213 (J. Kahn, Director; 2 units)
Instruction in creating decision trees and other analytic models; obtaining
appropriate probabilities, utilities and costs; and completing analyses
using customized software.
Medical
Informatics
EPI 206 (I. Sim, Director; 1 unit)
Instruction in the core concepts of medical informatics: vocabularies,
interchange standards, decision support systems, and how computers are
used to manage information in health care and to support clinical research.
Molecular
and Genetic Epidemiology I
EPI 217 (J. Witte, Director; 1.5 units)
Introduction to the concepts, principles, and use of molecular and genetic
methods in epidemiologic and clinical research and how to develop a
framework for interpreting, assessing, and incorporating molecular and
genetic measures in research.
Spring
Clinical
Research with Diverse Communities
EPI 222 (E. Perez-Stable, Director; 1.5 units)
Instruction in the meaning of race, ethnicity, social class, and culture,
and how these constructs affect the conduct and interpretation of clinical
research.
Molecular
and Genetic Epidemiology II
EPI 219 (S. Sen, Director; 1.5 units)
Instruction in selected statistical aspects of population-based and
family-based candidate gene association studies, quantitative trait
mapping in model organisms, and methods for dealing with multiple comparisons.
Lab
Practicum for Molecular and Genetic Epidemiology
EPI 223 (J. Wiemels, Director; 1 unit)
Introduces practical aspects of the generation of molecular and genetic
data from human clinical specimens, including blood and oral cavity
specimens.
Outcomes
Research
EPI 211 (A. Bindman, Director; 1.5 units)
Instruction in types of questions that can be addressed with large administrative
and clinical databases; gaining access to these databases; determining
validity of information; risk adjustment; linking datasets; and building
registries.
Qualitative
Research Methods
EPI 240 (E. Boyd, Director; 1.5 units)
Introduces basic qualitative research methods used in clinical settings:
question design and interviewing techniques; focus group analysis; ethnographic
fieldwork, notes and narrative analysis; and audio and video data collection
and analysis.
Translating Evidence Into Practice
EPI 245 (R. Gonzales, Director; 2 units)
An introduction to the different target audiences and approaches
needed to translate biomedical evidence into practice. The course
is the gateway for scholars who plan for additional study within
this discipline but also suffices as cross-exposure for scholars
from other disciplines. In addition to didactic work, scholars
are guided through the creation of a research protocol aimed towards
translating their particular choice of evidence into practice.
TICR Policy Regarding Academic Credit for Courses Taken in the Past.
| MENTORING |
 |
Structured mentoring by faculty members experienced in the
scholar's chosen academic discipline is an essential element of becoming
an accomplished clinical researcher. While the ATCR curriculum and faculty
will provide the methodologic guidance to enable the scholar to plan and
implement clinical research, this does not substitute for the benefits
derived from a relationship with mentors who work primarily in the scholar's
field. Hence, we require that each student receive guidance from:
- A home Department Chair (or Division Chief) or Fellowship Program
Director: This is the person in the home Department or Division who
assures that the scholar has sufficient time allotted for clinical research
and provides resources for the research.
- A research mentor: This is an established scientist who meets regularly
with the scholar, reviews progress, provides scholarly guidance, and
monitors whether facilities and resources are adequate.
| APPLICATION TO TRADITIONAL
ATCR PROGRAM |
 |
The ATCR application is available in a ready-to-use Microsoft
Word format (created on Word for Office 97 for the PC). To use this, click
on the "Microsoft Word Format" button below. The word document should
then appear in your browser. Next select "File > Save As" from
the menu bar and save a local copy of the document to your computer. Make
sure to save a copy of the file on your computer before attempting to
use the file.
If you are not able to access the application in the Microsoft
Word format, please download the .pdf version of the application by clicking
on the pdf button below. This can then be printed out and completed by
typing where indicated.
Completed ATCR applications in MS Word format should be
sent by email to Allison Deneen, Program Assistant (adeneen@psg.ucsf.edu).
A signed hard copy of the application should also be sent to:
Allison Deneen
Program Assistant, Advanced Training in Clinical Research Certificate
Program
University of California, San Francisco
UCSF Box 0560
185 Berry St, Suite 5700
San Francisco, CA 94107
415-514-8135 (telephone)
Deadline: Applications for the ATCR Certificate
Program for 2008-2009 are due June 2, 2008.
Notice of admission decisions will be made by early July.
Cost: The current fee for 2008-2009 is $8180 for
University of California Fellows and Faculty. This includes fees for all
four quarters (Summer, Fall, Winter, and Spring). Fees do not include
books, supplies, or software. Fees in subsequent years are subject to
change.
Scholars are also strongly encouraged to own a wireless-capable laptop
computer for use in computer labs in various courses and to take advantage
of the wireless internet network at the TICR Program's facility at the
China Basin Landing Building.
The statistical software package Stata (Stata Corporation, College Station, Texas) is used in the program. The TICR Program has arranged for a sizeable discount for UCSF-affiliated personnel via the Stata GradPlan program.
| APPLICATION
TO CREDIT-BEARING ATCR PROGRAM |
 |
To apply to the credit-bearing ATCR Certificate program
you must complete the online UCSF Graduate Division application below,
including payment of a $60 non-refundable processing fee by June 2, 2008.
When completing the application, please choose the program name, "Clinical
Research, ATCR."

In addition to the Graduate Division application, you must
also complete the ATCR application. The ATCR application is available
in a ready-to-use Microsoft Word format (created on Word for Office 97
for the PC). To use this, click on the "Microsoft Word Format" button
below. The word document should then appear in your browser. Next select
"File > Save As" from the menu bar and save a local copy of
the document to your computer. Make sure to save a copy of the file
on your computer before attempting to use the file.
If you are not able to access the application in the Microsoft
Word format, please download the .pdf version of the application by clicking
on the pdf button below. This can then be printed out and completed by
typing where indicated.
Completed ATCR applications in MS Word format should be
sent by email to Allison Deneen, Program Assistant (adeneen@psg.ucsf.edu).
A signed hard copy of the application should also be sent to:
Allison Deneen
Program Assistant, Advanced Training in Clinical Research Certificate
Program
University of California, San Francisco
UCSF Box 0560
185 Berry St, Suite 5700
San Francisco, CA 94107
415-514-8135 (telephone)
Deadline: Applications for the credit-bearing ATCR
Certificate Program for 2008-2009 are due June 2,
2008. Notice of admission decisions will be made by early July.
Cost: The fee for the credit-bearing ATCR Certificate
Program in 2008-09 is $11,747. This includes the $8,180 ATCR program fee
for University of California fellows or faculty plus the UCSF student
services fees of $3,567. The latter fees are required for all persons
in credit-bearing certificate or degree programs. This includes fees for
all four quarters (Summer, Fall, Winter, and Spring).
Fees do not include books, supplies, or software. Fees in
subsequent years are subject to change.
TICR Policy Regarding Financial Credit for Courses Taken in the Past.
Scholars are also strongly encouraged to own a wireless-capable laptop computer
for use in computer labs in various courses and to take advantage of the
wireless internet network at the TICR Program's facility at the China Basin
Landing Building.
The statistical software package Stata
(Stata Corporation, College Station, Texas) is used in the program. The
TICR Program has arranged for a sizeable discount for UCSF-affiliated
personnel via the Stata GradPlan program.
|