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An online version of this course will be available to a limited number of students on a first come, first served basis. Please note the online computer lab session will be offered on Tuesdays at 8:00 to 9:30 am (Pacific Time)

OBJECTIVES

Inevitably, data in any clinical research study will reside in a computer database. The software that runs this computer database is the database management system (DBMS). Often the amount of actual study information is small compared to the amount of administrative information, such as patient contact information, exam schedules, reimbursement records, etc. The DBMS may also store this administrative information, and it is used to update, check, and correct the data. It will also be used either to analyze the study data or to format the data for export to a statistical analysis package. Just as the clinical investigator must plan (and budget for) statistical analysis, she should also plan (and budget for) data management.

At the conclusion of this course, students will:

• Understand the basics of developing a small, multi-table relational database for a research study
• Be capable of planning (and budgeting for) data management in a research study

The example used throughout this course is the "Infant Jaundice Study", a fictional cohort study of the association between neonatal jaundice and IQ scores at age 5 in children born over a two-year period at a single hospital.

PREREQUISITES

None.

FACULTY

FORMAT

Both an in-person and online version of the course are offered. The online version features the exact materials as the in-person version, with content being delivered through online recordings of the weekly lectures as well as online web conferencing for computer lab sections. The online version also features the same access to course faculty for discussion and questions as the in-person version.

1. Lectures: Thursdays: 8:30 - 9:20 am, Aug. 2 to Sept. 13.
   Lecture recordings will be available online later in the day. To determine if you have sufficient bandwith to view online lectures, please visit our demonstration site.
   
   
2. Computer Labs:
   A. In-person labs: Thursdays: 9:30 - 10:30 am, Aug 2 to Sept 13.
   B. Online: Tuesdays: 8:00 - 9:30 am (Pacific Time). Begins August 7. Note: A high-speed internet connection is required.

All course materials and handouts will be posted on the course's online syllabus.

SOFTWARE & TEXTBOOKS

Learn Microsoft Access 2000 [CD-ROM]. CompuWorks. To be supplied by instructor.

"Chapter 16: Data Management" by MA Kohn in Designing Clinical Research by Stephen B Hulley, et al. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. 3rd Edition. 2007.

Books may be purchased either through the publisher or a variety of commercial venues (e.g., Amazon.com).

ENROLLMENT

APPLICATION

For scholars applying for the online version: Partial scholarships may be available, upon justification, to scholars residing in countries with low income or lower middle income economies as defined by the World Bank. If you believe you are eligible for a scholarship, please send a justification of less than one page to Olivia DeLeon at olivia@epi.ucsf.edu. In the justification, include the country in which you reside, your current income, and your access, if any, to educational funds from local institutions. Please also send your curriculum vitae (CV). Note that the scholarship does not include cost of textbook, any software, or any local costs associated with accessing a high-speed internet connection.