Applications for 2008 MPH Program are being accepted until December 15th
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Research in Health Sciences
Research in Health Sciences
IV. RESEARCH IN HEALTH SCIENCES
1. Objective
The general objective of this program is to train a core of
researchers for the sub region (Rwanda, Burundi and DR Congo), 30
people for the next 2 years; that is 5 per country each
year.
2. Entry profile
Any professional researcher or trainer in the sub region who has one
year experience in the sector of health or in a research institution is
eligible. The candidates are selected by the Ministry of Health or
research institution in their country.
3. General organization
The training program focuses first on initiation to information
technology, then on qualitative and quantitative research modules.
Those modules will be taught over a period of 2 years. At the end
of every module, supervised and on the field practical trainings will
complete the acquired classroom theoretical knowledge. A total of 5
training modules in health science research will be delivered during
that period.
4. Course program
The program comprises the following 5 (five) modules
Module 1: Applied computing
- Computer and its components
- Operating systems and application software systems
- Networks and Introduction to Internet Technology and Computer Security
- Documentary research (MEDLINE, HINARI, other free publications)
- Introduction to computing for data analysis and research in health science
- Initiation to and practice on EPI-INFO/EPI-DATA
Module 2: Descriptive and analytical
statistics
- Descriptive statistics
- Theoretical uni-dimensional distributions
- Estimation and faith interval
- Hypothesis tests
- Analysis of tables of contingency
- Correlation and regression
- Variance analysis
- Introduction to multivaried analysis
Module 3 : Quantitative research
methods
- Objectives in Epidemiology : Hypothesis formulation
- Descriptive epidemiology : Characteristics of place, time, individuals, incidence, prevalence, mortality rate, standardization
- Explanatory epidemiology : Statistical association and causality
- Notion of risk : Factors of risk. Quantification of risks
- Case/Witness studies : cohort studies
- Experimental studies
- Strategies in epidemiology
- Analysis of bias, confounding variables and interactions between variables
- Multi-factor approach in epidemiology
Exercises:
- Manipulating an epidemiological database
- Verifying a data file
- Formulating research hypothesis
- Bi-varied analysis of file data
- Analysis of interaction between variables
- Taking into account confusion factors
Module 4 : Qualitative Research methods
- Theoretical formulation on qualitative research.
- Comparison between quantitative and qualitative methods
- Sampling in qualitative methods
- Main “methods” (systemic approach for data collection) in qualitative research: Observation, interview, discussion groups).
- Qualitative data analysis (encoding, data interpreting)
Exercises
- Preparing and conducting a group interview and a focus group.
Module 5: Research methods and protocol
designing
- Definition of objectives of data collection
- Types of data, sources of information
- Health information and routine data
- Survey by questionnaire, planning of surveys
- Polling methods and research methodology
- Validity of data, observation and sampling errors
- Elaborating a research protocol and a survey questionnaire