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Credits: 1 Offered: Spring 2
The Capstone is a required three-semester course for students in the MS in Biostatistics Program. It provides experience in the art of consulting and in the proper application of statistical techniques to clinical and translational research. Students will bring together the skills they have acquired in previous coursework and apply them to the consulting experience. Learning will take place by doing.
In the Fall term, the capstone-related lectures and project will engage students in important discourse regarding data management and research ethics.
In the Spring I term, the capstone-related lectures and project will challenge students to operationalize conceptual research questions into testable hypotheses. Additionally students will demonstrate their ability to determine the appropriate analytic method to test their hypotheses and discuss analytic alternatives when important statistical assumptions are violated.
In the Spring II term, students will meet the capstone requirements by shadowing Biostatistics faculty in the Center for Biostatistics consultation service. By shadowing the Biostatistics faculty, students will learn how to: 1) successfully collaborate with non-statisticians (primarily clinical faculty) at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 2) provide appropriate study design-related and methodologic approaches to cutting edge research questions, 3) successfully conduct advanced preliminary analyses, and 4) communicate their findings to an institution-wide audience at an MS in Biostatistics capstone symposium at the end of the Spring II term.
Credits: 3 Offered: Spring 2
Applied Analysis of Healthcare Databases provides a comprehensive overview of healthcare databases that are commonly used for research. The overall course objective is to provide students with working knowledge of available healthcare databases, research questions that can be addressed using these databases and methods used for analysis of large scale databases. This course will prepare students to identify and use national and local healthcare databases in their own research. Students will evaluate published database studies, complete programming exercises with SAS statistical software and hands-on access to a large database, and prepare a proposal for analyzing a specific research question using a large healthcare database.
Pre-Requisites: (BIO6400 or MPH0300) AND (BIO6100 or MPH0400)
Credits: 3 Offered: Spring 2
The aim of this course is to provide a systematic training in both the theoretical foundations and the model building strategies of longitudinal analysis for MS/MPH and PhD students who have already had some data analysis experience. The course presents modern approaches to the analysis of longitudinal data with topics that include linear mixed effects models, generalized linear models for correlated data (including generalized estimating equations), computational issues in using these methods, and missing data assumptions and methods.e
Prerequisites: -BIO6400, BIO6500, BIO8500, and BIO8700
Credits: 3 Offered: Spring 2
The aim of this course is to provide a systematic training in both the theoretical foundations and the model building strategies of linear regression models for students who have already had some data analysis experience. The course presents modern approaches to the analysis of longitudinal data. Topics include linear mixed effects models, generalized linear models for correlated data (including generalized estimating equations), computational issues and methods for fitting models, and dropout or other missing data.
Prerequisites: BIO6400, BIO6500, BIO8500, and BIO8700 -Intermediate programming proficiency in R
Credits: 1 Offered: Spring 1
The Capstone is a required three-semester course for students in the MS in Biostatistics Program. It provides experience in the art of consulting and in the proper application of statistical techniques to clinical and translational research. Students will bring together the skills they have acquired in previous coursework and apply them to the consulting experience. Learning will take place by doing. In the Spring I term, students will start participating in real-life consultations and reporting in class about their progress. Prerequisites: Must be enrolled in the MS in Biostatistics program.
Credits: 3 Offered: Spring 1
This course provides a comprehensive overview of methods of analysis for binary and other discrete response data, with applications to epidemiological and clinical studies. It is a second level course that presumes some knowledge of applied statistics and epidemiology. Topics discussed include 2 x 2 tables, m x 2 tables, tests of independence, measures of association, power and sample size determination, stratification and matching in design and analysis, inter-rater agreement, logistic regression analysis. Prerequisites: BIO6400 or MPH0300 and BIO6100 or MPH0400
Credits: 3 Offered: Spring 1
This course is the second part of a two course sequence in Probability and Inference which follows Probability and Inference I. Statistical inference is the theoretical foundation for statistical methods used in the biological sciences. Essential topics covered in this course include: point estimation, confidence sets, the likelihood function, and statistical hypothesis testing. Optimality criteria for estimation and testing are developed. Other topics to be discussed include basic notions from Bayesian inference and Decision Theory as well as the theory of linear models. Nonparametric inference and other areas may be included as time permits. Prerequisites: BIO6400 and BIO6500
Credits: 3 Offered: Spring 1
This course provides a comprehensive overview of regression methods for analysis of continuous (normally distributed) and categorical (binary and count) data. The aim of this course is to provide a systematic training in both the theoretical foundations and the model building strategies of generalized linear models for MS/MPH and PhD students who have already had some data analysis experience. The course covers the theoretical background underlying regression techniques. Topics discussed include simple linear regression, multiple linear regression and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) techniques for normally distributed data, as well as Poisson regression, log linear models and negative binomial regression for categorical data. Also regression diagnostics and Power and Sample size determination applied to these models. Prerequisites: BIO6400, BIO6500 as well as coding skills in either SAS or R.
Credits: 2 Offered: Spring
Software plays a vital and increasingly significant role in all aspects of biomedical research, translation of successful research findings, and patient care. How is this software created? What best practices should biomedical software professionals follow to design, create, and deploy such software? Many of these practices are widely used by software engineers. How should biomedical computing adapt them to address our unique challenges? We teach software engineering best practices that will enable students to efficiently and consistently design and create quality biomedical software. We focus on a comprehensive set of practical, well-regarded methods and tools that students can apply immediately. These include requirements analysis, modular and object-oriented design, complexity hiding, coding standards, software reuse, version control, unit and regression testing, and logging and debugging. We employ both traditional classroom and experiential pedagogy. In addition to completing simple programming assignments, all students must be a working on a biomedical software project. Each student’s project provides a context for exploring the ideas and practicing skills taught in the classroom. Students in the MS in Biomedical Informatics Program must take this course concurrently with the program’s required Capstone Project course. Other students must identify or create a suitable project in which they participate.
Credits: 3 Offered: Spring
This course is a computer-science intensive program intended as a survey of algorithms - that is, computational methods used to solve appropriately defined problems, and their implementation on modern scientific computing hardware. Core to any modern discussion of algorithms is competency in one or more object-oriented programming languages, in addition to a deep dive into data structures, without which the discussion of practical algorithm implementation is not useful. We complete the course with a survey of mathematical optimization techniques typically not encountered in an ordinary course on algorithms, but which form the mathematical basis for many problems in computational biology, biochemistry, genomics, and data science. In this course, we use Python 3 as the core programming tool. The class is structured as 1.5 hours of lecture each week with a 1.5 hour lab component, for 12 total weeks. The course can be logically broken up into 3 modular topics, with the bulk of the time discussing fundamental algorithms and data structures; however, each module builds on the previous and therefore the course should be taken as a whole.
Credits: 3 Offered: Spring
Data are becoming all the more important in today's world to discover reliable understanding of complex processes and actionable hypothesis on ways to productively perturb these processes. Biology and medicine have been witnessing a data revolution driven by rapid progress in a variety of biotechnologies and an increased emphasis on personalized medicine. This course is designed to train students, staff and faculty in commonly used methods to organize, mine and learn from data sets, especially those that are complex and large (big data). These methods include basic data concepts, classification, clustering, network inference and analysis and outlier/anomaly detection. Note that the teaching of these methods will focus on the abstract and mathematical concepts involved in learning from general data sets. Relatable examples of the application of these methods to biomedical datasets will also be provided. Students in teams will also be expected to conceive a relevant project at the beginning of the course and present their approach and results at the end. The overall goal of this course is to teach the attendees how to apply the methods above to complex biomedical data sets to extract actionable knowledge that may not be obtainable from other methods.
Credits: 3-9 Offered: Spring
This course represents the culmination of the Master in Biomedical Data Science (MBDS) Curriculum. In a semester-long, active learning project, students will work with a mentor to devise a potential solution to a contemporary problem in biomedical data science. The process of researching current unsolved problems, outlining potential solutions, and writing a final report will require students to integrate and synthesize concepts learned in the program’s core coursework, thus providing a demonstration that trainees have mastered and can apply pertinent ideas and approaches. The course is 9 credits where students will complete intensive, full-time research under the direct guidance of a mentor. Pre-requisites: Students will take this course after having completed the full sequence of core courses for the MBDS program. This will require them to have developed significant, minimum scripting-level, programming experience with demonstrated productivity in one or more programming languages. To develop the expertise necessary for a strong capstone project, students in the program will have taken the following courses: BDS1005=1007(all modules) Computer Systems BDS2005 Introduction to Algorithms BDS3002 Machine Learning for Biomedical Data Science
Credits: 1 Offered: Fall
This course provides an introduction to computer systems and scientific computing environments to enable effective use of computational and data resources. The course assumes no prior computing experience and is broken into 3 component modules. These are:
1. UNIX/Linux fundamentals with a focus on operating systems (file systems, navigation, communication, multi-user environments, permissions, file sharing, UNIX shells, POSIX architecture), beginning and intermediate shell scripting, and Linux environment applications commonly encountered in scientific computing (e.g., awk, sed). 2. Computer system architectures and applications in scientific computing, topics including the history of scientific computing, HPC architecture and application design (Von Neumann architecture, parallel processing, shared and distributed memory, vector processing, MIMD/SIMD, accelerator computing, parallel numerical libraries), HPC batch processing systems (e.g., scheduling) and finally modern distributed data-parallel approaches (e.g., Hadoop-style and ecosystem, Spark, MapReduce as a paradigm and implementation).
3. Introduction to scientific programming in Python 3, with relevant comparison/contrast to other important languages commonly encountered in scientific computing (e.g., perl, R, C/C++). Variables, operators, data structures, control flow, decisions, file I/O, exception handling, and modern python libraries encountered in HPC, scientific computing, and data science (e.g., scipy, numpy, pandas, scikit-learn).
Emphasis will be placed on real-world practicality by motivating study with examples and tasks relevant to bioinformatics, structural biology, imaging, and data science. The student will develop both a solid conceptual foundation and experience solving real problems by the end of the class.
Credits: 1 Offered: Fall
This course provides an introduction to computer systems and scientific computing environments to enable effective use of computational and data resources. The course assumes no prior computing experience and is broken into 3 component modules. These are: 1. UNIX/Linux fundamentals with a focus on operating systems (file systems, navigation, communication, multi-user environments, permissions, file sharing, UNIX shells, POSIX architecture), beginning and intermediate shell scripting, and Linux environment applications commonly encountered in scientific computing (e.g., awk, sed). 2. Computer system architectures and applications in scientific computing, topics including the history of scientific computing, HPC architecture and application design (Von Neumann architecture, parallel processing, shared and distributed memory, vector processing, MIMD/SIMD, accelerator computing, parallel numerical libraries), HPC batch processing systems (e.g., scheduling) and finally modern distributed data-parallel approaches (e.g., Hadoop-style and ecosystem, Spark, MapReduce as a paradigm and implementation). 3. Introduction to scientific programming in Python 3, with relevant comparison/contrast to other important languages commonly encountered in scientific computing (e.g., perl, R, C/C++). Variables, operators, data structures, control flow, decisions, file I/O, exception handling, and modern python libraries encountered in HPC, scientific computing, and data science (e.g., scipy, numpy, pandas, scikit-learn). Emphasis will be placed on real-world practicality by motivating study with examples and tasks relevant to bioinformatics, structural biology, imaging, and data science. The student will develop both a solid conceptual foundation and experience solving real problems by the end of the class.
Credits: 1.5 Offered: Fall
This course provides an introduction to computer systems and scientific computing environments to enable effective use of computational and data resources. The course assumes no prior computing experience and is broken into 3 component modules. These are: 1. UNIX/Linux fundamentals with a focus on operating systems (file systems, navigation, communica- tion, multi-user environments, permissions, file sharing, UNIX shells, POSIX architecture), beginning and intermediate shell scripting, and Linux environment applications commonly encountered in scientific computing (e.g., awk, sed). 2. Computer system architectures and applications in scientific computing, topics including the history of scientific computing, HPC architecture and application design (Von Neumann architecture, parallel processing, shared and distributed memory, vector processing, MIMD/SIMD, accelerator computing, parallel numerical libraries), HPC batch processing systems (e.g., scheduling) and finally modern distributed data-parallel approaches (e.g., Hadoop-style and ecosystem, Spark, MapReduce as a paradigm and implementation). 3. Introduction to scientific programming in Python 3, with relevant comparison/contrast to other important languages commonly encountered in scientific computing (e.g., perl, R, C/C++). Variables, operators, data structures, control flow, decisions, file I/O, exception handling, and modern python libraries encountered in HPC, scientific computing, and data science (e.g., scipy, numpy, pandas, scikit-learn). Emphasis will be placed on real-world practicality by motivating study with examples and tasks relevant to bioinformatics, structural biology, imaging, and data science. The student will develop both a solid conceptual foundation and experience solving real problems by the end of the class.
Credits: 3 Offered: Fall
This course is a computer-science intensive program intended as a survey of algorithms - that is, computational methods used to solve appropriately defined problems, and their implementation on modern scientific computing hardware. Core to any modern discussion of algorithms is competency in one or more object-oriented programming languages, in addition to a deep dive into data structures, without which the discussion of practical algorithm implementation is not useful. We complete the course with a survey of mathematical optimization techniques typically not encountered in an ordinary course on algorithms, but which form the mathematical basis for many problems in computational biology, biochemistry, genomics, and data science. In this course, we use Python 3 as the core programming tool. The class is structured as 1.5 hours of lecture each week with a 1.5 hour lab component, for 12 total weeks. The course can be logically broken up into 3 modular topics, with the bulk of the time discussing fundamental algorithms and data structures; however, each module builds on the previous and therefore the course should be taken as a whole.
Credits: 0 Offered: Fall
This course is open to 2nd Year MS BDS students who are working full-time to complete their capstone in the Fall semester.
Credits: 3-9 Offered: Fall
This course represents the culmination of the Master in Biomedical Data Science (MBDS) Curriculum. In a semester-long, active learning project, students will work with a mentor to devise a potential solution to a contemporary problem in biomedical data science. The process of researching current unsolved problems, outlining potential solutions, and writing a final report will require students to integrate and synthesize concepts learned in the program’s core coursework, thus providing a demonstration that trainees have mastered and can apply pertinent ideas and approaches. The course is 9 credits where students will complete intensive, full-time research under the direct guidance of a mentor. Pre-requisites: Students will take this course after having completed the full sequence of core courses for the MBDS program. This will require them to have developed significant, minimum scripting-level, programming experience with demonstrated productivity in one or more programming languages. To develop the expertise necessary for a strong capstone project, students in the program will have taken the following courses:
BDS1005-1007(all modules) Computer Systems
BDS2005 Introduction to Algorithms BDS3002 Machine Learning for Biomedical Data Science
Credits: 5 Offered: Fall
All First Year MD/PhD students should register for this course
Credits: 5 Offered: Fall
All Second Year MD/PhD students should register for this course
Credits: 1 Offered: Fall
This course covers the journey from nanotherapeutic design to clinical approval. We will focus on nanomaterial synthesis and characterization, techniquest to monitor their in vivo behavior and efficacy, the design of therapeutic studies, and the translation from small to large animals and humans. We will discuss the basic principles of the application of nanomedicine, exemplified by state-of-the art technologies and recent research studies. The course will also include a tour of the Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Institute's Nanomedicine Laboratory and Imaging facilities.
Credits: 1 Offered: Fall
As Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) become increasingly applied in biomedical sciences, it is critical that trainees, researchers, and clinicians are made aware of both technical and ethical issues related to AI. In this course we will start with review of the terminology in AI-based tools and key networks being used in medical applications, such as medical imaging, regression analysis and time prediction. We will understand key works published in the space, be able to critically assess their contribution, as well as their clinical value. A key factor in making AI successful is the correct definition and use of Data. We will review how data must be defined, extracted, and structured for the effective application of AI & ML. Making the data Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable (FAIR), is a key factor in building strong network models that can be used in the clinic. Additional attention will be given to bias and ethical issues that need to be addressed in the development of the models and in their clinical testing. Overall, we will cover the variety of challenges that must be overcome for AI to reach its full potential.
Credits: 4 Offered: Fall
Laboratory rotations are an important part of the first year of the Graduate Program at Mount Sinai. They give students the opportunity to experience different research projects, different laboratory and mentoring styles, and allow the faculty to assess the interests and aptitude of the students. All PhD and MD/PhD students will complete laboratory rotations (two are recommended) before declaring a research preceptor and a Multidisciplinary Training Area. PhD Students must complete their lab rotation agreements and monthly check-in forms to record their rotation status and in order to pass this course.
Credits: 6 Offered: Fall
Biomedical Science - Fall is part 1 of a year long six unit course that surveys a broad and comprehensive study of basic Molecular Cellular and Developmental Biology. The topics covered prepare students for both a career in Biomedical Research and for the Advanced studies within the CAB, DSCB, GGS, IMM, and MIC MTAs. Biomedical Science is a required course for all first year students that intend to be members of these MTAs. The course is structured as a series of lectures; grade assessment is based on a mixture of in-class and take home quizzes as well as one formal examination per unit
Credits: 8 Offered: Fall
Biomedical Science - Fall for MDPhD students. 1st year MD/PhD students should register for this course.
Credits: 0.5 Offered: Fall
This course is required for all first-year graduate students, following NIH mandates. Specific topics for the eight 1 hour sessions: (i) Research Misconduct (ii) Experimental design and data management practices (iii) Mentor and Trainee Responsibilities; Collaborative Research (iv) Conflicts of Interest; Intellectual property (v) The Protection of Human Subjects (vi) The Welfare of Laboratory Animals (vii) Publication, authorship, and peer review (viii) Peer Review, the Grant Process, and Fiduciary Responsibility. Each Session is ~45 minute lecture with 15 minutes of discussion.
Credits: 0.5 Offered: Fall
This course is required for all first-year graduate students, following NIH mandates. Specific topics for the eight 1 hour sessions: (i) Research Misconduct (ii) Experimental design and data management practices (iii) Mentor and Trainee Responsibilities; Collaborative Research (iv) Conflicts of Interest; Intellectual property (v) The Protection of Human Subjects (vi) The Welfare of Laboratory Animals (vii) Publication, authorship, and peer review (viii) Peer Review, the Grant Process, and Fiduciary Responsibility. Each Session is ~45 minute lecture with 15 minutes of discussion.
Credits: 4 Offered: Fall
This course is a specialized orientation and development program designed for MD-PhD students embarking on training in the Medical Scientist Training Program at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. This academy aims to equip students with a comprehensive toolkit for navigating the multifaceted challenges inherent in the dual-degree pathway. Over four weeks, participants are immersed in a curriculum that intertwines foundational orientation sessions with deep dives into resilience building, leadership skills, and cultivating a robust professional identity.
Credits: 3 Offered: Fall
The Immunology Core III was developed to provide the students with an in-depth study of the fundamental concepts in Immunology. This is a 45-hour course that it is intended to introduce students to the organization of the immune system and function of the immune response as it relates to health and disease. The different topics and sections will be presented and discussed by faculty members who have expertise in the subject matter. The grades will be based on in-class quizzes and midterm and final exams as well as on class participation. The aim of the course is that students will develop a solid understanding of immunological concepts, develop the skills to help them appreciate immunological research so that they will be prepared to undertake more advanced studies and be able to carry out original research in this field. Reading assignments will be based on Janeway’s Immunobiology textbook (8th edition) and supplementary reading materials suggested by the lecturers. Biomedical Science I and II courses are prerequisites for this course.
Credits: 3 Offered: Fall
The Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience course will provide students with a rigorous foundation in the molecules, cells, and circuits upon which nervous system function is based, how different neural processes are engaged to drive different functions and behaviors, and the nature of brain disorders that affect molecules, cells, and circuits. The course is divided into major relevant themes, each concluding with a theme-based discussion and group presentation focused on critical evaluations of relevant research articles.
Credits: 3 Offered: Fall
This course covers the functional neuroanatomy of the major sensory and motor systems of the brain, and includes lectures on neurocytology, generation of resting membrane potential, generation and propagation of action potentials, principles of synaptic neurontransmission and neural circuit plasticity. The course format includes didactic lectures and student presentations.
Credits: 3 Offered: Fall
This course will provide a thorough introduction to invertebrate and vertebrate development with an emphasis on cellular, genetic and molecular mechanisms underlying the generation of diverse cell and tissue types. The course will focus on different model systems, primarily the development of fruit flies, nematodes, Xenopus, zebrafish, and mice, with the goal of building an understanding of fundamental embryological processes, including induction, fate determination, and pattern formation. Knowledge of these processes will also provide a robust foundation for in vitro stem cell differentiation paradigms. Discussion of current technologies and experimental approaches (e.g., transgenic animals, genetics, mosaic analysis, homologous recombination, somatic cell genetics, and classical embryonic manipulations) will be incorporated. Selected topics include: developmental genetics of regulatory hierarchies, lateral inhibition, regeneration and development, cell lineage analysis, X-chromosome inactivation, imprinting, and sex determination. Following introductory lectures, the course will focus on primary literature detailing the current state of the field using journal club presentations (by students). The final exam will consist of grant proposals by the students, to be reviewed by other students in a mock study section.
Credits: 3 Offered: Fall
This course will span state of the art genomic approaches for studying human disease. It will include in depth lectures on genomic technologies accompanied by practicals in transcriptomic analysis (RNA-sequencing, scRNA seq, spatial transcriptomics); DNA analysis (exome and whole genome sequencing and interpretation of variants, copy number analyses); Epigenetic, multi-omic and pathway analyses; Haplotypes, and linkage disequilibrium; Human evolutionary trees and signatures of selection; Statistical approaches to analyzing complex traits including quantitative traits; Mendelian randomization and eQTLs; microbiomics. There will also be two day workshops on the UCSC genome browser and how to access public databases such as UK biobank and BioMe.
Credits: 1.5 Offered: Fall
This course focuses on the major neurotransmitter-receptor systems in the brain and the detailed mechanistic underpinnings by which psychotropic drugs (including antipsychotics, antidepressants, anxiolytics, anticonvulsants, drugs of abuse, and others) affect the nervous system. It is designed for students who already have basic knowledge of neuroscience. Each class will involve a student-led discussion of a recent research paper, which illustrates important advanced principles of neuropharmacology and state-of-the-art methods used in the field. Course offered every 2 years.
Credits: 3 Offered: Fall
The purpose of this course is to develop skills to enhance discovery of medically useful drugs.The course uses a case-study approach describing the discovery of the most valuable drugs currently in use, with an emphasis on phenotypic screening, combined with exposure to cuttingedge bioinformatics tools. Some of the drugs to be addressed are penicillin, insulin, the small pox vaccine, ether, morphine, aspirin, salvarsan, thorazine/Haldol, norethindrone, and digoxin. Of particular interest will be assessment of what is, or more generally what is not, known about mechanisms by which drugs exert their therapeutic effects, and how the development of drugs have elucidated mechanisms of disease. Course is offered every 2 years.
Credits: 1 Offered: Fall
With the accelerated development of new technologies and approaches, research at the cutting-edge of neuroscience is fast-evolving. The purpose of this course is to introduce students to current techniques and methodologies used in research labs in the Neuroscience department in order to prepare them for successful rotations in diverse lab settings. Topics covered will include using electrophysiology, viral approaches for cell type-specific manipulations, calcium-based imaging and analysis, modeling ‘disease-in-a-dish’ using stem cells, TRAP and single-nuclei sequencing, and human neuroimaging and large scale data analysis. The course features didactic, discussion, and written components that will facilitate a deep conceptual understanding to enable practical application of popular approaches.
Credits: 1 Offered: Fall
This course will discuss fundamental philosophical assumptions and constructs that are relevant for scientific inquiry, such as - what makes a theory good; what is the construct being studies; what is the purpose of a phenomenon. This course is designed for graduate-level students in the biomedical and neural sciences who are developing foundational thinking for their research interests.
Credits: 2 Offered: Fall
This course enables participants to learn about entrepreneurship and business fundamentals for the process of commercializing biomedical innovation, primarily through the "lean launchpad" method (aka, I-Corp method). Students engage in ideation sessions and then choose to join projects and work in small teams.
From there, the course provides training in relevant business and organizational fundamentals including start-up teams, legal issues, intellectual property strategy, financing, competitive analysis, market intelligence, and marketing or networking towards commercialization of biomedical innovation. Students will conduct key elements of the I-Corp Business Canvas/Lean Launchpad, particularly customer validation, for the project they have joined/led. Student will also get the opportunity to learn how technologies and startups are assessed using some fundamental due diligence methodologies.
The course leverages the impressive expertise in biomedical commercialization found within the Mount Sinai faculty, Mount Sinai Innovation Partners (MSIP), and external advisors to support the course via classroom lectures and extra office hour sessions to support project work. Additionally, we take advantage of Mount Sinai's and NYC's impressive biomedical ecosystem with visits from leading entrepreneurs.
This course may be taken in sequence with the course on Intellectual Property (BSR 2930: Protecting Your Innovation) or just as one course experience (no Pre-requisites are required).
Credits: 0 Offered: Fall
This is a second of two semester courses for those Master's degree students who are planning to attend medical school following completion of their Master's degree. The course continues to provide a detailed educational curriculum, strategic planning and advising about the medical school application process. It consists of information sessions, workshops, and personalized advising. This semester's key topics include detailed writing and review of each components of primary application, personal statement, secondary applications, and mock interviews. Increased individualized support is offered for targeted school selection, personal statement writing, and interview preparations.
Please note, this is uncredited and does NOT appear on your transcript.
Credits: 1.5 Offered: Fall
Please note - Course is offered every other year. Attendance in this course is mandatory.
COMPUTER-AIDED DRUG DESIGN (CADD) is a hands-on course that provides an introduction to computer-aided drug design/discovery technology, including both ligand-based and structure-based rational drug design strategies. Both theoretical and practical aspects of chemoinformatics, virtual screening, and in silico design approaches are presented with the goal of teaching students how to accelerate the discovery of novel molecules with improved therapeutic profiles using modern technologies, including artificial intelligence and machine learning tools. To this end, lectures will be integrated with hands-on sessions and at least one 'serious game' (a.k.a. simulation of a real-world structure-based drug discovery problem).
This course is not only designed to provide students with a solid foundation in computational structural biology, but also to help them become proficient in the use of modern drug discovery solutions available at Mount Sinai (e.g., the Schrödinger's Small Molecule Drug Discovery Suite). Students will also acquire an understanding of how to protect their own intellectual property on discoveries in preclinical stages and how to eventually move these discoveries to commercialization.
Course grade will be a letter grade: Grading will be based on participation (40%) and the successful execution of two "serious games" (30% each).
Prerequisite: Student's basic python skills or prior exposure to another relevant programming language as demonstrated on their undergraduate/graduate academic transcript. In the absence of prior programming experience, successful completion of BMI1007 (Computer Systems: Introduction to Scientific Programming in Python) will be required. The Course Directors will make the final decision as to whether a student's prior experience in programming is sufficient for the course.
Credits: 0.5 Offered: Fall
This semesterly-offered course will aim to inform and instruct students on the process of applying for a predoctoral fellowship. Students will learn the different funding mechanisms available to them for a fellowship and will ultimately prepare several components of the NRSA application with the intent of submission. The subject matter will include strategies for building a highly competitive application by thoroughly analyzing the scored review criteria: Fellowship Applicant; Sponsors, Collaborators, and Consultants; Training Potential; Institutional Environment and Commitment to Training; and Research Training Plan. It will also include strategies for converting a completed Thesis Proposal into the analogous documents for fellowship applications. The course will primarily focus on the application for an NRSA F30/31 award but will be applicable for students targeting other granting mechanisms that have the same components. Homework assignments will aid in the preparation of a fellowship application and will, therefore, keep students on pace for the current submission cycle. Prerequisites: Successfully having passed your Thesis Proposal Exam with the intention to submit a fellowship application by the end of the semester. Grading Policy: Pass/Fall
Credits: 1 Offered: Fall
The course aims to highlight neuroanatomical and molecular mechanisms of drug addiction, with emphasis on clinical applications and novel therapeutic approaches. Clinicians and basic scientists discuss fundamental mechanisms of drug dependence and addiction, novel discoveries, along with clinical cases and reports from physicians or patients. Every lecturer will be joined by 1-2 invited guests that provide a basic science or clinical perspective of the topic. A major goal of the course is to highlight current therapeutic treatments as well as experimental treatments and clinical trials. The class will cover a range of addiction disorders, including opioid and psychostimulant addiction, alchoholism, nicotine addiction and will discuss risk factors for addiction disorders. Students will work with faculty and invited guests to present and discuss.
Credits: 1 Offered: Fall
The JC in Cancer Biology critically discusses recent literature in the context of each student’s research project. Open to PhD, MDPhD and MSBS students.
Credits: 1 Offered: Fall
This is a Journal Club in Developmental and Stem Cell Biology (DSCB JC). Students will present once a year a paper from the recent literature that is relevant to stem cell biology in developing or adult tissues. ++
Credits: 1 Offered: Fall
This course is mandatory for 2nd year and above GGS students, and open only to Ph.D. and M.D./Ph.D. students in the GGS MTA. Each week one student will present a paper selected as representing an interesting concept or advance in genetics and genomics. The presenter describes the topic of the paper, summarizing the strengths and weaknesses, followed by an open discussion and critique of the research. For the final 20 minutes, a second presenter gives a progress report about their own work.
Credits: 1 Offered: Fall
This course follows an intensive small group discussion format that critically evaluates original research articles in the area of immunology. The articles are selected by the student in consultation with the presiding faculty member, and include recent important advances in immunology or investigations that provide conceptual advances relating to long-standing problems. The analysis will include background to the research, the hypothesis tested, the experimental methods used, as well as interpretation and discussion of results. This is a discussion class and participation is required. Students are also expected to discuss the implications of the research, the new questions it raises, and how it relates to the rest of the field. Grading will be based on class participation and extent of preparation. This class is required for students beginning in their second year until they complete their Ph.D. First year students interested in immunology are encouraged to attend. Attendance is required for all classes.
Credits: 1 Offered: Fall
This course uses a journal club format to discuss important papers along the interests of the students enrolled. Each student is instructed to carefully select a high impact paper that motivates the work in the lab and lead the discussion of the paper with the group. Active participation from all students is expected. The course meets weekly. All MIC Training Area Graduate students who have not yet completed their thesis proposal are required to take this course.
Credits: 1 Offered: Fall
This one credit journal club course aims to communicate the most exciting ongoing research involving viruses and their molecular interactions with the host, as well as to train students and postdoctoral fellows in the skills of scientific presentation. The course is regularly attended by twenty to thirty research personnel from 10 laboratories, including faculty, postdoctoral fellows, medical students, and graduate students, both from within and outside the MSM Training Area. The course serves as a forum for interdisciplinary communication and discussion of the latest research in the fields of virology, cell biology and immunology. Informed introduction, concise presentation and critical discussion are the themes of the journal club.
Credits: 1 Offered: Fall
Students will present work in progress and are strongly encouraged to have their advisory committee present. Alternatively, students can present a paper with relevance to their lab work. This course meets weekly.
Credits: 1 Offered: Fall
Journal Club in Pharmacological Sciences serves as the main journal club for the Systems Biology of Disease and Therapeutics MTA. The group meets weekly. At each meeting, a student presents a manuscript closely related to his/her dissertation project, and he/she may also present original data, although this is not required. Each paper is chosen by the student presenting that week and is usually related, in a broad sense, to Pharmacology. Topics discussed in the past year have included analysis of data in The Cancer Genome Atlas, identification of targets for treating Marfan Syndrome, and mechanisms underlying the initiation of ventricular arrhythmias.
Credits: 1 Offered: Fall
Students in AIET MTA should register for this course.
Credits: 1 Offered: Fall
Medical Scientist Grand Rounds is a series of joint clinical/scientific presentations that highlight the doctoral work of our senior MD/PhD students. A senior MD/PhD in their clinical training phasepresents the clinical case as an introduction to a scientific topic with the guidance of a clinician expert. The doctoral research presentation focuses the discussion on specific research questions from their dissertation. A panel discussion concludes the session allowing students to simultaneously inquire about the science and medicine.
Credits: 1 Offered: Fall
The seminar series in Cancer Biology brings leading researchers to MSSM to discuss their recent research. Open to PhD, MSTP and MSBS students.
Credits: 1 Offered: Fall
Presentations of research by students provide each the opportunity to present their research at least once during the academic year.
Credits: 1 Offered: Fall
Presentation of research by students; each student to present at least once per year
Credits: 1 Offered: Fall
All DSCB students who have not yet passed the Thesis Proposal are required to register for this course.
Credits: 1 Offered: Fall
This is a CME accredited Seminar Series offered by the Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences and the Institute for Genomics and Multiscale Biology at the Mount Sinai Medical Center. It is open to the entire department and institute, including faculty and trainees. The audience is diverse, with medical geneticists, basic scientists and computational biologists. All GGS students who have not yet passed the Thesis Proposal are required to register for this course.
Credits: 1 Offered: Fall
This forum provides an opportunity for Graduate Students, Postdocs and junior Faculty in the Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences to present ongoing work to other members of the Department, andgain experience presenting their work publically. After completing their first year rotation projects, each Graduate student is required to give at least one presentation per year. This is a required course for Graduate Students in the GGS MTA from second year until graduation.
Credits: 1 Offered: Fall
This course combines two seminar series hosted by the Immunology Institute at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. The first series features a monthly seminar given by an invited speaker who is a prominent scientist in immunology. Students are expected to familiarize themselves with the speaker’s research areas. Students are expected to attend a luncheon with the speaker which provides them with an opportunity to meet with the speaker and ask questions or engage in discussions. The second series is a weekly work-in-progress seminar presented by students and postdocs on their research.Students will be required to present in this seminar series starting in their 3rd year.
Credits: 1 Offered: Fall
Because of the diverse interests of our faculty, topics for this seminar series range from immunology, virology, bacteriology, oncogenesis, and signal transduction, to molecular biology. Speakers come from all over the United States, Europe, Australia, and Asia. They are from both academic institutions and from industry. The seminar series is attended by faculty from basic science, as well as from clinical departments.
Credits: 1 Offered: Fall
This is the Friedman Brain Institute Translational Neuroscience seminar series. Students in the Neuroscience MTA are required to attend. The seminar provides weekly lectures by outstanding neuroscientists, encompassing all domains of neurobiology, with an emphasis on discovery and translational neuroscience. The seminars will be advertised by e-mail and will be posted on bulletin boards throughout the institution. The seminars are also posted on the FBI website: consult http://icahn.mssm.edu/research/institutes/brain-institute/events
Credits: 1 Offered: Fall
A series of seminars broadly related to pathophysiology, drug development, and/or systems-level computational analyses.
Credits: 1 Offered: Fall
Students in AIET MTA should register for this course.
Credits: 1 Offered: Fall
Students in AIET MTA should register for this course.
Credits: 3 Offered: Fall
Advanced topics in tumor biology is a participatory lecture-based course focusing on cancer diagnosis, therapeutics, genetics,behavioral medicine and ethics. Open to PhD, MSTP and MSBS students.
Credits: 3 Offered: Fall
Students in this course will analyze a human genome sequence starting with raw sequence reads through identifying a list of sequence variants. Using public databases, literature and other resources students will formulate hypotheses about the phenotypic significance of these variants. This is a hands-on, laboratory course in which students will choose to analyze either their own genome or a reference genome after lectures and counseling to make the consequences of personal genome analysis clear.
Credits: 3 Offered: Fall
The purpose of this course is to develop skills to enhance discovery of medically useful drugs. The course uses a case-study approach describing the discovery of the most valuable drugs currently in use, with an emphasis on phenotypic screening, combined with exposure to cutting edge bioinformatics tools. Some of the drugs to be addressed are penicillin, insulin, the small pox vaccine, ether, morphine, aspirin, salvarsan, thorazine/Haldol, norethindrone, and digoxin. Of particular interest will be assessment of what is, or more generally what is not, known about mechanisms by which drugs exert their therapeutic effects, and how the development of drugs have elucidated mechanisms of disease.
Credits: 1 Offered: Fall
The course will cover development, composition, plasticity, and disease related vulnerability of synapses in the central nervous system. The format will be one of discussion and debate surrounding papers in the current literature. Prerequisites: Neuroscience Core or strong neuroscience background
Credits: 2 Offered: Fall
The term hard problem articulates the difficulty of explaining the transition between physical (e.g., neurons) and phenomenal entities (e.g., colors). Thus, why is any merely neural dynamic the basis for any phenomenal experience at all? Alternatively, if we induce some neural dynamic, why does the inductee not merely experience neurons firing, rather than, e.g., seeing phosphenes? I will begin with a brief philosophical overview and move to computational and neurally oriented efforts to address this most central issue of the problem of consciousness.
Credits: 1 Offered: Fall
This course will give students a chance to have detailed discussion of current topics in social neuroscience. We will cover research on social neuroscience in human, non-human primates and rodents, as well as covering both psychological and neurobiological aspects.
Credits: 1 Offered: Fall
The objective of this elective is to provide students with advanced training in an area of interest to them in support of dissertation research and their long-term career development. As part of this elective, students are required to participate in an internship of their choosing and that has prior approval by the student’s dissertation advisor and the course directors. Students are required to provide periodic oral update reports of their progress in the internship (the frequency of these will be determined by the length of the internship) and a final paper summarizing the internship.
Credits: 1 Offered: Fall
The objective of this elective is to provide students with advanced training in an area of interest to them in support of dissertation research and their long-term career development. As part of this elective, students are required to participate in an internship of their choosing and that has prior approval by the student’s dissertation advisor and the course directors. Students are required to provide periodic oral update reports of their progress in the internship (the frequency of these will be determined by the length of the internship) and a final paper summarizing the internship.
Credits: 1 Offered: Fall
The objective of this elective is to provide students with advanced training in an area of interest to them in support of dissertation research and their long-term career development. As part of this elective, students are required to participate in an internship of their choosing and that has prior approval by the student’s dissertation advisor and the course directors. Students are required to provide periodic oral update reports of their progress in the internship (the frequency of these will be determined by the length of the internship) and a final paper summarizing the internship.
Credits: 10 Offered: Fall
Research Credit for Independent Research. Only PhD and MD/PhD in Biomedical Science or Neuroscience, who have NOT passed the Thesis Proposal should register for this course
Credits: 4 Offered: Fall
Research Credit for Independent Research. 1st year Masters in Biomedical Science students should register for this course.
Credits: 4-8 Offered: Fall
Course holder for MSBS students doing 3rd AY for Research only. Research Credit for Independent Research. 2nd year Masters in Biomedical Science students should register for this course for the Fall term 2nd year MSBS students should register for 8 credits of Research, if they plan on completing the degree requirements by December.
Credits: 0 Offered: Fall
This course is open to 3rd year MSBS students who are working full-time in a lab during the Fall semester to complete their master's thesis.
Credits: 3 Offered: Fall
Thesis Credit for MS Biomedical Science. 2nd yr MSBS students should register for this course, only if they are planning to defend and deposit their MS thesis in the upcoming semester.
Credits: 7-10 Offered: Fall
Research Credit for Doctoral Dissertation Research. Only PhD and MD/PhD in Biomedical Science or Neuroscience, who have passed the Thesis Proposal should register for this course
Credits: 0 Offered: Fall
Registration for Biomedical Science and Neuroscience PhD students who have defended, but have not yet deposited their dissertation
Credits: 0.5 Offered: Spring 2
This semesterly-offered course will aim to inform and instruct students on the process of applying for a predoctoral fellowship. Students will learn the different funding mechanisms available to them for a fellowship and will ultimately prepare sev- eral components of the NRSA application with the intent of submission. The subject matter will include strategies for building a highly competitive application by thoroughly analyzing the scored review criteria: Fellowship Applicant; Sponsors, Collaborators, and Consultants; Training Potential; Institutional Environment and Commitment to Training; and Research Training Plan. It will also include strategies for converting a completed Thesis Proposal into the analogous documents for fellowship applications. The course will primarily focus on the application for an NRSA F30/31 award but will be applicable for students targeting other granting mechanisms that have the same components. Homework assignments will aid in the preparation of a fellowship application and will, therefore, keep students on pace for the current submission cycle.
Prerequisites: Successfully having passed your Thesis Proposal Exam with the intention to submit a fellowship application by the end of the semester.
Grading Policy: Pass/Fall
Credits: 1 Offered: Spring 2
Emerging Zika and Ebola viruses caused the two most recent crises in global public health. More and more novel viral threats are discovered and old viral threats are re-emerging. This course will discuss important emerging and re-emerging viruses and their biology, pathogenicity and prevalence. We will also focus on novel prophylactic (vaccines) and therapeutic technologies that are under development to combat these viruses. The course will cover orthomyxoviruses (influenza), paramyxoviruses (Nipah, Hendra etc.), flaviviruses (dengue, Zika etc.), alphaviruses (Chikungunya etc.), bunyaviruses (hantaviruses, CCHFV etc.), filoviruses (Marburg virus, ebolaviruses), coronaviruses (SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV) and others.
Credits: 1 Offered: Spring 2
The objective of this elective is to provide students with advanced training in an area of interest to them in support of dissertation research and their long-term career development. As part of this elective, students are required to participate in an internship of their choosing and that has prior approval by the student’s dissertation advisor and the course directors. Students are required to provide periodic oral update reports of their progress in the internship (the frequency of these will be determined by the length of the internship) and a final paper summarizing the internship.
Credits: 1 Offered: Spring 2
The objective of this elective is to provide students with advanced training in an area of interest to them in support of dissertation research and their long-term career development. As part of this elective, students are required to participate in an internship of their choosing and that has prior approval by the student's dissertation advisor and the course directors. Students are required to provide periodic oral update reports of their progress in the internship (the frequency of these will be determined by the length of the internship) and a final paper summarizing the internship.
Credits: 3 Offered: Spring 2
Research Credit for Independent Research. Only PhD and MD/PhD in Biomedical Science or Neuroscience, who have NOT passed the Thesis Proposal should register for this course
Credits: 0 Offered: Spring 2
This course is open to 3rd year MSBS students who are working full-time in a lab during the Spring semester to complete their master's thesis. The course is graded Pass/Fail. Tuition is not charged for this course.
Credits: 0 Offered: Spring 2
For visiting students/scholars only
Credits: 1-9 Offered: Fall
Students should register for their Master’s Thesis credits (5 credits) during the Spring 1 or Spring 2 term of their second year while preparing to submit their Thesis. Students may be able to register for additional Master’s Thesis credits (1-3), instead of elective credits, with permission of the Program Director. Please refer to the Guide to Completing the Masters Thesis as a resource for the steps that need to be taken in fulfilling the Masters Thesis requirement.
Credits: 1-3 Offered: Fall
An Independent Study is an elective option providing the student with an opportunity to delve more thoroughly into an area of specific interest. The Independent Study Proposal should be submitted at least three weeks prior to the anticipated start of the proposed project/course of study. The proposal will be reviewed to ensure that the goals of the project meet the overall objectives of the Clinical Research Program. Approval of a form submitted less than three weeks prior to the anticipated start of the project/course of study will not be guaranteed. The student assumes any risk that missing appropriate deadlines may entail. Approval, when granted, is conditional upon the student completing all of the outlined requirements. The student must submit a Postscript Report and request that the faculty sponsoring the Independent Study submit an Evaluation Form.
Three credits are the maximum number of credits that may be awarded to any Independent Study. Please note that while the total hours committed to the pursuit of the Independent Study may be sufficient for more than three credits or more than one elective, students will not receive any more than three credits for one project/course of study. Each student may complete no more than two independent study projects.
An Independent Study must be a unique experience. Material covered during an independent study project should be highly targeted and not simply a review of the regularly offered coursework.
To apply to take an independent study students should contact the Clinical Research Program Manager.
Credits: 3 Offered: Fall
This first term covers fundamental concepts of relevance to the formulation of meaningful questions in clinical investigation and provides an overview of non-experimental, quasi-experimental and experimental study designs utilized in the conduct of clinical investigation. The course is divided into 4 sections: 1) The Research Question & Stating the Hypothesis; 2) Finding the evidence & discerningthe burden of disease; 3) Measurement Science & Sampling; and 4) Study Design
Credits: 1 Offered: Fall
This course is designed to prepare PhD in Clinical Research candidates for the mandatory written comprehensive examination. The course is comprised of problem sets reflective of foundational course work and the integration of methodology and experimental design highlighted throughout the common required course work. Students will be ask to practice their ability to critically analyze and appraiseclinical /translational research data in an effort to integrate important concepts and tools learned across during required coursework.
Credits: 1 Offered: Fall
This class will meet weekly and will consist of a Journal Club alternating with a Seminar Series/Works in Progress. The Journal Club will provide a forum for the development of critical thinking and fosters real time utilization of recently learned analytical tools and methodology. A structured format focused on dissecting and discerning the specific research question and hypothesis posed;the appropriateness of the experimental design and the nature of the statistical methods employed in a given article, is employed so as to facilitate the emergence of astute and critical readers of the scientific literature & to reinforce relevant issues being discussed in other didactic courses. The Seminar Series/Works in Progress classes, which meet on the alternate week, will include presentations by trainees & faulty, covering ongoing clinical research projects to facilitate constructive debate and discussion of specific research approaches and conceptual models under development. In addition, this forum will be used to cover specific additional topics of importance to clinical research, including: human subjects' research compliance; scientific presentation skills; mentor: mentee relationships; team science; & time management
Credits: 1-6 Offered: Fall
Student should register for Doctoral Thesis credits during the Fall, Spring 1 and Spring 2 of year 3. Number of credits to register each term will depend on the student’s track. Please refer to the curriculum guide or track checklist for details.
Credits: 3 Offered: Fall
Clinical and translational researchers frequently face a number of challenges in their work when traditional statistical approaches are used exclusively to plan clinical studies. These include low clinical trial participation, failed interventions due to low engagement of stakeholders or misunderstanding of causal mechanisms affecting outcomes, low engagement of trainees due to lack of understanding of their experience. This course will provide tools to address these and other challenges. This is an applied introductory course in qualitative, community-based, and mixed-methods research intended for graduate students and researchers in clinical and translational science with minimal or no experience in qualitative methodologies.
Credits: 3 Offered: Fall
The overall objective of this course is to provide the researcher with a working knowledge of essential tools for the acquisition, management and analysis of data. The data acquisition section of the course reviews the various methods for collecting primary data in the setting of clinical trials and registries. The course will review direct collection of data from electronic health records and primary data entry via electronic data capture systems, both local and web-based. It will cover principles of case report form design, compliance with good clinical practice standards and with 21CFR part11. It will review specialized software for managing multicenter studies, which address a variety of functions, including trial registration, randomization, tracking, site communication and performance measures.
Credits: 1 Offered: Fall
In this course students will learn the essentials of coordinating and managing the day-to-day operations of a clinical research study, from the planning site logistics and constructing timelines for study initiation visit to closing out a study. Students will learn how to estimate staff requirements, prepare realistic budgets and timelines and review source documents (Case Report Forms (CRFs), protocols and study budgets). Students will also learn the role and responsibilities of each member of a clinical research group, process of recruitment, informed consent, confidentiality and communication with patients, regulatory authorities and collaborating investigators. Students will also learn the basics of data management and regulatory compliance, including measurement of patient baselines;preparation, logging and tracking CRFs; cross checking documentation for accuracy, source documentation; preparing for an audit and responding to data queries.
Credits: 0 Offered: Fall
Thesis Continuation for Clinical Research. By Permission Only.
Credits: 0 Offered: Fall
PhDCR students preparing for the mandatory written comprehensive examination may register for this course, provided they are concurrently registered for CLR0012, CLR0014 or CLR0015. Program permission is required
Credits: 1 Offered: Fall
The Capstone is a required three-semester course for students in the MS in Biostatistics Program. It provides experience in the art of consulting and in the proper application of statistical techniques to clinical and translational research. Students will bring together the skills they have acquired in previous coursework and apply them to the consulting experience. Learning will take place by doing. In the Fall term, the capstone-related lectures and project will engage students in important discourse regarding data management and research ethics. Prerequisites: Must be enrolled in the MS in Biostatistics program.
Credits: 3 Offered: Fall
This course provides a rigorous introduction to epidemiology for students in the first trimester of the MS in Biostatistics program. Topics covered include: an introductory overview of epidemiology, common measures of health outcome frequencies and associations, appropriate construction of an epidemiologic hypothesis, causal inferences, common epidemiologic study designs, error and bias in epidemiologic studies, confounding and effect modification, critique review and evaluation of published studies, ethics and reproducibility in epidemiologic research.
Credits: 2 Offered: Fall
In this course, students will gain a comprehensive, hands-on, introduction to statistical computing for data management and statistical analysis in R, a free, open source, statistical software. This course is geared towards students interested in becoming skilled and efficient data analysts in the biomedical, public health, or clinical and translational sectors. This course presumes prior or concurrent enrollment in a graduate-level introductory biostatistics course. Topics covered in this course include: basic commands, functions, and operations for vectors, matrices, and data frames, debugging, loops, data management, data visualization, and univariate and bivariate analyses. Pre- Students must have significant, minimum scripting-level, programming experience with demonstrated productivity in one or more programming languages (python preferred, but R and Matlab acceptable). Students with only toy-model programming experience will find the course immediately overwhelming. Specific mathematical or statistical expertise is not required, but college-level mastery of basic mathematical and statistical knowledge of fundamental concepts should be obtained prior to starting class. Such concepts include basic calculus, linear algebra and probability distributions. If none of these prerequisites are available, attending one or more of the following courses is required: Course: BMI1005-1007 (all modules) Computer Systems Course: BSR1803 Systems Biology: Biomedical Modeling Course: BMI2005 Introduction to Algorithms Course: BIO6300 Introduction to R programming ++
Credits:3 Offered: Fall
This course covers the basic tools for the collection, analysis, and presentation of data in all areas of basics, clinical and translational research. Central to these skills is assessing the impact of chance and variability on the interpretation of research findings and subsequent implications on the understanding of disease mechanisms, drug discovery and development, and applications to clinical practice. Topics covered include: general principles of study design including internal and external validity; probability and sampling distributions, theory of confidence intervals and hypothesis testing; review of methods for comparison of discrete and continuous data including one-sample and two-sample tests, correlation analysis, linear regression, sample size and power. Additionally, students will learn to apply their statistical knowledge to complex real-world challenges, while gaining introductory statistical computing proficiency in R and SAS. Prerequisites: Algebra Required for MS in Biostatistics, students. All other students must take a placement test.
Credits: 3 Offered: Fall
This course covers basic material in Probability Theory, which is necessary for all work in Biostatistics, especially as a foundation for Statistical Inference. We will introduce the basic terminology and concepts of probability theory, including sample and outcome spaces, random variables, discrete distributions and probability density functions. Students will also learn fundamental properties of the most important discrete and continuous probability distributions, expectations, moment generating functions, conditional probability and conditional expectations, multivariate distributions, laws of large numbers, and the central limit theorem. This course is a prerequisite for the Probability and Inference II course. Strong analytical and quantitative skills are required to successfully master the material covered in this course.
Credits: 1-9 Offered: Spring 1
Students should register for their Master’s Thesis credits (5 credits) during the Spring 1 or Spring 2 term of their second year while preparing to submit their Thesis. Students may be able to register for additional Master’s Thesis credits (1-3), instead of elective credits, with permission of the Program Director. Please refer to the Guide to Completing the Master’s Thesis as a resource for the steps that need to be taken in fulfilling the Master’s Thesis requirement.
Credits: 1 Offered: Spring 1
Part II of CLR0012: This course is designed to prepare PhD in Clinical Research candidates for the mandatory written comprehensive examination. The course is comprised of problem sets reflective of foundational course work and the integration of methodology and experimental design highlighted throughout the common required course work. Students will be asked to practice their ability to critically analyze and appraise clinical /translational research data in an effort to integrate important concepts and tools learned across during required coursework
Credits: 3 Offered: Spring 1
Methods in Clinical & Population Based Research: Part II is divided into two sections. The first provides an in depth focus on study design and analysis, including randomized clinical trials, early proof of concept trials, phase II trials, including futility designs; phase III efficacy trials, small population clinical trials and n-of-1 studies. The second section of the course focuses on study implementation and conduct and will include the following topics: responsible conduct of research, good clinical practice; responsibilities of the principal investigators; working with the IRB; patientselection, allocation and recruitment; protocol adherence, adverse events and adverse event reporting; data and safety monitoring plans and monitoring boards; regulatory bodies and funding.
Pre-requisite: Spectrum of Methods in Clinical Research 1
Credits: 1-6 Offered: Spring 1
Student should register for Doctoral Thesis credits during the Fall, Spring 1 and Spring 2 of year 3. Number of credits to register each term will depend on the student’s track. Please refer to the curriculum guide or track checklist for details.
Credits: 1 Offered: Spring 1
This class will meet weekly and will consist of a Journal Club alternating with a Seminar Series/Works in Progress. The Journal Club will provided a forum for the development of critical thinking and fosters real time utilization of recently learned analytical tools and methodology. A structured format focused on dissecting and discerning the specific research question and hypothesis posed; the appropriateness of the experimental design and the nature of the statistical methods employed in a given article, is employed so as to facilitate the emergence of astute and critical readers of the scientific literature & to reinforce relevant issues being discussed in other didactic courses The Seminar Series/Works in Progress classes will include presentations by trainees & faulty, covering ongoing clinical research projects to facilitate constructive debate and discussion of specific research approaches and conceptual models under development. In addition, this forum will be used to cover specific additional topics of importance to clinical research, including: human subjects’ research compliance; scientific presentation skills; team science; study design; statistical methods.
Credits: 1-3 Offered: Spring 1
An Independent Study is an elective option providing the student with an opportunity to delve more thoroughly into an area of specific interest. The Independent Study Proposal should be submitted at least three weeks prior to the anticipated start of the proposed project/course of study. The proposal will be reviewed to ensure that the goals of the project meet the overall objectives of the Clinical Research Program. Approval of a form submitted less than three weeks prior to the anticipated start of the project/course of study will not be guaranteed. The student assumes any risk that missing appropriate deadlines may entail. Approval, when granted, is conditional upon the student completing all of the outlined requirements. The student must submit a Postscript Report and request that the faculty sponsoring the Independent Study submit an Evaluation Form.
Three credits are the maximum number of credits that may be awarded to any Independent Study. Please note that while the total hours committed to the pursuit of the Independent Study may be sufficient for more than three credits or more than one elective, students will not receive any more than three credits for one project/course of study. Each student may complete no more than two independent study projects.
An Independent Study must be a unique experience. Material covered during an independent study project should be highly targeted and not simply a review of the regularly offered coursework.
To apply to take an independent study students should contact the Clinical Research Program Manager.
Credits: 3 Offered: Spring 1
This course will present the fundamental methods for the design and implementation of analysis for clinical trials. The course will emphasize randomized comparative studies, including protocol preparation, randomization, intention-to-treat, sample size, interim monitoring, adaptive designs, endpoints and reporting. The relationship between protocol design and analytic plan will be highlighted. The Course has two broad aims: (1) to develop the skills necessary to be a more critical reader of medical literature and (2) to provide the basic statistical tools to aid in the design of clinical trial protocols. CLR-0320 Elective course for MSCR or PhD in CR; required for those students in MSCR/PhD who are concentrating on Clinical Trials research.
Credits: 2-3 Offered: Spring 1
This seminar will explore the complex issues raised by human subject research. The seminar will begin with a review of some of the landmark cases of unethical use of human subjects in research, the policies that shape our current understanding of the ethical conduct of research, and the mechanisms for research oversight that have been instituted. Then, through reading a broad selection of seminal articles and papers from the recent literature, seminar presentations and discussions, we shall engage in a conceptual analysis of a number of controversial and pressing issues. We shall discuss the moral and public policy aspects of topics such as research design, risk-benefit assessment, informed consent, the use of “vulnerable” subjects, research without consent, confidentiality, inducements, conflicts of interests, disclosure of research findings, tissue use, vaccine development, and international research. In addition to exploring the moral landscape of this rich and provocative domain,the seminar will clarify and inform participants’ understanding of basic moral concepts such as autonomy and justice. It will also serve as a model for approaching other issues in applied ethics.
Credits: 0 Offered: Spring 1
Thesis Continuation for Clinical Research. By Permission Only.
Credits: 3 Offered: Spring 2
Communications and marketing strategy must keep pace with rapid changes in the new health care landscape. Health care leaders and managers must understand the fundamentals of communications, marketing, and digital strategy to ensure effective delivery of health care services. The new competitive landscape requires focused attention on brand, perception of quality, and the ways to advance core functions in order for businesses to remain viable. Similarly, the use of digital and social media in personal, professional, and institutional marketing and branding are key drivers of leadership success. This course will explore these new realities and focus on critical topics.
Credits: 3 Offered: Spring 2
This course is designed to provide an understanding of the analytical methods health care managers and executives need to critically interpret the findings of comparative effectiveness studies and to use hospital-derived data for assessing and improving quality of care and process performance. The course structure contains four overarching topics: • Biostatistical and epidemiological methods for comparative effectiveness research
• Statistical process control • The scope and limits of evidence-based medicine • Hospital-based and public sources of health care data Through selected readings, case studies, problem-solving assignments, online self-study components, and lecture presentations and discussions, you will develop a conceptual understanding of the principles and analytical tools necessary to become a critical reader of health services research literature. This will enable you to identify and adopt best practices for your institution. Moreover, it will give you the analytical skills needed for guiding quality improvement projects effectively.
Credits: 2 Offered: Spring 2
ONLY OPEN to students in the MS Health Care Delivery Leadership Program
You will have the opportunity to work on a project that directly addresses a strategic problem in your institution, or carefully examine one of a host institution. This action learning project will enable the application and integration of course material into a coherent response and potential solution(s) to an actual health care delivery issue. These projects will form a repository of knowledge that program cohort peers can use to learn from and share.
Credits: 2 Offered: Fall
This gateway seminar introduces you to key program themes and course materials. It helps frame initial themes of the program content that will follow in subsequent courses. The seminar will allow for ample networking and collaborative opportunities. Key themes to be explored are: leading in a disrupted health care delivery sector, understanding broad system influencers, quality improvement and evidence-based decisions in health care delivery, reform basis of the Affordable Care Act, and managing critical urban health issues.
Credits: 2 Offered: Fall
ONLY OPEN to students in the MS Health Care Delivery Leadership Program
This intensive seminar focuses on the central elements that ensure quality throughout health care delivery systems and organizations. These elements include: 1) An examination of patient safety management 2) Quality improvement concepts and innovations 3) The clinical microsystems approach to value and quality improvement. The seminar will allow course colleagues, faculty, and prominent guest speakers to network and collaborate. There will also be another interactive session on personal leadership development.
Credits: 3 Offered: Fall
ONLY OPEN to students in the MS Health Care Delivery Leadership Program.
This course provides an overview of the economics of health care delivery for industry leaders. It begins with an in-depth analysis of the structure and dynamics of the US healthcare system and trends in health care expenditures. We address economic perspectives and theory related to the production of health care and the supply and demand of health care services, the health insurance market, the structure of healthcare systems and industries through the continuum of care (medical practices, hospitals, and post-acute care providers), and health care system reform
Credits: 3 Offered: Fall
ONLY OPEN to students in the MS Health Care Delivery Leadership Program.
Designed for experienced managers in a health care or related organizations, this course is an opportunity to learn how to transform organizational knowledge into a strategic management system. We will examine the uses of external environmental analysis, organizational assessment, practical research, data collection and leadership principles as the basis for the creation of strategic management and leadership tools. We will focus on the analytical dimensions of strategic thinking and planning to ensure you are exposed to the technical and conceptual elements of strategy.
Credits: 3 Offered: Fall
ONLY OPEN to students in the MS Health Care Delivery Leadership Program.
This course will enable you to probe the Public Health and Community/Population-Based Approach and address the core principles and functions of public health, including how this approach differs from acute care medicine, and how public functions are institutionalized in the US health care system. The course will focus upon arguments and evidence that the health status of populations is shaped not by medical care and health care policy but rather by basic social conditions that often correlate closely with class, race, and ethnicity. Interrelated topics include: status and stress; social isolation and community engagement; complex socio-clinical conditions (mental illness, HIV, substance abuse, homelessness); promotion of healthy behaviors; and the role of the ACA in advancing public health
Credits: 2 Offered: Fall
ONLY OPEN to students in the MS Health Care Delivery Leadership Program You will have the opportunity to work on a project that directly addresses a strategic problem in your institution, or carefully examine one of a host institution. This action learning project will enable the application and integration of course material into a coherent response and potential solution(s) to an actual health care delivery issue. These projects will form a repository of knowledge that program cohort peers can use to learn from and share.
Credits: 0 Offered: Fall
Maintenance of Matriculation for Healthcare Delivery Leadership
Credits: 5 Offered: Spring
All First Year MD/PhD students should register for this course
Credits: 5 Offered: Spring
All Second Year MD/PhD students should register for this course
Credits: 4 Offered: Spring
Laboratory rotations are an important part of the first year of the Graduate Program at Mount Sinai. They give students the opportunity to experience different research projects, different laboratory and mentoring styles, and allow the faculty to assess the interests and aptitude of the students. In general, all PhD and MD/PhD students will complete one-three laboratory rotations (a minimum of two, in two different laboratories, is recommended) before declaring a research preceptor and a Multidisciplinary Training Area. The rotation facilitates the choice of preceptor and also offers students an exposure to problems and techniques of interest to them. For each semester, the student should submit the name of the rotation preceptor and start date of the rotation no later than the beginning of the semester. This is done via the submission of the Rotation Agreement Form.
Credits: 6 Offered: Spring
Biomedical Science - Spring, is part 2 of a year long, six unit course that surveys a broad and comprehensive study of basic Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology. The topics covered prepare students for both a career in Biomedical Research, and for the Advanced studies within the CAB, DSCB, GGS, IMM,and MIC MTAs. Biomedical Science is a required course for all first year students that intend to be members of these MTAs. The course is structured as a series of lectures; grade assessment is based on a mixture of in-class and take home quizzes as well as one formal examination per unit. Prerequisite: BSR1012 Biomedical Science - Fall
Credits: 3.5 Offered: Spring
Biomedical Science - Spring for MDPhD students. 1st year MD/PhD students should register for this course.
Credits: 0.5 Offered: Spring
This course is required for all first-year graduate students, and discusses guidelines and considerations to enhancer rigor and reproducibility in biomedical research. Specific Topics to be discussed in nine 1 hour sessions: (i) Experimental Design; (ii) Rigor at the bench; (iii) Validation of Biological and Chemical Reagents; (iv) Open Science and data sharing; (v) Animal Studies; (vi) Behavioral Science; (vii) Human studies and (viii) Review of NIH guidelines, videos and discussion.
Credits: 3 Offered: Spring
This course covers the foundational elements for the collection, analysis, and presentation of data in biomedical research. This course will cover the following topics: general principles of study design including internal and external validity; probability and sampling distributions, theory of confidence intervals and hypothesis testing; review of methods for comparison of discrete and continuous data including one-sample and two-sample tests, correlation analysis, and linear regression. Upon completion of this course, students should have introductory proficiency in statistics to apply their expertise to current biomedical challenges. This course will additionally facilitate important discourse around rigor and reproducibility and introduce students to innovative applications of biostatistics and data science to complex, real-world biomedical research ranging from building predictive algorithms for complex diseases to genetic analysis in ancestrally diverse populations. Diversity and Inclusion Statement: While science is assumed to be objective, the reality is that science is extremely subjective. Science does not exist in a vacuum. Our lived experiences, imbued with varying levels of power and privilege and exclusion and vulnerability over our life course, inform the biomedical problems we choose to explore, our conceptual framework, our methods, and our interpretations of our findings. We are a product of our society as is and as it was in the past. In this course, we must be respectful of others’ identities (i.e., race, gender, class, sexuality, religion, ability, etc.) and perspectives even if they differ from ours. We will address everyone by their preferred names and preferred pronouns. In this course, we will not make assumptions about what someone knows and does not know. We will make knowledge accessible to everyone. In this class, we will grow as scientists and, most importantly, as human beings.
Credits: 0.5 Offered: Spring
This course is required for all first-year graduate students, following NIH mandates. Specific topics for the eight 1 hour sessions: (i) Research Misconduct (ii) Experimental design and data management practices (iii) Mentor and Trainee Responsibilities; Collaborative Research (iv) Conflicts of Interest; Intellectual property (v) The Protection of Human Subjects (vi) The Welfare of Laboratory Animals (vii) Publication, authorship, and peer review (viii) Peer Review, the Grant Process, and Fiduciary Responsibility. Each Session is ~45 minute lecture with 15 minutes of discussion.
Credits: 3 Offered: Spring
This course surveys behavioral and cognitive neuroscience topics including learning and memory, executive function, emotional regulation, and reward processing. A consistent focus is the integration of research findings across species, experimental methods and levels of analysis and evaluation of the quality of experimental findings. The course format includes a didactic component and student presentations of key research articles.
Credits: 3 Offered: Spring
We take a case-based approach to teach contemporary mathematical modeling techniques to graduate students. Lectures provide biological background and describe the development of both classical mathematical models and more recent representations of biological processes. Students are taught how to analyze the models and use computation to generate predictions that may be experimentally tested.
Credits: 3 Offered: Spring
This course will provide students with a deep understanding of cardiovascular and renal physiology. Lectures will both describe both the general functioning of these organ systems and cover selected topics in greater detail. Paper discussion forums and problem sets will complement the material discussed in the lectures. Emphasis will be placed on describing quantitatively the functioning of the heart and kidney, and on illustrating underlying principles that are shared by the two organ systems. Both classical systems-level and contemporary cellular-level issues will be discussed. Topics will include: 1) ionic balance in cardiac cells, 2) multidimensional electrical propagation in heart, 3) systemic control of cardiac output; 4) cotransport of ions and metabolites in renal epithelialcells, and 5) a mathematical description of nephron function.
Credits: 2.5 Offered: Spring
This course covers recent highlights in neurobiological and cognitive deficits in neurological and psychiatric disorders. The goal is to offer students an opportunity to learn about animal models of these disorders directly from experts in the field, with an emphasis on understanding disease mechanisms from molecular, cellular, systems, and cognitive perspectives. In addition, a key feature of this class is that students will write a review paper on the neural and behavioral impairments of a chosen neurological or psychiatric disorder.
Credits: 3 Offered: Spring
This course attempts to recreate in a teaching environment the fundamental approaches of rational small molecule drug discovery research, and teach the fundamental molecular and physico-chemical principles that govern the capacity of small molecules to affect or regulate biological functions of macromolecules. The course consists of three themes, covering topics ranging from lead discovery to drug candidate selection, and to mechanism of action of drugs for both validated and emerging drug target families, as listed below:
Theme #1. Structure-based Drug Discovery
lead discovery and optimization, and drug candidate selection
Theme #2. New Advances on Validated Drug Target Families
drugs and mechanism of action on kinases, GPCRs and others
Theme #3. Emerging Drug Targets
Identification and characterization of drug targets relevant to epigenetics, neurodegenerative diseases and cancer.
Theme #1 teachs the principles of discovery of biological targets and active compounds by hypothesis-driven and high-throughput approaches with both experimental and computational methods. This is followed by characterization of biological target interactions with lead compounds (i.e., structure, energy and dynamics). The inferred molecular mechanisms provide the basis for lead optimization through rational design and medicinal chemistry, and drug candidate selection through evaluation of drug toxicity and efficacy, as well as drug pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic properties.
Themes #2 and #3 review the latest advancements in drug discovery for both validated and emerging drug target families consisting of proteins involved in enzymatic catalysis, gene transcription and translation, protein-protein or protein-nucleic acid interactions.
Credits: 2 Offered: Spring
All scientists have to communicate our science, whether it is to our peers, collaborators, potential funders or the general public. This course aims to provide students with the hands-on skills and knowledge they need to communicate their science effectively. Through a series of hands-on workshops focused on spoken and written skills, students will learn from experts in Policy and Advocacy, Media, Outreach and Teaching to develop their skills. Students will develop the ability to craft a clear message, give and receive feedback and edit their work across a range of media and audiences.
Credits: 2 Offered: Spring
This lecture course, developed jointly between Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (ISMMS) and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), explores the relationship between academic research, intellectual property, and commercialization. You will learn about the nuances of intellectual property, with a focus on biomedical applications, and how the products of academic research and related innovations can be protected and commercialized. The course will cover experimental design, patent strategy, interaction with regulatory agencies, and the process of starting a company or licensing an invention. Lectures will be given at both RPI and ISMMS by instructors from patent law firms, successful biotech entrepreneurs, and Mount Sinai Innovation Partners.
Credits: 0.5 Offered: Spring
This semesterly-offered course will aim to inform and instruct students on the process of applying for a predoctoral fellowship. Students will learn the different funding mechanisms available to them for a fellowship and will ultimately prepare sev- eral components of the NRSA application with the intent of submission. The subject matter will include strategies for building a highly competitive application by thoroughly analyzing the scored review criteria: Fellowship Applicant; Sponsors, Collaborators, and Consultants; Training Potential; Institutional Environment and Commitment to Training; and Research Training Plan. It will also include strategies for converting a completed Thesis Proposal into the analogous documents for fellowship applications. The course will primarily focus on the application for an NRSA F30/31 award but will be applicable for students targeting other granting mechanisms that have the same components. Homework assignments will aid in the preparation of a fellowship application and will, therefore, keep students on pace for the current submission cycle. Prerequisites: Successfully having passed your Thesis Proposal Exam with the intention to submit a fellowship application by the end of the semester. Grading Policy: Pass/Fall
Credits: 2 Offered: Spring
This intensive international spring course is designed to provide students with the means to understand key concepts and cutting-edge advances in the design of current immunotherapy strategies. We have gathered immunology and immunotherapy experts from around the world to discuss novel perspectives in immunotherapy, review the extraordinary development of novel technology to study the immune system and discuss emerging immunologic paradigms across diseases . The lectures, organized into a 4-day course will be provided online from either France (Sorbonne University or Institut Curie in Paris), Brazil (University of Sao Paulo) or the USA (Mount Sinai, New York) and transmitted live. Lecturers and attendees from all continents will have the opportunity to discuss live in an open forum.
Credits: 2 Offered: Spring
The International Immunotherapy course is a joint initiative between Mount Sinai, Sorbonne University (Paris, FRANCE) and University of Sao Paolo (Sao Paolo, BRAZIL) that recruits leading global experts in the field of immunology and immunotherapies to lecture graduate students and research and clinical fellows. The goal of this class is to provide students with the means to understand the relevance of immunology and immunotherapy strategies in the treatment of human disease. We have gathered an exceptional number of immunotherapy experts throughout the world to teach basic immunology principles and discuss the development and success of different immunotherapies in the treatment of inflammatory diseases, autoimmunity, cancer, and infectious diseases. The course is scheduled over five days and is conducted in real-time via satellite with Brazil and France. Lectures will be provided locally either in France (Sorbonne University/Institut Curie, Paris), in Brazil (University of Sao Paulo) or New York (Mount Sinai) and transmitted live through a videoconference to all three locations. Students and lecturers will have the opportunity to discuss in an open forum. The course is organized in a 1-week module (5hrs/day), and evaluation is based on attendance and participation (2 credits).
Credits: 1 Offered: Spring
The JC in Cancer Biology critically discusses recent literature in the context of each student’s research project. Open to PhD, MDPhD and MSBS students.
Credits: 1 Offered: Spring
This is a Journal Club in Developmental and Stem Cell Biology (DSCB JC). Students will present once a year a paper from the recent literature that is relevant to stem cell biology in developing or adult tissues.
Credits: 1 Offered: Spring
This course is mandatory for 2nd year and above GGS students, and open only to Ph.D. and M.D./Ph.D. students in the GGS MTA. Each week one student will present a paper selected as representing an interesting concept or advance in genetics and genomics. The presenter describes the topic of the paper, summarizing the strengths and weaknesses, followed by an open discussion and critique of the research. For the final 20 minutes, a second presenter gives a progress report about their own work.
Credits: 1 Offered: Spring
This course follows an intensive small group discussion format that critically evaluates original research articles in the area of immunology. The articles are selected by the student in consultation with the presiding faculty member, and include recent important advances in immunology or investigations that provide conceptual advances relating to long-standing problems. The analysis will include background to the research, the hypothesis tested, the experimental methods used, as well as interpretation and discussion of results. This is a discussion class and participation is required. Students are also expected to discuss the implications of the research, the new questions it raises, and how it relates to the rest of the field. Grading will be based on class participation and extent of preparation. This class is required for students beginning in their second year until they complete their Ph.D. First year students interested in immunology are encouraged to attend. Attendance is required for all classes.
Credits: 1 Offered: Spring
This course uses a journal club format to discuss important papers along the interests of the students enrolled. Each student is instructed to carefully select a high impact paper that motivates the work in the lab and lead the discussion of the paper with the group. Active participation from all students is expected. The course meets weekly. All MIC Training Area Graduate students who have not yet completed their thesis proposal are required to take this course.
Credits: 1 Offered: Spring
This one credit journal club course aims to communicate the most exciting ongoing research involving viruses and their molecular interactions with the host, as well as to train students and postdoctoral fellows in the skills of scientific presentation. The course is regularly attended by twenty to thirty research personnel from 10 laboratories, including faculty, postdoctoral fellows, medical students, and graduate students, both from within and outside the MSM Training Area. The course serves as a forum for interdisciplinary communication and discussion of the latest research in the fields of virology, cell biology and immunology. Informed introduction, concise presentation and critical discussion are the themes of the journal club.
Credits: 1 Offered: Spring
Students will present work in progress and are strongly encouraged to have their advisory committee present. Alternatively, students can present a paper with relevance to their lab work. This course meets weekly.
Credits: 1 Offered: Spring
Journal Club in Pharmacological Sciences serves as the main journal club for the Systems Biology of Disease and Therapeutics MTA. The group meets weekly. At each meeting, a student presents a manuscript closely related to his/her dissertation project, and he/she may also present original data, although this is not required. Each paper is chosen by the student presenting that week and is usually related, in a broad sense, to Pharmacology. Topics discussed in the past year have included analysis of data in The Cancer Genome Atlas, identification of targets for treating Marfan Syndrome, and mechanisms underlying the initiation of ventricular arrhythmias.
Credits: 1 Offered: Spring
Students in AIET MTA should register for this course.
This course formalizes the requirement for students in the Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technologies training area to regularly attend and present in a journal club. The purpose of this journal club is to meet and critically evaluate scientific articles, with one student taking the lead on presenting an article during each meeting. This has three goals: to expand students' breadth of scientific knowledge, to practice critically analyzing experimental design, and (for the presenting student) to gain experience and confidence presenting scientific content to an audience.
Credits: 1 Offered: Spring
Medical Scientist Grand Rounds is a series of joint clinical/scientific presentations that highlight the doctoral work of our senior MD/PhD students. A senior MD/PhD in their clinical training phase presents the clinical case as an introduction to a scientific topic with the guidance of a clinician expert. The doctoral research presentation focuses the discussion on specific research questions from their dissertation. A panel discussion concludes the session allowing students to simultaneously inquire about the science and medicine.
Credits: 1 Offered: Spring
The seminar series in Cancer Biology brings leading researchers to MSSM to discuss their recent research. Open to PhD, MSTP and MSBS students.
Credits: 1 Offered: Spring
Presentations of research by students provide each the opportunity to present their research at least once during the academic year.
Credits: 1 Offered: Spring
Presentation of research by students; each student to present at least once per year
Credits: 1 Offered: Spring
All DSCB students who have not yet passed the Thesis Proposal are required to register for this course.
Credits: 1 Offered: Spring
This is a CME accredited Seminar Series offered by the Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences and the Institute for Genomics and Multiscale Biology at the Mount Sinai Medical Center. It is open to the entire department and institute, including faculty and trainees. The audience is diverse, with medical geneticists, basic scientists and computational biologists. All GGS students who have not yet passed the Thesis Proposal are required to register for this course.
Credits: 1 Offered: Spring
This forum provides an opportunity for Graduate Students, Postdocs and junior Faculty in the Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences to present ongoing work to other members of the Department, andgain experience presenting their work publically. After completing their first year rotation projects, each Graduate student is required to give at least one presentation per year. This is a required course for Graduate Students in the GGS MTA from second year until graduation.
Credits: 1 Offered: Spring
This course combines two seminar series hosted by the Immunology Institute at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. The first series features a monthly seminar given by an invited speaker who is a prominent scientist in immunology. Students are expected to familiarize themselves with the speaker’s research areas. Students are expected to attend a luncheon with the speaker which provides them with an opportunity to meet with the speaker and ask questions or engage in discussions. The second series is a weekly work-in-progress seminar presented by students and post-docs on their research.Students will be required to present in this seminar series starting in their 3rd year.
Credits: 1 Offered: Spring
Because of the diverse interests of our faculty, topics for this seminar series range from immunology, virology, bacteriology, oncogenesis, and signal transduction, to molecular biology. Speakers come from all over the United States, Europe,Australia, and Asia. They are from both academic institutions and from industry. The seminar series is attended by faculty from basic science, as well as from clinical departments.
Credits: 1 Offered: Spring
This is the Friedman Brain Institute Translational Neuroscience seminar series. Students in the Neuroscience MTA are required to attend. The seminar provides weekly lectures by outstanding neuroscientists, encompassing all domains of neurobiology, with an emphasis on discovery and translational neuroscience. The seminars will be advertised by e-mail and will be posted on bulletin boards throughout the institution. The seminars are also posted on the FBI website: consult http:// icahn.mssm.edu/research/institutes/brain-institute/events
Credits: 1 Offered: Spring
A series of seminars broadly related to pathophysiology, drug development, and/or systems-level computational analyses.
Credits: 1 Offered: Spring
Students in AIET MTA should register for this course.
This course formalizes the requirement for students in the Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technologies training area to attend research seminars relevant to their research interests delivered by invited speakers.
Credits: 1 Offered: Spring
Students in AIET MTA should register for this course.
Credits: 3 Offered: Spring
Advanced Topics in Cancer Biology will be offered in the Spring semester, 2014. Three modules will be offered. Students may take either one, two, or all three modules for credit. Each module is 1 credit. This is a journal article-based class in which students take turns leading discussion of assigned journal articles centered on a specific topic and chosen by faculty module leaders. For general information and topics for the coming semester students should contact James Manfredi (8-5495).
Credits: 1 Offered: Spring
Emerging Zika and Ebola viruses caused the two most recent crises in global public health. More and more novel viral threats are discovered and old viral threats are re-emerging. This course will discuss important emerging and re-emerging viruses and their biology, pathogenicity and prevalence. We will also focus on novel prophylactic (vaccines) and therapeutic technologies that are under development to combat these viruses. The course will cover orthomyxoviruses (influenza), paramyxoviruses (Nipah, Hendra etc.), flaviviruses (dengue, Zika etc.), alphaviruses (Chikungunya etc.), bunyaviruses (hantaviruses, CCHFV etc.), filoviruses (Marburg virus, ebolaviruses), coronaviruses (SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV) and others.
Credits: 3 Offered: Spring
The goal of the course is to provide students with a basic understanding of the structural organization and connectivity of the human central and peripheral nervous system. In general, a systems approach is used to review the major sensory, motor and integrated neural systems. Student performance is evaluated by four exams; all students attending the course are expected to take the exams, and the course is open to all interested students
Credits: 0.5 Offered: Spring
This course covers clinical features of major neurologic and psychiatric disorders, including diagnostics, clinical pathology (where appropriate), course of illness, and treatment. The goal is to offer Ph.D. candidates an opportunity to learn more about the disorders they study in laboratory animals, which will improve the translational potential of their work and better prepare them for a future as an NIH-funded investigator. (only available for 1st year Neuroscience MTA PhD students)
Credits: 3 Offered: Spring
The course covers the basic biology of aging, including the genetic and environmental contributions to normal age-related impairment as well as age-related diseases. A particular focus in the role of nutrition in aging, and the relationship between aging and metabolic impairments including obesity and diabetes.
Credits: 3 Offered: Spring
Discussion of issues related to experimental design, and analysis of behavioral and neurophysiological data that are common in systems and behavioral neuroscience studies; with a focus on multilevel modeling and time series analyses. The goals of this course are to: 1) Discuss issues related in experimental design and structure of statistical analysis that tend to occur in the context of behavioral and neurophysiological studies, with specific reference to issues that are likely to be encountered in preparing fellowship applications 2) Get exposure to statistical analysis approaches that are not part of an introductory biostatistics course, including time series analysis 3) Increase fluency with good data analysis practices to generate reproducible data analyses and shareable code This course is designed for students in the Neuroscience PhD program who have already begun to design experiments and collect data. We also will be talking about issues that tend to be encountered in preparing fellowship applications, including how to compose a power analysis that will pass muster in the context of NIH “rigor and transparency” criteria. It is required for Neuroscience PhD students. This course may also be useful for students in other programs (for example, biostatistics) that want an exposure to the types of problems encountered in designing and analyzing experiments in neuroscience. Prerequisites: BSR 1707, 1708 (Neuro Core units 3 and 4) Either: BIO 6400 (Intro to Advanced Biostatistics) OR BSR 1026 (Applied Biostatistics for Biomedical Research) BIO 6300 (Intro to R) highly recommended
Credits: 1 Offered: Spring
The course covers computational methodologies applied to analyze data in the broad fields of bioinformatics and big data mining. Topics covered include machine learning, python scripting, cloud computing, data visualization, full stack deployment, GitHub, and database programming. Students will be required to complete small programming assignments throughout the course. The course will use Jupyter Notebooks to run most tutorials.
Credits: 1 Offered: Spring
The objective of this elective is to provide students with advanced training in an area of interest to them in support of dissertation research and their long-term career development. As part of this elective, students are required to participate in an internship of their choosing and that has prior approval by the student's dissertation advisor and the course directors. Students are required to provide periodic oral update reports of their progress in the internship (the frequency of these will be determined by the length of the internship) and a final paper summarizing the internship.
Credits: 1 Offered: Spring
The objective of this elective is to provide students with advanced training in an area of interest to them in support of dissertation research and their long-term career development. As part of this elective, students are required to participate in an internship of their choosing and that has prior approval by the student's dissertation advisor and the course directors. Students are required to provide periodic oral update reports of their progress in the internship (the frequency of these will be determined by the length of the internship) and a final paper summarizing the internship.
Credits: 10 Offered: Spring
Research Credit for Independent Research. Only PhD and MD/PhD in Biomedical Science or Neuroscience, who have NOT passed the Thesis Proposal should register for this course
Credits: 4 Offered: Spring
Research Credit for Independent Research. 1st year Masters in Biomedical Science students should register for this course.
Credits: 4 Offered: Spring
Research Credit for Independent Research. 2nd year Masters in Biomedical Science students should register for this course for the Spring term
Credits: 0 Offered: Spring
This course is open to 3rd year MSBS students who are working full-time in a lab during the Spring semester to complete their master's thesis. The course is graded Pass/Fail and is 4.5 credits. Tuition is not charged for this course.
Credits: 3 Offered: Spring
Thesis Credit for MS Biomedical Science. 2nd yr MSBS students should register for this course, only if they are planning to defend and deposit their MS thesis in the upcoming semester.
Credits: 7-10 Offered: Spring
Research Credit for Doctoral Dissertation Research. Only PhD and MD/PhD in Biomedical Science or Neuroscience, who have passed the Thesis Proposal should register for this course
Credits: 3 Offered: Spring
This course is an introduction to understanding; the competencies, roles and responsibilities of public health and health managers; health organizations, which are complex and changing in response to community needs and to changing environments; the skills required to establish and maintain organizational culture and organizational change; and talent and team management. Through readings, class discussion and the analysis of case studies, students, will have an opportunity to explore and identify key management and leadership challenges impacting public health and health; formulate and evaluate alternative solutions to problems; learn verbally and in writing to present analysis of managerial plans and proposals. The course will emphasize skill development in the management of mission, strategy, operations and the business aspects of health organizations.
Credits: 3 Offered: Spring
Human resource management in health organizations and the relationship between HR, organizational strategy, and organizational behavior is the focus of this course. We will analyze human work behavior at the individual, interpersonal, team and organizational levels. Included are topics such as motivation, communication, group and team dynamics, leadership, decision-making, job and organization design, conflict management, organizational culture and identity, and organizational change. We will apply organizational behavior theory and explore the factors that affect behavior, performance, and job satisfaction of people working in organizations. The objectives of the course will be to understand the characteristics and processes of work organizations; to successfully develop management skills; to apply the skills of management and impact organizational behavior and performance. Cross listed with MPH 0111
Credits: 3 Offered: Spring
The intent of this course is to train future public health practitioners on the economic and political questions that emerge in the process of developing health systems. The various sessions during the course will review core economic principles applied to the role of governments, the private sector and the competitive marketplace. The course will provide an overview of traditional microeconomic theory and practice as applied to demand, supply, competition, monopoly, and social welfare. It will drill down on topics such as role of governments, private sector, market competition, government failure and market failure. Special sessions will be devoted to topics on clinical services, non-clinical services, the health care workforce, health financing, the health related manufacturing sectors (pharmaceuticals, medical technology and information technology) and leadership/health management. Special attention will be paid to the implication of the Covid 19 crisis for the economic function and performance of health care system and its major components. The major course output will be guided, semester-long exercises in analyzing and developing strategic development plans from a public health professional's perspective to guide political and economic decision making. The focus on health systems is a concrete means to understand the more general competencies involved in the application of economic analysis, which include political, financial, technical and organizational skills. The course will link to the ongoing health care reform debate to help participants understand the underlying economic issues raised by the reforms. Cross listed with MPH 0105
Credits: 3 Offered: Spring
This course covers the modern application of information technology that is critical to supporting operational knowledge in managing health care delivery organizations. Health care decision-makers have to meet head-on the dynamic challenges of health care delivery quality, cost, access, and regulatory control. This course integrates healthcare information systems as integral to quality initiatives including measurement of systems inputs, processes, and outputs with special emphasis on systems outcomes research and organizational accountability to various stakeholders, not the least of which is government regulators.
Credits: 3 Offered: Spring
The COVID-19 pandemic that has gripped the world since December 2019 has illustrated in stark terms how public health policy permeates our daily lives and its critical importance to the functioning of society. But the pandemic has also exposed underlying tensions and value disagreements that pervade public health policymaking and make it a political rather than purely technical undertaking. This course examines major political, institutional and managerial factors that shape public health decision-making and the effect that policy decisions have on population health.
Credits: 3 Offered: Spring
This course will enable you to probe the Public Health and Community/Population-Based Approach and address the core principles and functions of public health, including how this approach differs from acute care medicine, and how public functions are institutionalized in the US health care system. The course will focus upon arguments and evidence that the health status of populations is shaped not by medical care and health care policy but rather by basic social conditions that often correlate closely with class, race, and ethnicity. Interrelated topics include: status and stress; social isolation and community engagement; complex socio-clinical conditions (mental illness, HIV, substance abuse, homelessness); promotion of healthy behaviors; and the role of the ACA in advancing public health. Cross listed with MPH 0120
Credits: 0.5 Offered: Spring
This semester skills building workshops will focus on Effective Teams. These intensive short training courses will immerse students in additional skill set areas necessary to become highly functioning and effective managers. The 5 areas of training focus will complement the substantive curriculum of the program and focus on: project management methods, Excel and SAS essentials for managers, giving professional presentations, effective time management, and creating and managing functional teams (collaboration). Students will receive expert instruction on best methods/practices related to health care delivery, practice those methods in active small group settings, and share lessons learned in each of these areas. Students will be expected to actively participate in case studies and complete a project for each short course/module.
Credits: 0.5 Offered: Spring
Effectiveness
This semester skills building workshops will focus on Effective Teams. These intensive short training courses will immerse students in additional skill set areas necessary to become highly functioning and effective managers. The 5 areas of training focus will complement the substantive curriculum of the program and focus on: project management methods, Excel and SAS essentials for managers, giving professional presentations, effective time management, and creating and managing functional teams (collaboration). Students will receive expert instruction on best methods/practices related to health care delivery, practice those methods in active small group settings, and share lessons learned in each of these areas. Students will be expected to actively participate in case studies and complete a project for each short course/module.
Credits: 0.5 Offered: Spring
This intensive training focuses on the processes and methods for managing professional team-based conflict toward improving team performance, maintaining personal well-being, and creating productive outcomes/results. Participants in this session will actively work through illustrations and cases in small group exercises to practice the skills and develop more effective methods.
Credits: 0.5 Offered: Spring
This course will teach you the core building blocks of statistical analysis for health care informatics - types of variables, common distributions, and basic hypothesis testing are key. It will enable you to take a data set describe its keys features and run some vital basic analyses. The course is a pre-requisite to the MHA 2001 course on Quantitative and Analytical Methods for Decision-Making.
Credits: 1 Offered: Spring
This course combines essential statistical analysis techniques with intermediate-level Excel skills tailored for health care administration. It covers the foundational elements of statistics, including variable types, common distributions, and basic hypothesis testing, enabling you to analyze and describe key features of data sets. Additionally, the course delves into vital Excel functions for health care administrators, such as data consolidation and cleanup, payroll scheduling, revenue and expense analysis, quality improvement initiatives, dashboard creation, and inventory management. A solid working knowledge of basic Excel functions is required; if you need to enhance your Excel skills, contact the program director to explore options. MHA 5017 serves as a prerequisite for MHA 2001: Quantitative and Analytical Methods for Decision-Making
Credits: 1-3 Offered: Spring
The MHA administrative internship consists of collaboration between the student, a site supervisor/preceptor, faculty advisor and Program Director. The internship provides students the opportunity to demonstrate mastery of lessons learned in coursework and apply to an administrative fieldwork setting relevant to a student’s area of interest in health care delivery management. Not open to first trimester (new) students. Registration requires prior approval from the program director.
Credits: 1-5 Offered: Spring 2
Students should register for their Master’s Thesis credits (5 credits) during the Spring 1 or Spring 2 term of their second year while preparing to submit their Thesis. Students may be able to register for additional Master’s Thesis credits (1-3), instead of elective credits, with permission of the Program Director.
Please refer to the Guide to Completing the Masters Thesis as a resource for the steps that need to be taken in fulfilling the Masters Thesis requirement.
Credits: 1-3 Offered: Spring 2
An Independent Study is an elective option providing the student with an opportunity to delve more thoroughly into an area of specific interest. The Independent Study Proposal should be submitted at least three weeks prior to the anticipated start of the proposed project/course of study. The proposal will be reviewed to ensure that the goals of the project meet the overall objectives of the Clinical Research Program. Approval of a form submitted less than three weeks prior to the anticipated start of the project/course of study will not be guaranteed. The student assumes any risk that missing appropriate deadlines may entail. Approval, when granted, is conditional upon the student completing all of the outlined requirements. The student must submit a Postscript Report and request that the faculty sponsoring the Independent Study submit an Evaluation Form.
Three credits are the maximum number of credits that may be awarded to any Independent Study. Please note that while the total hours committed to the pursuit of the Independent Study may be sufficient for more than three credits or more than one elective, students will not receive any more than three credits for one project/course of study. Each student may complete no more than two independent study projects.
An Independent Study must be a unique experience. Material covered during an independent study project should be highly targeted and not simply a review of the regularly offered coursework.
To apply to take an independent study students should contact the Clinical Research Program Manager.
Credits: 1 Offered: Spring 2
This course will familiarize students with the basic elements and approach to writing grants, from initial concept through institutional routing to agency submission and review. Students will select a research topic, identify a potentially fundable research problem, develop a research plan, and draft a grant application in the appropriate format of the PHS 398 form for submission to a funding agency. Each draft will be presented to the class by the students for critique and discussion. Student evaluation is based on class presentations and draft submissions; drafts produced for the course can be further revised to serve as the student’s thesis proposal. Grant applications for both investigator-initiated research projects (e.g., NIH R01, R03, R21) and mentored career-development awards (e.g., K12, K23) will be covered. Features of successful research grant applications will be presented and a description of the grant review process will be covered. The course also will cover the development of writing skills for publication and competitive grants, and explore principles of research strategy in the context of requirements of funding agencies. Effective scientific communication and writing skills are reviewed, institutional routing, and discussion of the NIH grant review process will be covered.
Credits: 3 Offered: Spring 2
Methods in Clinical & Population Based Research: Part III is divided into four sections. The first focuses on the use of specific databases & analytical programs in the conduct of clinical research. The format for this section of the course includes lecture and laboratory sessions. The second section of the course focuses on Omics & clinical research and covers genomics, proteomics, microarray technologies, methylation arrays, and bioinformatics principles. Also covered are the clinical and genomic databases that are essential for conducting omics clinical investigations and the resources and tools for personalized medicine research. Review of the Biobank and access to the de-identified database will be provided to the student to demonstrate the use of this unique resource for conductingnovel clinical investigation.
The third section of the course will provide an initial introduction to health services research, including topics concerning health care disparities, community engagement & participatory research; and comparative effectiveness research. Finally, the last segment of the course will focus on practical aspects of clinical research including, graphic presentation of data and scientific writing as well as an overview of the nuts and bolts of securing peer review funding as well as opportunities for new clinical investigators, in particular.
Credits: 3 Offered: Spring 2
This course will provide participants with an understanding of survey development, sampling strategies, modes of data collection, maintaining data quality, data processing, ethical considerations and management of survey study teams. We will also touch on statistical methods to analyze survey data and handle missing values. Examples will be provided from existing secondary national survey databases, cohort studies and instructor's prior experience. Practical hands on guidance in survey development will be provided. Best practices to summarize and present survey findings in research papers will be discussed. No prior experience working with surveys or statistical methods is necessary.
Credits: 1 Offered: Spring 2
This course is designed to prepare PhD in Clinical Research candidates for the mandatory written comprehensive examination. The course is comprised of problem sets reflective of foundational course work and the integration of methodology and experimental design highlighted throughout the common required course work. Students will be ask to practice their ability to critically analyze and appraise clinical /translational research data in an effort to integrate important concepts and tools learned during required coursework.
Credits: 1 Offered: Spring 2
The Journal Club will provide a forum for the development of critical thinking and fosters real time utilization of recently learned analytical tools and methodology. A structured format focused on dissecting and discerning the specific research question and hypothesis posed; the appropriateness of the experimental design and the nature of the statistical methods employed in a given article, is employed so as to facilitate the emergence of astute and critical readers of the scientific literature & to reinforce relevant issues being discussed in other didactic courses.
Credits: 1-6 Offered: Spring 2
Student should register for Doctoral Thesis credits during the Fall, Spring 1 and Spring 2 of year 3. Number of credits to register each term will depend on the student’s track. Please refer to the curriculum guide or track checklist for details.
Credits: 3 Offered: Spring 2
This course considers Franz Boas’ definition of culture as culture is everything but natural science.[1] Any interaction or encounter with another individual or group of individuals is in fact a cultural experience which occurs within a cultural context. Broadly, this course aims to demonstrate how culture is conceptualized, considered, and explored in a broad range of issues in the basic, clinical, and community arenas around health and illness and to distinguish the cultural context in each session. The course utilizes class room lecture and small group discussion sessions and a small group project to enable participants to integrate culturally effective approaches into the design and implementation of research across the translational spectrum that improve patient and community healthoutcomes and reduce health care disparities.
Course Objectives: At the end of this course the student should be able to: • Demonstrate an understanding of one’s own cultural context and its impact on patients, communities and on health care outcomes • Analyze evidence of health care disparities from available resources • Integrate culturally effective approaches into the design and implementation of research across the translational spectrum that improve patient and community health and reduce health care disparities
Credits: 1 Offered: Spring 2
This course will serve as a broad introduction to the development of novel medical devices within the current regulatory landscape. This course will focus on the classification system of medical devices and the associated differences in regulations that are set forth by the FDA. Guest speakers will be invited to explore early feasibility trials, larger pivotal trials, assigning predicates and highlighting the different pathways (Humanitarian Device Exemption, De Novo, etc) a device can be approved by. Emphasis will be placed on illuminating the difference between pharmaceutical and MedTech expectations of design. Grading will be based on weekly homeworks, closed note tests, and a project that will require teams to classify a device, determine predicates and describe a protocol for testing the device given their proposed pathway.
Credits: 1 Offered: Spring 2 This course provides a comprehensive overview of the regulatory, methodological and scientific pathways for drug development within the field of oncology. The cycle of drug development will be discussed and cover stages from drug discovery, screening, regulatory considerations and compliance, manufacturing and drug delivery, to clinical deployment. Woven into these themes are aspects related to intellectual property and commercialization.
Aside from the scientific and practical aspects of the cycle, a wider perspective on drug discovery is also illuminated. Experts in the fields of economics will share their findings on the fiscal impact of new medicines, and specialists in ethics will discuss the compassionate use of investigational new drugs.
Learning objectives: 1. To delineate the regulatory steps in drug development. 2. To understand how translational research principles can be applied to speed up the implementation of diagnostic and therapeutic interventions 3. To discuss the future trends in drug development and novel approaches for anti-cancer target discovery
Credits: 3 Offered: Spring 2
The goals of this course are to provide students with a theoretical understanding and hands- on experience in literature synthesis methods. Areas to be covered include literature searching, study selection, data extraction and synthesis. The course will provide a review of each method within an interactive computing environment. Students will have opportunities to learn how to develop an appropriate question and to use software for assignments on each topic. There will be weekly lectures plus small group sessions. Students should come to the first class prepared to propose a possible topic for systematic review or meta-analysis.
Credits: 0 Offered: Spring 2
Thesis Continuation for Clinical Research. By Permission Only.
Credits: 0 Offered: Spring 2
Matriculated students must either register for at least one credit-bearing course or register for "Maintenance of Matriculation" for every term, up until graduation. Maintenance of Matriculation allows students continued access to essential academic and student services, such as access to the ISMMS network and email; however, students on Maintenance of Matriculation status will not be eligible for financial aid. Students with compelling circumstance who wish not to maintain their matriculation status but need to discontinue their studies for a period of time can apply for a Leave of Absence from the program (see Leave of Absence and Withdrawal section). The Maintenance of Matriculation fee is $500 per academic semester or $333 per term for students in programs on trimesters
Credits: 2 Offered: Fall
This course will explore the roles and structures of medical centers, physicians, patients, insurance companies, pharmaceutical companies, device manufacturers, Medicare/Medicaid and accountable care organizations. The history and future directions of health systems will be discussed as well as legal and ethical issues and national policies and procedures such as the HIP AA and the IRB. Advantages and limitations of this system including a comparison of its quality, cost and accessibility with other systems worldwide will be explored.
Credits: 3 Offered: Fall
Designed for experienced managers in a health care or related organizations, this course is an opportunity to learn how to transform organizational knowledge into a strategic management system. We will examine the uses of external environmental analysis, organizational assessment, practical research, data collection and leadership principles as the basis for the creation of strategic management and leadership tools. We will focus on the analytical dimensions of strategic thinking and planning to ensure you are exposed to the technical and conceptual elements of strategy.
Credits: 3 Offered: Fall
The intent of this course is to train future public health practitioners on the economic and political questions that emerge in the process of developing health systems. The various sessions during the course will review core economic principles applied to the role of governments, the private sector and the competitive marketplace. The course will provide an overview of traditional microeconomic theory and practice as applied to demand, supply, competition, monopoly, and social welfare. It will drill down on topics such as role of governments, private sector, market competition, government failure and market failure. Special sessions will be devoted to topics on clinical services, non-clinical services, the health care workforce, health financing, the health related manufacturing sectors (pharmaceuticals, medical technology and information technology) and leadership/health management. Students who successfully complete this course will be able to: ‚1). Analyze the key policy and public health challenges faced by the US and other health care systems using economic principles, market analysis and health policy formulation ‚2). Design key policy recommendations to address some of the public health challenges faced by vulnerable population groups that are consistent with underlying economic principles economic principles, market analysis and health policy formulation ‚3). Apply the principles of economic evaluation to selected problems in the health sector and health industry verticals. The major course output will be guided, semester-long exercises in analyzing and developing strategic development plans from a public health professional’s perspective to guide political and economic decision making. The focus on health systems is a concrete means to understand the more general competencies involved in the application of economic analysis, which include political, financial, technical and organizational skills.
Credits: 3 Offered: Fall
Financial statements enable managers to evaluate the performance of an organization and assess its financial position. Budgets, based on forecasts, take the form of projected statements and serve as an important managerial tool for planning and control purposes. This course provides an introduction the accounting, budgeting and financial reporting techniques commonly used in the health care and not-for-profit environment. Emphasis is placed on enabling students to become comfortable with financial analysis, budgets and commonly-used financial terminology so that they can effectively address financial matters they will encounter in leadership roles in health care and not-for-profit organizations.
Credits: 2 Offered: Fall
This active workshop-styled course will showcase effective methods to measure, analyze and improve project management and process controls in health care delivery using Project Management (PM) tools and principles and their application to various health care scenarios. Students will be expected to actively participate in case studies and apply the PM tools and methods to achieve gains in effectiveness and efficiency in processes leading to greater optimization.
Credits: 2 Offered: Fall
This comprehensive course is designed to provide students with an in-depth understanding of professionalism and ethics within healthcare administration. Students will explore a wide range of topics, from foundational ethical theories to practical applications in real-world scenarios, preparing them to navigate the complexities of healthcare leadership with integrity and competence. This course prepares healthcare administration students to lead with ethical integrity, professional acumen, and cultural competence, ensuring high standards of care and administration in their careers.
Credits: 2 Offered: Fall
ONLY OPEN to students in the Masters Health Care Administration Program This intensive seminar focuses on the central elements that ensure quality throughout health care delivery systems and organizations. These elements include: 1) An examination of patient safety management 2) Quality improvement concepts and innovations 3) The clinical microsystems approach to value and quality improvement. The seminar will allow course colleagues, faculty, and prominent guest speakers to network and collaborate. There will also be another interactive session on personal leadership development.
Credits: 3 Offered: Fall
This course will enable you to probe the Public Health and Community/Population-Based Approach and address the core principles and functions of public health, including how this approach differs from acute care medicine, and how public functions are institutionalized in the US health care system. The course will focus upon arguments and evidence that the health status of populations is shaped not by medical care and health care policy but rather by basic social conditions that often correlate closely with class, race, and ethnicity. Interrelated topics include: status and stress; social isolation and community engagement; complex socio-clinical conditions (mental illness, HIV, substance abuse, homelessness); promotion of healthy behaviors; and the role of the ACA in advancing public health
Credits: 3 Offered: Fall
At a strategic level, this interactive course will enable participants to: Learn the pillars of effective communication and marketing for health care delivery systems Understand how digital tools are affecting communication and marketing across the health care sector and related industries Recognize and understand the connections between effective communication and strategic management of health care delivery Enhance communication and marketing strategies to improve branding, core functions, and heath care quality, and Define and build elements of strategic communication and marketing plans.
Credits: 0.5 Offered: Fall
This semester skills building workshops will focus on Effective Teams. These intensive short training courses will immerse students in additional skill set areas necessary to become highly functioning and effective managers. The 5 areas of training focus will complement the substantive curriculum of the program and focus on: project management methods, Excel and SAS essentials for managers, giving professional presentations, effective time management, and creating and managing functional teams (collaboration). Students will receive expert instruction on best methods/practices related to health care delivery, practice those methods in active small group settings, and share lessons learned in each of these areas. Students will be expected to actively participate in case studies and complete a project for each short course/module.
Credits: 0.5 Offered: Fall
This semester skills building workshops will focus on Effective Teams. These intensive short training courses will immerse students in additional skill set areas necessary to become highly functioning and effective managers. The 5 areas of training focus will complement the substantive curriculum of the program and focus on: project management methods, Excel and SAS essentials for managers, giving professional presentations, effective time management, and creating and managing functional teams (collaboration). Students will receive expert instruction on best methods/practices related to health care delivery, practice those methods in active small group settings, and share lessons learned in each of these areas. Students will be expected to actively participate in case studies and complete a project for each short course/module.
Credits: 0.5 Offered: Fall
This semester skills building workshops will focus on Effective Teams. These intensive short training courses will immerse students in additional skill set areas necessary to become highly functioning and effective managers. The areas of training focus will complement the substantive curriculum of the program and focus on: project management methods, Excel and SAS essentials for managers, giving professional presentations, effective time management, and creating and managing functional teams (collaboration). Students will receive expert instruction on best methods/practices related to health care delivery, practice those methods in active small group settings, and share lessons learned in each of these areas. Students will be expected to actively participate in case studies and complete a project for each short course/module.
Credits: 0.5 Offered: Fall
This course addresses the features of Microsoft’s Project application, which is specifically designed to address the needs of project managers in professional environments. This course is intended for students who have at least some prior knowledge of project management procedures and practices. It is intended to support you in applying this knowledge through the use of Microsoft Project as a project management tool. The primary course topics include: Fundamentals, New Project Schedules, Task Types, Effort-Driven Scheduling, & Task Constraints, Working with Resources, Managing the Project Schedule, Reporting
Credits: 2 Offered: Fall
Participants will have the opportunity to work on a health care improvement project addressing an important management problem faced in either their employer’s organization or in another host institution. This action learning project will enable the application and integration of Lean principles and course material into a coherent response and potential solution(s) to an actual healthcare delivery issue. These projects will form a repository of knowledge that program cohort peers can use to learn from and share. Must have 36 or more credit completed. Registration requires prior approval from the program director.
Credits: 1-3 Offered: Fall
The MHA administrative internship consists of collaboration between the student, a site supervisor/preceptor, faculty advisor and Program Director. The internship provides students the opportunity to demonstrate mastery of lessons learned in coursework and apply to an administrative fieldwork setting relevant to a student’s area of interest in health care delivery management. Not open to first trimester (new) students. Registration requires prior approval from the program director.
Credits: 3 Offered: Spring 1
ONLY OPEN to students in the MS Health Care Delivery Leadership Program For current and aspiring health care managers, this course seeks to illuminate central components of health care policy, a critically important area. The course also examines the political forces that have created the different types of public intervention that constitute current US health care policy. It explores how the government (especially the federal government) has influenced the voluntary and private institutions in the healthcare system, and how public policy intervention has built up steadily since World War II. You will gain a better understanding of the policy constraints and opportunities you confront in your work. You will gain a greater ability to position yourself and your organization to influence political dynamics and policy outcomes.
Credits: 3 Offered: Spring 1
ONLY OPEN to students in the MS Health Care Delivery Leadership Program This course is designed to increase the critical leadership competencies that are essential for the leaders of the most complex health care organizations. In order for organizations to flourish in the current environment, leaders must be aware of their own idiosyncrasies, as well as their strengths, weaknesses, values, and ways they resolve conflicts. They also must excel at building and leading teams, interdependent functions, and large scale systems. Successful leaders of tomorrow must be experts in change management, labor-management relations, and strategic organizational leadership. The Course will enhance what you have learned from experience through frameworks and models that will prepare you to understand the relationship between senior leadership and the health care organization’s attainment of competitive advantage.
Credits: 3 Offered: Spring 1
ONLY OPEN to students in the MS Health Care Delivery Leadership Program The health care field is one of the most information-intensive sectors in the US economy and avoidance of the rapid advances in information technology is no longer an option. Consequently, the study of health care information technology and systems has become central to health care delivery effectiveness. This course covers the modern application of information technology that is critical to supporting the vision and operational knowledge of health care leaders. Health care decision makers must meet head-on the dynamic challenges of health care delivery, quality, cost, access, and regulatory control. In addition, this course integrates the Healthcare Information System as integral to the Quality Assurance Tracking Programs. This includes measurement of systems inputs, processes, and outputs with special emphasis on systems outcomes research and organizational accountability to its various stakeholders, notably government regulators.
Credits: 3 Offered: Fall
ONLY OPEN to students in the MS Health Care Delivery Leadership Program
This course provides a solid foundation in the role of production and operations management in the health care industry. You will review the integration of human, economic and technological factors inaccomplishing the operations management mission and executing the related strategies. Among the many important topics are: evidence-based medicine, balanced scorecard, statistics, forecasting, simulation, capacity planning, scheduling, location analysis for clinics, process strategy involving patient flow, supply chain management, project management, and quality control management. We will also examine the role of ethics within the framework of the operations management's sub-functions.
Credits: 2 Offered: Spring 1
ONLY OPEN to students in the MS Health Care Delivery Leadership Program This course immerses you in best-in-class microsystems methods that organize front-line health care delivery to maximize quality, value, and flexibility for innovation. The Microsystem approaches provide defined processes and techniques which serve as an effective vehicle for implementing organizational change at the point of care. The course will focus on planning processes, tools and techniques that can be applied immediately in clinical settings. Several Mount Sinai and other hospital-based clinical microsystem innovations will be examined as detailed case studies.
Credits: 6 Offered: Fall
Only open to Genetic Counseling students.
Credits: 4 Offered: Fall
Only open to Genetic Counseling students.
Credits: 2 Offered: Fall
This course is only open to Master of Genetic Counseling students. This course will provide a didactic and psychosocial approach to genetic counseling. Topics to be addressed include prenatal diagnosis and reproductive, pediatric and adult genetic counseling , population screening, ethnocultural issues, impact of genetic diseases on family systems, grief and bereavement and ethical and legal issues in genetic counseling. As the course progress, professional issues related to genetic counselors will be discussed.
Credits: 2 Offered: Fall
This course is only open to Master of Genetic Counseling students. This course will provide a didactic and psychosocial approach to genetic counseling. Topics to be addressed include prenatal diagnosis and reproductive, pediatric and adult genetic counseling , population screening, ethnocultural issues, impact of genetic diseases on family systems, grief and bereavement and ethical and legal issues in genetic counseling. As the course progress, professional issues related to genetic counselors will be discussed.
Credits: 1 Offered: Fall
This course examines the relationships between various personal and social identities, worldviews, cultural context in genetics and genomics research and clinical care. Students will explore differences between biology and social constructs and develop an understanding of the utility and limitations of each. They will consider the history of medical genetics and genetic counseling and unpack what norms may contribute to inequity, both in clinical care and clinical research. Students will develop an understanding of the general views of a variety of groups as they relate to genetic counseling practice as a framework from which to build cultural humility.
Credits: 1 Offered: Fall
All Master of Science in Genetic Counseling students are required to take Journal Club in their second year. Journal Club is a discussion-based course focused on recent publications related to genetics and genetic counseling. Students will gain experience researching current articles relevant to the field, presenting article overviews and leading discussions, and participating in both written and oral scientific discussions.
Credits: 0 Offered: Fall
Maintenance of Matriculation for Genetic Counseling.
Credits: 4 Offered: Fall
MGC8301: Thesis Credit for Genetic Counseling Students. MGC Year 2 students should register for this course during the Fall term.
Credits: 2 Offered: Fall
Embryology Module of Structures Medical School Course. ONLY open to MS Genetic Counseling students
Credits: 1 Offered: Spring
The course will introduce the genetic counseling students to fundamental interviewing skills and the counseling methodologies to provide the foundation for which they will build their experience. Content from this module will be applied throughout the three semesters of Topics in Genetic Counseling.
Credits: 1 Offered: Spring
This seminar will explore the complex issues raised by human subject research. The seminar will begin with a review of some of the history of eugenics. In that light, we shall examine the policies that shape our current understanding of the ethical conduct of research and the mechanisms for research oversight that have been instituted. Through reading a broad selection of seminal articles and papers from the recent literature, we shall engage in a conceptual analysis of a number of controversial and pressing issues. We shall be discussing the moral and public policy aspects of topics such as research design, risk-benefit assessment, informed consent, research with “vulnerable” subjects, research without consent, confidentiality, inducements, conflicts of interests, disclosure of research findings, and biobank research.
Credits: 4 Offered: Spring
This course is designed to provide students an introduction to medical genetics with an emphasis on molecular genetics, pedigree analysis, population genetics, clinical genetics, cytogenetics, and biochemical genetics. Throughout the course selected hereditary disorders will be presented, and the pertinent clinical presentation, diagnostic evaluation, pathophysiology, treatment, and counseling issues for each disorder will be discussed.
Credits: 1 Offered: Spring
This course is only open to Master of Genetic Counseling students. This course has an action-oriented design that facilitates the attainment of insight into the social and psychological factors thataffect familes and patients with chronic and acute diseases. There will be direct participation along with social workers in interviews with patients and families who are in states of stress and crisis as they ask for and receive medical and psychiatric care.
Credits: 4 Offered: Spring
Only open to Genetic Counseling students. 2nd Year Genetic Counseling Students must register for this course
Credits: 4 Offered: Spring
Only open to Genetic Counseling students.
Credits: 2 Offered: Spring
This semester will continue to explore practical, didactic and psychosocial issues related to providing genetic counseling throughout the lifecycle with a specific focus on clinical pediatric and adult genetic counseling.
Credits: 1 Offered: Spring
This course covers a wide range of essential skills for a genetic counseling encounter through case vignettes and hands on activities prior to clinical internships. The intention is to give the exposure and the tools needed to successfully transition from a primarily didactic environment to a primarily clinic-based environment and apply knowledge to clinical training. Topics covered include: researching a variety of genetic conditions and indication types, developing a differential diagnosis, taking a medical and family history, coordination of genetic testing, case management, health literacy and risk communication. Upon completion of this course, students should have introductory proficiency in case preparation, communication, and case management. This course will additionally introduce concepts in cultural literacy and sensitivity.
Credits: 1 Offered: Spring
This course examines the relationships between various personal and social identities, worldviews, cultural context in genetics and genomics research and clinical care. Students will explore differences between biology and social constructs and develop an understanding of the utility and limitations of each. They will consider the history of medical genetics and genetic counseling and unpack what norms may contribute to inequity, both in clinical care and clinical research. Students will develop an understanding of the general views of a variety of groups as they relate to genetic counseling practice as a framework from which to build cultural humility.
Credits: 4 Offered: Spring
Thesis Credit for Genetic Counseling Students.
Credits: 3 Offered: Spring 1
Public health surveillance is the ongoing systematic collection, analysis, and interpretation of data to prevent and control disease. This course will introduce students to local, national and global surveillance systems, including NHANES, BRFSS, NYC Community Health Survey. Through class lectures, demonstrations and lab assignments students will link health data to public health practice. The course is a requirement for students in the Health Promotion Disease Prevention track.
Credits: 3 Offered: Spring 1
Students will learn to design an evidence-based and culturally appropriate public health program, in both US and developing country contexts. Specifically, students will gain competence in analyzing local needs and resources; developing an evidence-based and technically and programmatically sound causal pathway; articulating program objectives; designing relevant program partnerships and technical components; and designing the program's monitoring and evaluation plan, implementation plan and budget.
Pre-requisite: Completion of 1-2 terms in the Program.
Credits: 1 Offered: Spring 1
This weekly seminar focuses on current local, national, and international issues in public health and preventive medicine. Discussions center on critical review of new published literature in public health and include topics related to health policy, economic and legal issues, and the impact of these issues on the health of populations. There will be didactics on public health ethics, risk communications and preventive medicine research as well as critical review of enrolled student research or theses. On a rotating basis, each student is responsible for setting the agenda and chairing seminar discussions.
Pre-requisites: MPH0400 Introduction to Epidemiology MPH0300 Introduction to Biostatistics
Students who are not Residents in the Department of Preventive Medicine must receive permission from Course Director prior to enrolling in this course.
Credits: 1 Offered: Spring 1
This seminar is designed for second year students who will be completing a capstone for their Culminating Experience. These words are more than a paper - They are major independent projects that requires you to design, implement, and present professional work of public health significance. This course will help you design your Culminating Experience, start writing your works, and give and receive feedback from peers. The course is heavily interactive. We will work with materials provided primarily by the students. By the end of the term, you should be ready to complete your Culminating Experience. Pre-requisites: MPH0320 Research Methods or MPH0720 Preparation for Global Health Fieldwork Students must have their Culminating Experience Statement of Support and Project Outline submitted to the Program Office before registering for this course.
Credits: 3 Offered: Spring 1
Health promotion involves the therapeutic use of lifestyle strategies, such as a predominantly whole food, plant-based diet, exercise, stress management, tobacco and alcohol cessation, and other non-drug modalities to prevent, treat, and reverse chronic disease. It is the practice of educating, equipping, and empowering individuals with the information and resources they need to protect their health and fight disease. This course offers the knowledge and skills recommended by a national panel of representatives from physician and health professional organizations as the basis for providing quality health promotion in lifestyle medicine services. Topics covered include the fifteen core competencies identified by the panel which focus on clinical processes, as well as a review of key modalities: nutrition, physical activity, sleep, coaching behavior change, tobacco cessation, managing risky alcohol use, and stress management/emotional wellness. The course provides basic grounding in the field of health promotion (HP) and in lifestyle medicine (LM), and focuses on practical skills for public health practitioners.
Pre-requisite: MPH0002 Public Health Surveillance
Credits: 3 Offered: Spring 1
For students who matriculated in or after Fall 2017 The Applied Practice Experience provides the student with an opportunity to translate theory into practice within a public health setting. The Applied Practice Experience Proposal must be submitted to the Office of Public Health Practice for approval prior to the beginning the experience. Students who matriculated in the Fall 2017 term or later will register for MPH0092 to satisfy the fieldwork requirement. Pre-requisites: Applied Practice Experience Proposal ‚Students should complete at least 15 credits of MPH coursework before starting the Practicum.
Credits: 1-3 Offered: Spring 1
An Independent Study is an elective option, providing the student with an opportunity to delve more thoroughly into an area of public health of specific interest to him/her. An Independent Study Proposal should be submitted at least six weeks prior to the anticipated start of the proposed project/course of study. This is to ensure that the goals meet the overall objectives of the Master of Public Health Program before a student commits any time and energy. Approval, when granted, is conditional upon the student completing all of the outlined requirements. The student must submit a Postscript Report and request that the faculty sponsoring the Independent Study complete the Evaluation Form. Final credits are awarded at the end of the project by approval of the Program Director. Three credits are the maximum number of credits that may be awarded to any Independent Study. One credit represents approximately 45 hours of work. Please note that students will not receive any more than three credits for one project/course of study. Each student may complete no more than two independent study projects. An Independent Study must be a unique experience. Material covered during an independent study project should be highly targeted and not simply a review of the regularly offered coursework. Independent study projects should not be attempts to take MPH courses that are offered routinely during the academic year. Students should not expect an Independent Study project to exempt them from required courses without approval by the Specialty Track Advisor and the Program Director. Please see the Student Handbook for the full policy and procedures associated with the Independent Study option.
Credits: 3 Offered: Spring 1
Students who are completing a First Author Manuscript or Capstone should register for MPH0097 Culminating Experience (students who are completing a Master’s Thesis should register for MPH0099 only). Students register for their Culminating Experience in their last term before degree conferral, while preparing to submit their First Author Manuscript or Capstone. Please refer to the MPH Culminating Experience Guide as a resource for the steps that need to be taken to fulfill the Culminating Experience requirement.
Credits: 3 Offered: Spring 1
Students who are completing a Master’s Thesis should register for MPH 0099 in their last term before degree conferral, while preparing to submit their Thesis. Please refer to the MPH Culminating Experience Guide as a resource for the steps that need to be taken to fulfill the Culminating Experience requirement.
Credits: 3 Offered: Spring 1
This course is an introduction to understanding; the competencies, roles and responsibilities of public health and health managers; health organizations, which are complex and changing in response to community needs and to changing environments; the skills required to establish and maintain organizational culture and organizational change; and talent and team management. Through readings, class discussion and the analysis of case studies, students, will have an opportunity to explore and identify key management and leadership challenges impacting public health and health; formulate and evaluate alternative solutions to problems; learn verbally and in writing to present analysis of managerial plans and proposals. The course will emphasize skill development in the management of mission, strategy, operations and the business aspects of health organizations.
Credits: 3 Offered: Spring 1
Human resource management in health organizations and the relationship between HR, organizational strategy, and organizational behavior is the focus of this course. We will analyze human work behavior at the individual, interpersonal, team and organizational levels. Included are topics such as motivation, communication, group and team dynamics, leadership, decision-making, job and organization design, conflict management, organizational culture and identity, and organizational change. We will apply organizational behavior theory and explore the factors that affect behavior, performance, and job satisfaction of people working in organizations. The objectives of the course will be to understand the characteristics and processes of work organizations; to successfully develop management skills; to apply the skills of management and impact organizational behavior and performance.
Credits: 3 Offered: Spring 1
The intent of this course is to train future public health practitioners on the economic and political questions that emerge in the process of developing health systems. The various sessions during the course will review core economic principles applied to the role of governments, the private sector and the competitive marketplace. The course will provide an overview of traditional microeconomic theory and practice as applied to demand, supply, competition, monopoly, and social welfare. It will drill down on topics such as role of governments, private sector, market competition, government failure and market failure. Special sessions will be devoted to topics on clinical services, non-clinical services, the health care workforce, health financing, the health related manufacturing sectors (pharmaceuticals, medical technology and information technology) and leadership/health management. Special attention will be paid to the implication of the Covid 19 crisis for the economic function and performance of health care system and its major components. The major course output will be guided, semester-long exercises in analyzing and developing strategic development plans from a public health professional’s perspective to guide political and economic decision making. The focus on health systems is a concrete means to understand the more general competencies involved in the application of economic analysis, which include political, financial, technical and organizational skills. The course will link to the ongoing health care reform debate to help participants understand the underlying economic issues raised by the reforms.
Credits: 2 Offered: Spring 1
According to Healthy People 2020, “Acts of violence are among the top 15 killers of Americans of all ages.” Once thought of solely as a criminal justice issue, violence prevention and intervention have been embraced as a major public health issue. The television drama, Law and Order: Special Victims Unit (SVU), claims to be “fictional” and states that their show “does not depict any actual person or event.” Yet many episodes strongly resemble real-life situations “ripped from the headlines,” with a few added twists and turns to enhance the plot! Students will view SVU episodes and read peer reviewed articles to guide interactive discussions on the impact of violence over the course of the lifespan on health and wellbeing. Insights from this course will drive more thoughtful and informed practice when working with this important leading health indicator.
Credits: 2 Offered: Spring 1
Substance abuse is epidemic across NYC and the country. Approximately 20.6 million people ages 12 and over struggle with substance abuse or addiction. Substance abuse is a public health crisis and touches the lives of children, adolescents, and adults across all racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds. The course will explore the intersection of Substance Abuse and Public Health. Topics include substance abuse and mental illness, tobacco control, the epidemic of substance abuse in NYC, marijuana and teens, decriminalizing drug use, overdose in the ER, binge drinking on college campuses, environmental and genetic risk factors for opioid addiction, as well as other topics. This problem-based course will be seminar style with experts as well as an emphasis on exposure to recovering addicts coupled with evidence-based practice, policy, and research. Students may attend an AA or NA meeting. At the end of the course, they will present on a controversial area of addiction. Students who successfully complete this course will be able to: Assess the social, cultural, political, economic, and environmental factors that promote or prevent substance abuse in an individual or community. Design an intervention or program to prevent or manage substance abuse on a population level. Identify the behavioral and neurobiological effects of substance abuse
Credits: 3 Offered: Spring 1
Following a brief survey of the 3000 year history of insurance, the course will focus on health insurance and reform in this country before examining the variety of techniques used by managed care organizations and various national health systems to balance health expenditures, access and quality of healthcare. Through weekly Socratic-type discussions about contemporary healthcare controversies, the course will help develop students’ critical thinking about health policy alternatives and managerial decision-making. Feedback on short weekly essays, student presentations, and a final essay will help students improve their written and presentation skills.
Credits: 3 Offered: Spring 1
Qualitative research involves the collection and rigorous analysis of observations, interviews, and other records of human activity so that we can come to a richer understanding of structures, processes, and perspectives that drive or shape human behavior, particularly when it comes to health. This course is designed to introduce students to qualitative research methods and will use a combination of didactic, interactive, and applied techniques to teach knowledge and skills relevant to qualitative research. The course emphasizes practical skills of qualitative research design, data collection (i.e., interviewing, focus group facilitation) and data analysis. By the end of the course students will develop skills in how to formulate appropriate qualitative research questions, determine which qualitative data collection method is most appropriate, collect qualitative data using interviews and focus group discussions, and analyze qualitative data. Students will be exposed to different styles of presenting qualitative research results and will consider different ways in which qualitative data is used in practice.
Credits: 3 Offered: Spring 1
Epidemiology is the study of the distribution and determinants of health-related states and events in specified populations, and the application of this knowledge to control health problems. This course will introduce students to concepts that guide the design and analysis of various epidemiologic study designs, including counterfactuals, confounding, effect measure modification, measurement error and bias, as well as practical considerations. In parallel with lectures and assigned readings, lab sessions will guide students through applications of these concepts, including constructing causal diagrams and using SAS software for epidemiologic analysis. Pre-requisites: MPH0400 Introduction to Epidemiology MPH0300 Introduction to Biostatistics Basic SAS proficiency
Credits: 3 Offered: Spring 1
R is an open-source language widely used by epidemiologists to manage and clean data, carry out statistical analyses of epidemiologic data, and produce high-quality figures for research communications. This course will give students a solid foundation in the most important tools for performing epidemiology data analyses using R. Students will learn how to import data into R, merge datasets, clean and transform variables, visualize, and model population data. Emphasis will be given to modeling approaches for association estimates calculation such as beta coefficients, relative risks, and odds ratios using R. Students will be given hands-on training during class and work on an epidemiologic project using R. Prior programming experience is helpful but not necessary.
Credits: 3 Offered: Spring 1
Mental health is a critical component for high quality of life. Poor mental health is in and of itself aversive, and can lead to poor physical health and in some cases even death. The purpose of this course is to develop understanding modern conceptualizations of mental health on a population level. This will be accomplished by: studying mental health within the context of its historical perspectives, providing foundational learning on the major classifications of mental health disorders and their impact on society, and providing insights into what is, and what factors lead to, “good” or positive mental health. Pre-requisites: MPH 0400 Introduction to Epidemiology
Credits: 3 Offered: Spring 1
This course focuses on the fundamentals of epidemiological methods specific to environmental and occupational health research. The course will provide students with an insight to appropriate study designs and methodologies to investigate health effects of environmental and occupational exposures in different settings. These include essential concepts involved in generating research hypotheses, as well as environmental and occupational health specific issues such as use of exposure biomarkers, exposure sampling and modeling of exposures, study design issues, confounding and other types of bias, and phenotyping issues as they relate to environmental and occupational factors. We will also review novel data analytic strategies unique to environmental and occupational health (e.g. exposure mixtures), the nascent field of exposomics, and the interpretation of the study findings and public health implications for environmental and occupational epidemiological research. The students will also learn the techniques for critical appraisal of environmental and occupational epidemiological studies. These are achieved through lectures with in-depth discussion of current research status on environmental and occupational epidemiology, readings, homework assignments, mid-term exam, hands-on statistical analysis workshops, and a final project.
Credits: 3 Offered: Spring 1
This course provides an overview of important topics in environmental and occupational health. The classroom sessions will focus on the health effects of exposures arising from air, water, food, work, built environment, and climate change. Case studies, current events, and relevant public health data tools will be emphasized. Small group sessions will allow students to explore and interpret environmental health data and discuss this data in context of common environmental public health case studies. Applicable principles of risk communication, toxicology, environmental epidemiology, and preventive medicine, as well as fundamentals of occupational and environmental laws and regulation will be discussed. The course provides basic underpinnings of the theory and practice of environmental health, and provides a structural framework for thinking about the field as a public health discipline.
Credits: 3 Offered: Spring 1
The Racism and Public Health in the United States Course will provide an introduction to the history of racism in the United States and its impact on social determinants of health. The Course aims to provide a contextual framework for examining structural racism as one of the root causes of health disparities. The Course will provide an overview of how social determinants of health not only impact an individual's health outcomes but also have an impact on future generations. This Course will highlight long-standing racism and racist policies in the United States that have adversely impacted BIPOC communities. The Course will introduce students to the concepts of racism in healthcare, structural racism, individual racism, and interpersonal racism. The Course content will discuss how public health policies, their implementation, budget and funding, impact the social determinants of health. By examining the ways that social determinants of health are being conceptualized by epidemiologic and social science tools, such as fundamental cause theory, structural violence, intersectionality and capabilities frameworks, students will explore ways to operationalize these understandings into their public health research and program intervention strategies. The goal will be to shift the conversation from race to racism as the root cause of health inequities in the Black population. This Course will be conducted via a series of didactics, case discussions, guest lectures and group discussions as well as a round table conference of experts in the field. The students will also be encouraged to participate in a survey to discern their understanding of the subject matter. Students may be required to participate in focus groups to ensure that the Course is being conducted in a respectful environment which is fostering learning and growth.
Credits: 3 Offered: Spring 1
This is an upper level global health course informed by the course director’s experience as advisor to the Director-General of the World Health Organization. This course will explore current public health and humanitarian crises and address the tensions between aid practitioners and academics, between countries and international agencies, health and human rights using historical and current case studies of outbreaks, armed conflict, natural disaster, and climate change. Students will develop critical thinking and hone written communication skills such as opinion pieces in order to inform and engage in public debate. How should international relief efforts respond to modern humanitarian emergencies that have become chronic, expensive, political and unpopular with governments increasingly focused on populism? In armed conflicts, how do officials delivering humanitarian aid ensure that assistance does not provide subsistence to warring factions? For the COVID-19 pandemic, are public-health officials striking the right balance in the global South between a reliance on technical innovations and the need to develop basic health care? This course will examine issues including the politicization of international response and the role of the World Health Organization and United Nations agencies and other international organizations.
Credits: 3 Offered: Spring 1
Regression analysis is a widely used set of methods for exploring the relationships between response variables and one or more explanatory variables. This course provides an introduction to regression methods for a single continuous response variable. Both linear and curvilinear regression models are considered. Model assumptions, and regression diagnostics for assessing those assumptions, are explored in detail. Strategies for model selection are presented. The emphasis is on concepts and application rather than on underlying theory. As mathematical results are presented without proof, students are not required to be proficient in calculus or matrix algebra. Pre-requisites: MPH0300 Introduction to Biostatistics
Credits: 2 Offered: Spring 1
This course provides students with the skills needed to utilize SAS systems for data management in order to prepare datasets for statistical analysis. In addition, procedures that are used to conduct basic statistical analyses and produce graphical output will be covered. Students will be given hands-on training using sample data provided by the instructor as well as (optionally) data from their own work. Recommended Pre-requisite: MPH0300 Introduction to Biostatistics
Credits: 3 Offered: Spring 1
Climate change is not a single problem, but a lens through which to view myriad changes to our environment that will determine the future for humans on this planet. Changes to biodiversity, hydrological systems, land use, waste management, energy production, distribution of environmental toxicants; these and more are all part of the larger category of global environmental change. This course will focus on how global environmental change is affecting human health, presenting major challenges to physicians, scientists, institutions, governments and communities. There are solutions, and public health messengers must be informed to bring those solutions to the decision-makers in our neighborhoods and around the world.
Credits: 0 Offered: Spring 1
Matriculated students must either register for at least one credit-bearing course or register for "Maintenance of Matriculation" for every term, up until graduation. Maintenance of Matriculation allows students continued access to essential academic and student services, such as access to the ISMMS network and email; however, students on Maintenance of Matriculation status will not be eligible for financial aid. Students with compelling circumstance who wish not to maintain their matriculation status but need to discontinue their studies for a period of time can apply for a Leave of Absence from the program (see Leave of Absence and Withdrawal section). The Maintenance of Matriculation fee is $500 per academic semester or $333 per term for students in programs on trimesters
Credits: 1 Offered: Fall
This introductory course will provide a broad overview of public health. We cover fundamental public health concepts to guide your studies and careers. A principal goal of the course is to give students an understanding of the function of public health as a powerful set of tools to improve the health and achievement of populations. Guest speakers include a diverse array of professionals from various disciplines to provide students with a sense of the breadth and depth of public health as well as a sense of the extraordinary range of career opportunities that exist in this dynamic field.
Credits: 2 Offered: Fall
This course builds on the fundamental aspects of clinical prevention and the United States Preventive Services Task Force Guidelines. Designed for the healthcare professional, the course will include discussions about new evidence-based approaches that guide clinicians regarding the appropriateness and utility of new preventive services, screening tests, guidance for counseling patients, and an examination of current interventions at the community level, in addition to current controversies and research in the prevention field.
Open to medical students, trainees and other health professionals. Please request permission from Course Director prior to enrolling in this course
Credits: 3 Offered: Fall
Justice is a major concern in theoretical ethics and political philosophy and a huge literature is devoted to trying to explain just what it entails. In this course our aim will be to examine a broad spectrum of issues in medicine, medical research, and public health that raise questions about justice. In light of these critical examples, we shall review and critique an array of philosophical views on justice. Throughout the seminar we shall be engaged in two activities: (1) using clinical dilemmas and health policies as touchstones for developing a clear understanding of justice, and (2) developing an understanding of how theories of justice apply in different public health and medical contexts. By going from practice to theory and from theory back again to practice we shall advance our understanding of the theoretical literature as well as the requirements of justice in public health, medicine and other areas of the social world. This course will begin with an examination of the allocation of medical resources that raise questions about justice. It will then move on to examine contemporary work on justice and review of some theoretical work by authors who focus their attention on justice in medicine (e.g., Norman Daniels and Paul Menzel). As the seminar progresses, we shall develop an understanding of how the U.S. happens to have developed the mechanisms that we now have for the delivery of health care. We shall examine how medical resources are actually distributed here, elsewhere, and globally, and in various contexts. We shall consider ways in which those allocations do and do not express justice. We shall also explore some of the problems that become apparent when you attend to the special needs of social groups (e.g., the poor, children, women, the elderly, African-Americans) and examine dilemmas and conflicts that are raised by issues such as the treatment of premature and compromised neonates and resource allocations during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Credits: 3 Offered: Fall
This course will apply fundamental concepts in public health practice to develop strategic plans for students' chosen topics. Students will develop project, program or policy interventions that are likely to succeed.
Key themes include engagement of populations, partnerships among stakeholders and sustainability. We emphasize evidence-based design: use what works, avoid what doesn't (and adapt when necessary). We will pair theory with practice in coupling seminar-style lectures with guest speakers representing expertise in various fields: community-based organizations (CBOs), foundations, government agencies and more.
Students in this course are expected to develop their own strategic plans. Although students are not expected to execute their projects during this course, they should have viable plans that predict success.
Pre-requisite: Completion of 1-2 terms in the Program.
Credits: 3 Offered: Fall
Students will learn to design an evidence-based and culturally appropriate public health program, in both US and developing country contexts. Specifically, students will gain competence in analyzing local needs and resources; developing an evidence-based and technically and programmatically sound causal pathway; articulating program objectives; designing relevant program partnerships and technical components; and designing the program’s monitoring and evaluation plan, implementation plan and budget. Prerequisite: Completion of 1-2 terms in the Program.
Credits: 3 Offered: Fall
This course focuses on how mathematical models can be used to help inform public health decisions. Over the course of the semester, we will examine how the SAR-CoV-2 spread around the world. We will also explore what happened in the US, how our current disease monitoring structure is set up, and how it shapes our policies and decisions making on the local, state and federal in US. This is will be done with a goal of developing a mathematical model to make inference in high uncertainty situations. Prerequisite: MPH 0300 Introduction to Biostatistics
Credits: 1 Offered: Fall
This weekly seminar focuses on current local, national, and international issues in public health and preventive medicine. Discussions center on critical review of new published literature in public health and include topics related to health policy, economic and legal issues, and the impact of these issues on the health of populations. There will be didactics on public health ethics, risk communications and preventive medicine research as well as critical review of enrolled student research or theses. On a rotating basis, each student is responsible for setting the agenda and chairing seminar discussions. Pre-requisites: MPH0400 Introduction to Epidemiology MPH0300 Introduction to Biostatistics Students who are not Residents in the Department of Preventive Medicine must receive permission from Course Director prior to enrolling in this course.
Credits: 1 Offered: Fall
Students must have their Culminating Experience Statement of Support and Project Outline submitted to the Program Office before starting this course. This seminar is designed for second year students who will be completing a Culminating Experience (thesis, manuscript or capstone). These words are more than a paper - They are major independent projects that requires you to design, implement, and present professional work of public health significance. This course will help you design your Culminating Experience, start writing, and give and receive feedback from peers. The course is heavily interactive. We will work with materials provided primarily by the students. By the end of the term, you should be ready to complete your Culminating Experience. Pre-requisites: MPH0320 Research Methods
Credits: 1 Offered: Fall
The training explores key concepts and principles of public health leadership, team work, and professionalism, including but not limited to effective communication, working effectively in interprofessionals teams, cultural competency, problem solving, negotiation and mediation skills. The purpose of the training is to practice the skills necessary to be effective leaders and advocate for public health solutions to complex problems in varying organizations and settings.
Credits: 3 Offered: Fall
The Applied Practice Experience provides an MPH student with an opportunity to translate theory into practice within a public health setting. The Applied Practice Experience Proposal must be submitted to the Office of Public Health Practice for approval prior to the beginning the experience. Prerequisites: 1). Applied Practice Experience Proposal, 2). Students should complete at least 15 credits of MPH coursework before starting the Applied Practice Experience
Credits: 1-3 Offered: Fall
An Independent Study is an elective option, providing the student with an opportunity to delve more thoroughly into an area of public health of specific interest to him/her. An Independent Study Proposal should be submitted at least six weeks prior to the anticipated start of the proposed project/course of study. This is to ensure that the goals meet the overall objectives of the Master of Public Health Program before a student commits any time and energy. Approval, when granted, is conditional upon the student completing all of the outlined requirements. The student must submit a Postscript Report and request that the faculty sponsoring the Independent Study complete the Evaluation Form. Final credits are awarded at the end of the project by approval of the Program Director. Three credits are the maximum number of credits that may be awarded to any Independent Study. One credit represents approximately 45 hours of work. Please note that students will not receive any more than three credits for one project/course of study. Each student may complete no more than two independent study projects. An Independent Study must be a unique experience. Material covered during an independent study project should be highly targeted and not simply a review of the regularly offered coursework. Independent study projects should not be attempts to take MPH courses that are offered routinely during the academic year. Students should not expect an Independent Study project to exempt them from required courses without approval by the Specialty Track Advisor and the Program Director. Please see the Student Handbook for the full policy and procedures associated with the Independent Study option.
Credits: 3 Offered: Fall
The Culminating Experience provides the student with an opportunity to synthesize, integrate and apply the skills and competencies they have acquired to a public health problem. Students may choose to complete a Thesis, First Author Manuscript or Capstone to satisfy the Culminating Experience. Students who are completing a First Author Manuscript or Capstone should register for MPH0097 Culminating Experience (students who are completing a Master's Thesis should register for MPH0099 only).
Please refer to the MPH or MS in Epidemiology Culminating Experience Guide as a resource for the steps that need to be taken to fulfill the Culminating Experience requirement.
Credits: 0 Offered: Fall
Students who have previously registered for the required credits for the MPH Culminating Experience, and who are approved by the Program to complete the MPH Culminating Experience in a full time manner in a term of their attendance at ISMMS may register for 0 credits of MPH 0098 Project Continuation. Registration is granted to students upon review of academic progress and approval by the Graduate Program in Public Health.
Please refer to the MPH Culminating Experience Guide as a resource for the steps that need to be taken to fulfill the Culminating Experience requirement.
Credits: 3 Offered: Fall
Students who are completing a Master’s Thesis should register for MPH 0099 in their last term before degree conferral, while preparing to submit their Thesis. Please refer to the MPH Culminating Experience Guide as a resource for the steps that need to be taken to fulfill the Culminating Experience requirement.
Credits: 3 Offered: Fall
The recent introduction of the Affordable Health Care Act and further proposed reforms under the American Health Care Act has had and will continue to have a major impact on the delivery of healthcare in the USA. The course will review major trends in health care in the US and use a comparative health systems approach to explore reform options based on what has worked well and not so well in both the USA and other OECD countries like the UK, France Germany, Canada, and Australia. The course will explore each country’s geography and culture, the history of its health system, followed by a detailed analysis of evaluation of cost, quality, access and innovation. The courses is designed to be accessible by students of health administration, public health, nursing and other allied health professions. A major course output will be a guided, semester-long exercises in analyzing a health system. Students select a term project for expanding coverage for poor and vulnerable populations in a sample country of their choice. The course will use a health systems approach to strengthen more general competencies in the application of systems analysis, using political, financial, technical and organizational skills. The course will be particularly useful for students that may want to transition to a high level policy career or executive leadership and management role within health system.
Credits: 1 Offered: Fall
This course is will assist students in designing and implementing their capstone project. Students will examine the formulation and implementation of business strategies in health organizations, models of strategic management and change, and the role of stakeholders in the strategic management process. They will also review specific analytical tools used in strategy formulation and presentation. Prerequisite: Completion of first year in the Health Care Management track. This course is limited to students entering their second year in the Health Care Management track.
Credits: 3 Offered: Fall
This core course provides an overview of the social and behavioral sciences and their importance in the interdisciplinary field of public health. A primary emphasis is on the social determinants of health, the social ecological model, its application to public health issues, and its use in the development of policies, strategies, interventions and programs. The course content will introduce students to several relevant social and behavioral theories as well as a range of community health assessment and planning models used by public health professionals in both domestic and international venues. In addition, some lectures will focus on social networks, social support and community capacity building. Finally, a few lectures are reserved to provide students with insight into public health policy and health outcomes. Through a series of assignments, students will enhance their knowledge and awareness of the role of social and behavioral sciences in public health and its relevance to their specific discipline.
Credits: 2 Offered: Fall
Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) of women are integral to their overall health and wellbeing. According to the United Nations Population Fund (2021),”a woman who has control over her body is more likely to be empowered in other spheres of her life. A woman - or adolescent girl‚ - with little bodily autonomy is less likely to have control over her home life, her health and her future, and less likely to enjoy her rights.” Multiple theoretical frameworks will be presented to explore pertinent SRHR issues including body autonomy, gender identity and gender roles, LGBTQ health, women and Covid-19, gender-based violence and abortion. Special emphasis will be placed on discussing the impact of poverty, ethnicity, class and institutional racism experienced by many marginalized populations which may deprive them from seeking and obtaining adequate health information, access to quality health services and free to fully participate in the expression of their sexuality
This core course provides an overview of the social and behavioral sciences and their importance in the interdisciplinary field of public health. The course content will introduce students to several relevant social and behavioral theories of health, their application to public health issues, and their use in the development of policies, strategies, interventions and programs. Students will also learn how social hierarchies and disparities based on class, race/ethnicity, and gender intersect and influence the health and well-being of individuals and populations. In addition, some lectures will focus on social networks, social support and community capacity building. Through a series of assignments, students will enhance their knowledge and awareness of the role of social and behavioral sciences in public health and its relevance to their specific discipline.
Credits: 1 Offered: Fall
This course provides an overview of the linkage between health equity efforts and health literacy and communication. The course content will focus on the social determinants of health and how municipal, state, and federal policies influence downstream health. The course will familiarize GPM residents with NYC and East Harlem structural features and the community-based organizations that promote resilience. Students will appraise the role of health literacy in conveying health risk and participate in a workshop to create patient facing materials. In addition, some lectures will focus on incorporating community voices and different ways in addressing racism through clinical care. As part of the curriculum, residents will collaborate with the Mount Sinai Department of Health Education's Public Health and Racial Justice Program, an innovative education and empowerment program for youth of color aged 16-24 years. GPM residents will lead small group discussions with youth participants on training and careers in public health.
Credits: 3 Offered: Fall
This course provides an introduction to the principles underlying biostatistical methods and their application to problems in epidemiology, public health and clinical research. Students will learn about basic probability distributions, descriptive statistics, presentation of data, hypothesis testing principles, and the specific hypothesis tests and analytic methods for a variety of data types. These analytic methods will include t tests, chi-square tests, nonparametric tests, correlation, regression, and basic survival analysis methods. Students will have the opportunity to apply these methods to sample data both via direct calculation and using SAS statistical software. Each week, a one-hour laboratory session will reinforce material from lecture with additional examples and instruction in use of the SAS software. Methods for determining sample size and power for a variety of commonly used study designs will also be presented, as will measures of the accuracy of diagnostic and screening tests.
Credits: 3 Offered: Fall
This is the online version of MPH 0300 Introduction to Biostatistics. This course is most appropriate for students with strong quantitative skills, those who are independent learners, and those who have previously taken a statistics course. No prior knowledge about statistics is assumed, however, and the online option is open to all.
This course provides an introduction to the principles underlying biostatistical methods and their application to problems in epidemiology, public health and clinical research. Students will learn about basic probability distributions, descriptive statistics, presentation of data, hypothesis testing principles, and the specific hypothesis tests and analytic methods for a variety of data types. These analytic methods will include t tests, chi-square tests, nonparametric tests, correlation, regression, and basic survival analysis methods. Students will have the opportunity to apply these methods to sample data both via direct calculation and using SAS® statistical software. Each week, a one-hour laboratory session will reinforce material from lecture with additional examples and instruction in use of the SAS® software. Methods for determining sample size and power for a variety of commonly used study designs will also be presented, as will measures of the accuracy of diagnostic and screening tests.
Credits: 3 Offered: Fall
This course meets on both Tuesdays and Thursdays. This introductory course focuses on the fundamental concepts of epidemiology and its application to the field of public health. The course will provide students with an insight to epidemiologic methods and how they can be used to study health outcomes in human populations. Students will learn the elements of epidemiology, such as causation, study design, measures of effect, and potential biases. Practical and theoretical training will include lectures, small group discussions, and readings.
Credits: 1 Offered: Fall
This intermediate level Journal Club builds upon the Introductory Journal Club, training students in the presentation of articles relevant to the public health specialties of environmental, occupational and preventive medicine. Each student will be assigned a week to be responsible for selecting and presenting an article relevant to their area of specialization. The student may decide to invite a Mount Sinai faculty expert in the particular topic to provide additional commentary on the article. Prior to class, all students are required to read the article and complete a short critique form. All students are expected to participate in class discussions. Pre-requisites: MPH0400 Introduction to Epidemiology MPH0300 Introduction to Biostatistics Students must be currently licensed health professionals, however if they are not currently licensed they must obtain the approval of the Course Director to enroll. The Club meets once a month for the academic year. This course is graded on a Pass/Fail basis.
Credits: 3 Offered: Fall
The course will cover substantive and methodological issues in the epidemiology of chronic diseases, including cancer, chronic respiratory diseases, neurodegenerative diseases, and aging. Students will be presented with examples of descriptive and analytical epidemiology studies in each of these areas; aspects such as disease registration and its contribution to epidemiology research, estimates of attributable fractions, and preventive strategies will be also addressed. The course will complement the series of methodological courses offered within the epidemiology track, by providing a framework to incorporate research in chronic disease etiology and control.
Pre-requisite: MPH 0400 Introduction to Epidemiology, Pre-requisite/co-requisite: MPH0412 Epidemiology II
Credits: 2 Offered: Fall
This course is designed for second year MPH students in the Epidemiology track to provide direction and support for the development of their research proposal in preparation for the submission of the capstone project. To participate in this course, students must have identified a capstone advisor and a general area for their capstone project. Class activities will include: student-directed discussions of peer-reviewed journal articles in their capstone-related area of interest; presentations by MPH program graduates on his or her experience completing the capstone process; and student-prepared presentations of their capstone research proposal. Discussions about how to lead a productive journal club, issues related to preparing a good research proposal, and how to prepare effective PowerPoint presentations and other data-reporting formats will be part of the course experience. Outside readings will be assigned as appropriate for the in-class discussions/presentations. This course meets in the Fall and Spring I term. Fall registration only. Prerequisite: This course is restricted to second-year students in the Epidemiology Track.
Credits: 3 Offered: Fall
The course will cover substantive and methodological issues in the epidemiology of cancer. Students will be presented with examples of descriptive and analytical epidemiology studies of the main types of cancer; aspects such as cancer registration and its contribution to epidemiology research, estimates of attributable fractions, the global burden of cancer, and preventive strategies will be also addressed. The course will complement the series of methodological courses offered within the epidemiology track, by providing an introduction to research in cancer epidemiology and control.
Pre-requisite: MPH 0400 Introduction to Epidemiology
Pre-requisite/co-requisite: MPH0412 Epidemiology II
Credits: 3 Offered: Fall
Humans come into contact with chemicals every day. The computer on which you’re reading this contains phthalates and brominated flame retardants - chemicals associated with endocrine disruption that are potentially carcinogenic. The fruits and vegetables we consume hold residual pesticides. Does this make them dangerous? How do public health professionals determine risk and how to best manage risk? Further, how do public health professionals communicate these risks in an evidence-based way to not falsely reassure or unnecessarily alarm people? This course introduces the major concepts in environmental exposure assessment and risk assessment - key topics for public health practitioners. Students will learn how common environmental exposures at home and in the workplace are identified and measured in different media (air, water, soil, consumer products) and how those data are used to characterize and quantify risk. The course will also cover basic risk management and communication, as well as strategies of effective risk communication with various stakeholders. The course will have traditional lectures, coupled with class discussions and activities to enhance learning of the topic and build practical skills for public health practice. Public health practitioners will be invited as guest lecturers to discuss how they conduct exposure assessments and/or risk assessments in their work as public health professionals. Students will complete several short assignments that integrate topics discussed in class through hands-on learning and online resources. The course will also include a final exam.
Credits: 3 Offered: Fall
Environmental and occupational exposures known to cause human disease are examined from the public health framework of exposures and etiology, clinical diagnosis, and prevention. Regulatory and other approaches to prevent and reduce exposure will be discussed. Important public health and policy implications of workplace and environmental exposures will be examined. This course can fulfill the MPH 0500 Introduction to Environmental Health course requirement. The course is targeted toward those training or working in health care, and is limited to residents, physicians and medical students, except with the permission of the Course Director.
Credits: 1 Offered: Fall
This course provides an introduction to the major concepts and principles of global public health with particular emphasis on neglected populations. The course provides students with an understanding of the principles of health within the context of development, human rights, and globalization, and provides an appreciation of the pertinent challenges and controversies. Students will learn about the establishment of global health priorities, develop an appreciation for issues related to underserved populations, and learn about the major players in the global arena, including the challenges of financing. The course decolonizes global health education by rethinking institutional global public health partnerships and approaches. A multidisciplinary approach is used to discuss the major determinants of health and disease with particular emphasis on the relationship between health and socioeconomic development. Students will meet some experts in the field and are encouraged to engage in discussions of the most current and important global public health topics. By the end of the course, students will have been introduced to the most important players, challenges and variables of global health and their interactions. They will be prepared to advance to more specific and in-depth courses of the Global Health Track.
Credits: 3 Offered: Fall
“There is no health without mental health.” While millions of people struggle with mental disorders, sufferers in resource-limited areas receive little or no treatment. This course will describe how to strategically approach global mental health planning and implementation for scaling up mental health services within a public health framework. It will rely on a model known as the Wheel of Global Mental Health, which encompasses seven interdependent elements that together encompass the goals, resources, and dynamics integral to scaling up. Questions raised by the COVID-19 pandemic can also be expected to shape this year’s course.
Credits: 3 Offered: Fall
Human rights abuses are pervasive and have both obvious and subtle health consequences. They also need to be understood from different angles: how they affect individual health (including psychological health) as well as population and community health; how human rights abuses involve ethical, scientific, political, social, and cultural considerations; and how the field of public health can address human rights abuses in multiple ways, including advocacy and testimony, influencing health-related practices, education, documentation and accumulation of data. This course is designed to raise students' awareness of human rights abuses and their effects on health; to describe how human rights abuses adversely impact health; to introduce the epidemiology of human rights abuses; and to consider how disciplines within Public Health can address (and sometimes participate in) human rights abuses. The course covers the ethical and political foundations of Human Rights, how we know human rights abuses are occurring (especially the epidemiology of human rights abuses), and specific health ramifications of pandemics, torture, forced migration and disparities. In addition, public health implications of human rights abuses will be discussed around special topics: pandemic response, children, gender, human rights law, and the role of health care providers in human rights abuses (from overt examples of participation in torture and genocide to more complex realms where public health imperatives may conflict with human rights, as with some forms of public health surveillance).
Credits: 3 Offered: Fall
This course provides an introduction to probability models emphasizing applications in medicine and biology. In addition to presenting basic probability theory and models, a variety of topics important in statistics will be covered, including: random variables; discrete and continuous probability distributions; conditional probability, joint probability, expectation and variance; independence; sampling distributions, combinatorics, and permutations.
Credits: 2 Offered: Fall
This course provides students with the skills needed to utilize SAS systems for data management in order to prepare datasets for statistical analysis. In addition, procedures that are used to conduct basic statistical analyses and produce graphical output will be covered. Students will be given hands-on training using sample data provided by the instructor as well as (optionally) data from their own work. Recommended Co-requisite or Pre-requisite: MPH0300 Introduction to Biostatistics
Credits: 0 Offered: Fall
Matriculated students must either register for at least one credit-bearing course or register for "Maintenance of Matriculation" for every term, up until graduation. Maintenance of Matriculation allows students continued access to essential academic and student services, such as access to the ISMMS network and email; however, students on Maintenance of Matriculation status will not be eligible for financial aid. Students with compelling circumstance who wish not to maintain their matriculation status but need to discontinue their studies for a period of time can apply for a Leave of Absence from the program (see Leave of Absence and Withdrawal section). The Maintenance of Matriculation fee is $500 per academic semester or $333 per term for students in programs on trimesters
Credits: 3 Offered: Spring 2
This course is an introduction to understanding the competencies, roles, and responsibilities of public health and health managers. Health organizations, which are complex and changing in response to community needs and changing environments. The skills required to establish and maintain organizational culture and organizational change, talent and team management. Through readings, class discussion, and analysis of case studies, you will explore and identify key management and leadership challenges affecting public health and health; formulate and evaluate alternative solutions to problems; and learn to present your analysis of managerial plans and proposals, orally and in writing. The course will emphasize skill development in the management of mission, strategy, operations, and the business aspects of health organizations.
Credits: 3 Offered: Spring 2
Financial statements enable managers to evaluate the performance of an organization and assess its financial position. Budgets, based on forecasts, take the form of projected statements and serve as an important managerial tool for planning and control purposes. This course provides an introduction the accounting, budgeting and financial reporting techniques commonly used in the health care and not-for-profit environment. Emphasis is placed on enabling students to become comfortable with financial analysis, budgets and commonly-used financial terminology so that they can effectively address financial matters they will encounter in leadership roles in health care and not-for-profit organizations. Cross listed with MPH 0107
Credits: 3 Offered: Spring 2
The COVID-19 pandemic that has gripped the world since December 2019 has illustrated in stark terms how public health policy permeates our daily lives and its critical importance to the functioning of society. But the pandemic has also exposed underlying tensions and value disagreements that pervade public health policymaking and make it a political rather than purely technical undertaking. This course examines major political, institutional and managerial factors that shape public health decision-making and the effect that policy decisions have on population health.
Credits: 3 Offered: Spring 2
This course is designed to provide an understanding of the analytical methods health care managers and executives need to critically interpret the findings of comparative effectiveness studies and touse hospital-derived data for assessing and improving quality of care and process performance. The course structure contains four overarching topics:
Biostatistical and epidemiological methods for comparative effectiveness research
Statistical process control
The scope and limits of evidence-based medicine
Hospital-based and public sources of health care data
Through selected readings, case studies, problem-solving assignments, on-line self-study components, and lecture presentations and discussions, you will develop a conceptual understanding of the principles and analytical tools necessaryto become a critical reader of health services research literature. This will enable you to identify and adopt best practices for your institution. Moreover, it will give you the analytical skills needed for guiding quality improvement projects effectively.
Credits: 3 Offered: Spring 2
This course provides students with an understanding of what makes an exceptional leader. This course explores and builds competencies in leadership, management, ethical behavior and professionalism in health care. Over the 12-weeks, students will be exposed to leadership and management theories, critical leadership behaviors which shape culture and the key skills required for leadership and management development. Students will also explore the intersection of leadership authenticity and ethical behavior as well as professionalism in health care. Students will learn from real world case studies and experiences faced by health care leaders every day.
Credits: 3 Offered: Spring 2
This course examines the role of marketing in various healthcare settings. With an emphasis on the perspective of the consumer, students will gain the tools to effectively complete tasks such as market research, understand the role of segmentation in the current market, and master a number of marketing-communications strategies. Additional core topics will include, but not be limited to, Branding (and creative implementation), PR and Crisis Management, Advertising, Digital Marketing, Social Media, Content Marketing, Physician Marketing
Credits: 0.5 Offered: Spring 2
This workshop focuses on sharpening your fundamental communication skills. By starting with defining your audience and crafting your message, you will be able to practice and apply a fundamental method that will work well to improve your verbal and written communication in interprofessional team settings. Whether you're delivering the results of a project, explaining data analysis, discussing management problems, this course will give you steadfast tools to be an effective communicator.
Credits: 0.5 Offered: Spring 2
This course will primarily cover the following intermediate-level excel topics: Data Consolidation/Cleanup, Shift-Payroll-Scheduling, Revenue, Expense, and Loss Analysis (+pivot tables), Quality Improvement (QI) Initiatives, Creating Dashboards (and reports for clinical decisions), and Inventory Management. As a prerequisite to this course, you would need to have a good working knowledge of the basics of Excel functions. If you do not have this level of familiarity, then contact the program director to discuss options
Credits: 1 Offered: Spring 2
The goals of this course are to provide an opportunity for application of Project Management Principles to the actual conduct of a project in your current work life, as well as provide a bridge to help prepare for the CAPM or PMP certification. The interactive sessions will focus on Project Selection Criteria, "In Brief Workshops," Calendar, Objectives, Assignments, Network Diagrams, Risk Planning, Earned Value Management, and Progress Reports (Close-out).
Credits: 0.5 Offered: Spring 2
Emotional Intelligence (EQ) is often touted as a predictor of success in life. While it isn't the sole predictor of human performance and development potential, it is proven to be a key indicator. Thankfully, EQ is not static. One can develop greater emotional intelligence over time in targeted ways.
This course will:
define EQ
demonstrate its effectiveness
explore the dimensions of EQ
investigate how you can develop your EQ in areas important to you.to you.
As part of this course, you will be asked to take the EQ-I 2.0 assessment. The assessment offers personalized insights into your interactions between you and the environment you operate in. It will help you establish targeted ways to develop your own EQ potentially leading to increased performance, better relationships and opening leadership opportunities.
Credits: 2 Offered: Spring 2
Participants will have the opportunity to work on a health care improvement project addressing an important management problem faced in either their employer’s organization or in another host institution. This action learning project will enable the application and integration of Lean principles and course material into a coherent response and potential solution(s) to an actual healthcare delivery issue. These projects will form a repository of knowledge that program cohort peers can use to learn from and share. Must have 36 or more credit completed. Registration requires prior approval from the program director.
Credits: 1-3 Offered: Spring 2
The MHA administrative internship consists of collaboration between the student, a site supervisor/preceptor, faculty advisor and Program Director. The internship provides students the opportunity to demonstrate mastery of lessons learned in coursework and apply to an administrative fieldwork setting relevant to a student’s area of interest in health care delivery management. Registration requires prior approval from the program director.
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Credits: 3 Offered: Spring 2
Zoonoses diseases transmitted from animals to humans are increasingly being recognized as emerging or re-emerging disease threats to public health. This course will explore the interactions between physicians veterinarians and public health professionals; provide an understanding of the public health consequences of these diseases; and explore preventive measures. Finally we will set the framework for discussions of agents of bioterrorism and the public health response to these threats. The course attracts top speakers from across the country in the fields of public health infectious diseases veterinary medicine and the biomedical sciences. Pre-requisite: MPH0400 Introduction to Epidemiology
Credits: 3 Offered: Spring 2
What can history tell us about the current state of public health in the United States? This overview of the history of public health will examine evolving notions of a healthy public. Looking at the underlying social political and cultural structures that aid hinder and shape the public health mission it will place the history of public health in the context of the larger histories of medicine the nation and the world. Several disease case studies will be looked at in detail to provide insight into the factors that go into successful--and unsuccessful--public health movements. The course will conclude with a look at recent public health crises to understand them within the context of global history.
Credits: 3 Offered: Spring 2
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, gender diverse and queer + identified (LGB/TGD/Q+) people have made considerable progress in securing equal rights, from open military service to marriage equality. Polling data indicates the general public has increasingly positive views of LGBTQI civil rights. Despite this, LGB/TGD/Q+ persons still face discrimination, stigma and exclusion in many policy arenas and significant health disparities. Development of an evidence base for LGB/TGD/Q+ health interventions remains in critical need of more dedicated efforts. This course reviews the demographics and diversity of LGB/TGD/Q+ populations; advances and gaps in LGB/TGD/Q+ health knowledge and research; and policies and strategies in public health practice towards achieving fuller health equity for LGB/TGD/Q+ persons.
Pre-requisites: MPH0001 Introduction to Public Health or MPH0700 Introduction to Global Health
Credits: 1 Offered: Spring 2
This weekly seminar focuses on current local, national, and international issues in public health and preventive medicine. Discussions center on critical review of new published literature in public health and include topics related to health policy, economic and legal issues, and the impact of these issues on the health of populations. There will be didactics on public health ethics, risk communications and preventive medicine research as well as critical review of enrolled student research or theses. On a rotating basis, each student is responsible for setting the agenda and chairing seminar discussions.
Pre-requisites: MPH0400 Introduction to Epidemiology MPH0300 Introduction to Biostatistics
Students who are not Residents in the Department of Preventive Medicine must receive permission from Course Director prior to enrolling in this course.
Credits: 1 Offered: Spring 2
This seminar is designed for second year students who will be completing Culminating Experience (thesis manuscript or capstone). These works are more than a paper - They are major independent projects that requires you to design implement and present professional work of public health significance. This course will help you design your Culminating Experience start writing and give and receive feedback from peers. The course is heavily interactive. We will work with materials provided primarily by the students. By the end of the term you should be ready to complete your Culminating Experience. This course is the prerequisite for registering for MPH0099 Thesis. Pre-requisites: Students must have completed MPH0320 Research Methods. Students must have their Thesis Proposal Outline completed and their Statement of Thesis Support submitted to the Program Office before registering for this course.
Credits: 0 Offered: Spring 2
The Practicum experience provides the student with an exciting opportunity to implement and practice lessons learned in the classroom offering the possibility to integrate knowledge and expose the student to new and exciting prospects for future professional development. The Practicum (Applied Practice Experience) Proposal must be submitted to the Office of Public Health Practice for approval prior to the start of the practicum. Students who matriculated prior to Fall 2017 will register for MPH0090 to satisfy the fieldwork requirement. Pre-requisite: Practicum Proposal, Students should complete at least 15 credits of MPH coursework before starting the Practicum.
Credits: 3 Offered: Spring 2
For students who matriculated in or after Fall 2017 The Applied Practice Experience provides the student with an opportunity to translate theory into practice within a public health setting. The Applied Practice Experience Proposal must be submitted to the Office of Public Health Practice for approval prior to the beginning the experience. Students who matriculated in the Fall 2017 term or later will register for MPH0092 to satisfy the fieldwork requirement. Pre-requisites:Applied Practice Experience Proposal; Students should complete at least 15 credits of MPH coursework before starting the Practicum.
Credits: 1-3 Offered: Spring 2
An Independent Study is an elective option providing the student with an opportunity to delve more thoroughly into an area of public health of specific interest to him/her. An Independent Study Proposal should be submitted at least six weeks prior to the anticipated start of the proposed project/course of study. This is to ensure that the goals meet the overall objectives of the Master of Public Health Program before a student commits any time and energy. Approval when granted is conditional upon the student completing all of the outlined requirements. The student must submit a Postscript Report and request that the faculty sponsoring the Independent Study complete the Evaluation Form. Final credits are awarded at the end of the project by approval of the Program Director. Three credits are the maximum number of credits that may be awarded to any Independent Study. One credit represents approximately 45 hours of work. Please note that students will not receive any more than three credits for one project/course of study. Each student may complete no more than two independent study projects. An Independent Study must be a unique experience. Material covered during an independent study project should be highly targeted and not simply a review of the regularly offered coursework. Independent study projects should not be attempts to take MPH courses that are offered routinely during the academic year. Students should not expect an Independent Study project to exempt them from required courses without approval by the Specialty Track Advisor and the Program Director. Please see the Student Handbook for the full policy and procedures associated with the Independent Study option.
Credits: 3 Offered: Spring 2
Students who are completing a First Author Manuscript or Capstone should register for MPH0097 Culminating Experience (students who are completing a Master’s Thesis should register for MPH0099 only). Students register for their Culminating Experience in their last term before degree conferral while preparing to submit their First Author Manuscript or Capstone. Please refer to the MPH Culminating Experience Guide as a resource for the steps that need to be taken to fulfill the Culminating Experience requirement.
Credits: 0 Offered: Spring 2
Students who have previously registered for the required credits for the MPH Culminating Experience and who are approved by the Program to complete the MPH Culminating Experience in a full time manner in the last term of their attendance at ISMMS may register for 0 credits of MPH0098 Project Continuation. Registration is granted to students upon review of academic progress and approval by the Graduate Program in Public Health. Please refer to the MPH Culminating Experience Guide as a resource for the steps that need to be taken to fulfill the Culminating Experience requirement.
Credits: 3 Offered: Spring 2
Students who are completing a Master’s Thesis should register for MPH0099 in their last term before degree conferral while preparing to submit their Thesis. Please refer to the MPH Culminating Experience Guide as a resource for the steps that need to be taken to fulfill the Culminating Experience requirement.
Credits: 3 Offered: Spring 2
Why did U.S. health reform pass in 2010 when historically large scale reform of this magnitude has been blocked? How will the states implement health reform and will it be defeated through a constitutional challenge? Why is HIV prioritized over other health areas even though the global burden is lower than other diseases? How are new public-private partnerships transforming the financing of health systems? This course aims to assist students in understanding how political processes shape health policy and health outcomes both domestically and internationally. Through an introduction to theoretical and applied concepts in public policy and political science students will learn how to assess the political feasibility of different health policy options and how to craft persuasive policy briefs targeting decision makers at all levels of government. In addition to theoretical material the course will draw on insights from a concrete set of case studies across a variety of health policy topics including: the politics of health reform in the U.S. global health agenda setting and health system strengthening in developing countries among other topics.
Credits: 3 Offered: Spring 2
A major focus of this class is on understanding how community life and health are related. Students will learn how to analyze communities compare data regarding the health status of communities and to compare selected communities to each other. Case material will be used to emphasize the multiple ways one can assist communities as a whole and those at risk for health problems. Exemplars will be offered by guest lecturers involved in community change. Social and economic factors will be identified that affect community health status.
Credits: 3 Offered: Spring 2
Financial statements enable managers to evaluate the performance of an organization and assess its financial position. Budgets based on forecasts take the form of projected statements and serve as an important managerial tool for planning and control purposes. This course provides an introduction the accounting budgeting and financial reporting techniques commonly used in the health care and not-for-profit environment. Emphasis is placed on enabling students to become comfortable with financial analysis budgets and commonly-used financial terminology so that they can effectively address financial matters they will encounter in leadership roles in health care and not-for-profit organizations.
Credits: 3 Offered: Spring 2
Why is Gilead Science’s Hepatitis C pill (Sovaldi) so expensive ($84000 per course of therapy about $1000 a pill) and is its approximately 90% cure rate worth the cost? US FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb recently (WSJ 8.25.18) commented on the difficulty in valuing curative therapies. How important is cost in health policy decisions? Why are pharmaceutical companies more and more developing “orphan” drugs that is drugs for rare diseases. In the current healthcare environment in the US there is rationing of healthcare often not on an objective basis. What makes a medication or device cost-effective or not? Authorities in many countries are using cost-effectiveness analyses (CEA) to make reimbursement decisions and cost of treatments and diagnostics are being hotly debated. Why are there major initiatives afoot even in U.S. medical societies (i.e. American College of Cardiology American Society of Clinical Oncology) to incorporate cost-effectiveness (“value”) into medical decision-making? How are these analyses being done? Learn the principles of CEA get hands-on experience and tutorials with software often used watch excerpts of debates about making Hepatitis C treatments available in California Medicaid and other markets. Hear a key pharmaceutical company researcher discuss his challenges in use of CEA in the fragmented US healthcare coverage environment see user-friendly computer programs that have been developed based on these analyses and debate the use of CEA in making life-or-death reimbursement decisions. This introductory course focuses on the concepts and principles of pharmacoeconomics with particular emphasis on modeling methodologies and data sources. Students will learn about the international use of pharmacoeconomics in drug regulation pricing and reimbursement. Examples of pharmacoeconomic models will illustrate the theoretical lessons.
Credits: 3 Offered: Spring 2
Biomedicine is defined as the medical science that applies biological and physiological principles in clinical practice to cure patients from disease. For biomedicine the cause of sickness is found at the cellular level-- that is when a pathogen or germ alters the natural balance of the organism. To restore health is to trace and eradicate the physiological entity affecting the organism. In Western societies this scientific understanding of disease is not only at the core of biomedical practice but also of people’s imagination. To enter as a patient in the realm of biomedicine is to enter the realm of science factuality and expert knowledge. Because scientific practice deals with “Nature” science is not only perceived as objective but as removed from culture. This course will attempt to reveal biomedicine as a cultural system. See the Public Health Curriculum Guide for a complete description of the aims of this course.
Credits: 3 Offered: Spring 2
The issue of health literacy is critically important to the development of effective health communication strategies and outreach. National evaluations of literacy have raised serious concerns about the ability of nearly half the U.S. adult population to access understand and apply health communication messages (NAAL 2003) including those messages found in health information related to health care services and exchanged during health provider/patient interaction. This course explores the link between literacy and health in the US and how poor health literacy impacts accessing understanding and applying health communication messages. Course participants will learn how to take health literacy into account in their work as public health practitioners by understanding the consequences of low health literacy in health outcomes conducting health literacy loads of spoken and written material and developing skills to communicate health more effectively across a variety of settings and contexts.
Credits: 3 Offered: Spring 2
Health promotion is the practice of educating equipping and empowering individuals with the information and resources they need to fight disease. It is the process of empowering people to increase control over their health and its determinants through health literacy efforts and multi-sectoral action to increase healthy behaviors. This includes activities focused on individual behavior as well as a wide range of social and environmental interventions. Increasingly lifestyle strategies such as whole food plant-based diet exercise stress management tobacco and alcohol cessation and other non-drug modalities are being used to prevent treat and reverse chronic disease. This course offers the knowledge and skills recommended by a national panel of representatives from physician and health professional organizations as the basis for providing quality health promotion in lifestyle medicine services. The course provides basic grounding the field of health promotion and disease prevention via lifestyle medicine and focuses on practice skills for public health professionals.
Credits: 1 Offered: Spring 2
Research Methods encompasses a set of fundamental skills and tools necessary for approaching the process of developing and answering a research question being a future investigator or an informed consumer of information in the marketplace. This course provides a solid and practical framework enabling students to successfully embark upon their Culminating Experience. As a prerequisite in the conduct of research it prepares students to conceptualize propose design and write research papers in general.Topics covered include the characteristics of a research study formulating a research question experimental research designs survey construction data analysis and interpretation and evaluation of research. Also addressed are strategies for conducting literature searches research ethics informed consent and elements of a research proposal. Students will be required to complete IRB training HIPPA training data security training and outline a research proposal for their Culminating Experience project by the end of this course.Full time students are required to take this course in the Spring II Term of their first year in the Master of Public Health Program. The course is only open to matriculated students in the Master of Public Health Program. This course is graded on a Pass/Fail basis. Recommended Pre-requisites: MPH0001 Introduction to Public Health or MPH0700 Introduction to Global Health
Credits: 3 Offered: Spring 2
This course covers two broad components of infectious disease epidemiology: the methods used for the investigation of the etiology and distribution of infectious diseases, and a review of infectious diseases of major public health significance. By the end of this course students should have a thorough understanding of the both the practice of infectious disease epidemiology and the current and emerging global burden of infectious disease.
Credits: 1 Offered: Spring 2
This intermediate level Journal Club builds upon the Introductory Journal Club, training students in the presentation of articles relevant to the public health specialties of environmental, occupational and preventive medicine. Each student will be assigned a week to be responsible for selecting and presenting an article relevant to their area of specialization. The student may decide to invite a Mount Sinai faculty expert in the particular topic to provide additional commentary on the article. Prior to class, all students are required to read the article and complete a short critique form. All students are expected to participate in class discussions.
Pre-requisites: MPH0300 Introduction to Biostatistics or MPH0800 Advanced Introduction to Biostatistics MPH0400 Introduction to Epidemiology
Students must be currently licensed health professionals, however if they are not currently licensed they must obtain the approval of the Course Director to enroll. The Club meets once a month for the academic year. This course is graded on a Pass/Fail basis.
Credits: 3 Offered: Spring 2
Epidemiology III will cover the theoretical and practical considerations of analysis and interpretation of data generated from epidemiologic studies. Through lectures and guided analysis of epidemiologic datasets, students will learn the analytic approaches and modelling techniques used to investigate exposure-disease relationships within various epidemiologic study designs. This course will also include more advanced topics such as mediation analysis and the use of sensitivity analyses to quantify the impact of potential biases. As part of this course, students will perform an independent analysis of epidemiologic data to demonstrate mastery of the presented content. Students can use any statistical software they prefer for assignments, but all course examples, sample code and programming support will be provided using SAS only.
Pre-requisite: MPH0412 Epidemiology II
Credits: 2 Offered: Spring 2
This course aims to help the MS in Epidemiology students develop effective written and oral scientific communications from their Culminating Experience. The course is divided into three main sections that cover the creation of effective (A) scientific posters, (B) written communications in format of a scientific manuscript or a thesis, and (C) oral presentations of an epidemiology project. This is a highly interactive student-centered and student-led course. We will work in class with materials provided primarily by the students, including student poster, manuscript/thesis and oral presentation drafts. All students will be required to give and receive constructive feedback from other peers on how to improve their written and oral communications based on what they have learned in class. Students must have their Culminating Experience Proposal Outline signed by their faculty advisor and submitted to the Program Office before the first day of class and are strongly encouraged to write as much of their Culminating Experience materials as possible during this course.
Credits: 3 Offered: Spring 2
Omics is an emerging multidisciplinary and rapidly evolving field that has started to impact both clinical practice and public health and holds promise to significantly improve precision medicine. Omics encompasses many molecular biology domains including genomics epigenomics transcriptomics proteomics metabolomics and exposomics. These molecular domains can offer a more nuanced perspective on how multiple exposures (e.g. environmental lifestyle social factors) affect health compared with traditional research approaches. However omics datasets are large (tens of thousands of variables or more) resulting in analytical challenges that require adaptation of existing epidemiology designs and methods. This course will provide an overview of omics research areas and applications latest omics epidemiology advances and hands-on training in big omics data analysis. Pre-requisite: MPH0412 Epidemiology II MPH0812 Applied Linear Models I
Credits: 3 Offered: Spring 2
This course provides an introduction to the major concepts in toxicology with particular emphasis on agents with public health relevance including metals pesticides air pollution drugs of abuse medication and stress. The curriculum is designed to make toxicology accessible to students with broad scientific backgrounds including those outside of the biological science disciplines. Students will learn the basic principles of toxicology as well as review target organs systems contaminants and mechanisms of actions of certain classes of compounds. Specific target organ toxicities will include hepatic renal cardiovascular pulmonary neuronal developmental reproductive and endocrine systems. We will use in-class exercises and small groups to discuss recent publications apply concepts and understand the current knowledge of specific toxicological agents and their effects. This course is designed to present toxicology as an interdisciplinary science in public health.
Credits: 3 Offered: Spring 2
Life expectancy on the Upper East Side is 86 years compared to 77 years in East Harlem. Why should this be? This course introduces the learner to the root causes of health disparities confronting resource-poor communities, with particular focuses on children, the environment, and social determinants of health (SDHs).
We cover topics ranging from chemical exposures; qualities of the built environment; the health effects of climate change; and the mechanisms of toxic stress and epigenetics. We cover basic principles of exposure assessment; skills in pediatric environmental exposure history taking; and the adverse effects of environmental exposures on child neurodevelopment. Students learn how to design risk communication strategies for environmental exposures targeted to a specific group of children, access pediatric health reference material, apply state-of-the-art clinical evidence in the formulation of public health policy, and advocate for child health. The course format is participatory, and includes discussing peer-reviewed literature, lectures and clinical case scenarios.
Credits: 3 Offered: Spring 2
Zoonoses diseases transmitted from animals to humans are increasingly being recognized as emerging or re-emerging disease threats to public health. This course will explore the interactions between physicians veterinarians and public health professionals; provide an understanding of the public health consequences of these diseases; and explore preventive measures. Finally we will set the framework for discussions of agents of bioterrorism and the public health response to these threats. The course attracts top speakers from across the country in the fields of public health infectious diseases veterinary medicine and the biomedical sciences. Pre-requisite: MPH0400 Introduction to Epidemiology
Credits: 3 Offered: Spring 2
Reproductive health conditions - including HIV/AIDS - are a leading cause of death and illness in women worldwide (15-44 years of age). This course introduces the student to the challenges that perpetuate high rates of maternal, reproductive, and sexual health morbidity and mortality among women and girls worldwide. We will analyze not only the health conditions that drive this morbidity and mortality in low and middle-income countries—such as complications of pregnancy (unsafe abortion, maternal hemorrhage), HIV/AIDS, cervical cancer, gender-based violence, and harmful traditional practices--but also the respective health system and structural barriers that limit access to quality health services and contribute to the vulnerability of women and girls in different low-resource settings.
The course emphasizes participatory learning: Using a Journal Club structure, students will discuss, dissect, and debate relevant research papers - primarily through student-led discussions. Students will gain a greater understanding of the role of research in contributing to health advocacy, policy, and programming in the U.S. and internationally and evaluate the effectiveness of different research designs and interventions. Working in small groups, students will iteratively formulate their own research question and proposal to address a reproductive health outcome of interest to them.
Credits: 1 Offered: Spring 2
The Public Health Conference provides students with the opportunity to delve deeper into public health topics presented at the annual Public Health Research Day at ISMMS. Students will be required to attend and be active participants during the full day of events, which includes a keynote lecture, oral presentations, and a poster session. Academic requirements include a topic summary for one aspect of the conference and a conference evaluation.
Credits: 3 Offered: Spring 2
This course provides a comprehensive overview of regression methods for analysis of categorical (binary and count) data and survival data, with applications to epidemiological and clinical studies. Topics discussed include logistic regression analysis, log linear model for contingency tables, Poisson regression, and survival regression. The emphasis is on concepts and application rather than on underlying theory. As mathematical results are presented without proof, students are not required to be proficient in calculus or matrix algebra.
Pre-requisite: MPH0812 Applied Linear Models I
Credits: 0 Offered: Spring 2
Matriculated students must either register for at least one credit-bearing course or register for “Maintenance of Matriculation” for every term up until graduation. Maintenance of Matriculation allows students continued access to essential academic and student services such as access to the ISMMS network and email; however students on Maintenance of Matriculation status will not be eligible for financial aid. Students with compelling circumstance who wish not to maintain their matriculation status but need to discontinue their studies for a period of time can apply for a Leave of Absence from the program (see Leave of Absence and Withdrawal section). The Maintenance of Matriculation fee is $500 per academic semester or $333 per term for students in programs on trimesters