How to choose a research question & how to design clinical research studies, based on the question.

Pros & cons of different study designs in clinical trials, epidemiology, and public health

An intro to the field of epidemiology including the major categories of study designs and design considerations related to confounding, bias, and causal inference.

Principles of hypothesis testing & implementation of statistical inference, including type I error and significance thresholds, study power, p values, & Bayesian...

An introduction to concepts of effects size, sample variability, and levels of statistical significance that affect calculations for sample size and power

Principles of measurement as relevant to clinical research

Principles of clinical research study design, measurements and statistics, illustrated with ad hoc examples

A review of the principles that guide the ethical framework in human research, as well as rules & regulations

A practical discussion of the importance and purpose of an Institutional Review Board (IRB)

A review on scientific integrity, scientific misconduct and conflicts, and the NIH process for handling misconduct allegations.

How to find funding & write the aims page of a grant proposal

How to write the background & significance sections of grants, stay current with literature, and manage references.

Evidence classification/grading frameworks, how to assess bias in research, and common strengths & weaknesses in study designs.

A few of relevant factors to select appropriate outcome measures for clinical research, including but not limited to the Benchmarks, NINDS CDEs, and NIH Reporter.

Review core fundamentals and the need for standardized measures in epidemiologic studies of epilepsy