Welcome to the Master Class
(Master’s Thesis Proposal Course)

P9419

Judith S. Jacobson, DrPH, MBA

Nicole Schupf, PhD, DrPH

Randomly selected Mondays,

5:30-6:30 p.m.

Judith S. Jacobson, DrPH, MBA

Jacobson JS, Mellins RB, Goldstein IF, Rundle AG, Williams CL, Canfield SM, Perzanowski M, Hazi Y, Milton DG, Northridge ME, Ashby-Thompson M. Factors associated with “asthma” in New York City Head Start programs. Am J Resp Crit Care Med 2004; 169 (suppl): A487.

Grann VR, Jacobson JS, Hershman D, Li H, Troxel AB, Neugut AI. Breast biopsy and race/ethnicity among women without breast cancer. Submitted for publication.

Mantel B, Meyers A, Tran Q, Rogers S, Jacobson JS. The use of nutritional supplements and complementary/ alternative medicine among individuals with Tourette syndrome. J Adolescent Child Psychopharmacol. In press.

Nicole Schupf, PhD, DrPH

N. Schupf, B. Patel, W. Silverman, W. Zigman, N. Zhong, B. Tycko, P. Mehta, R. Mayeux. Elevated Plasma Amyloid $-peptide 1-42 and onset of dementia in Down syndrome. Neuroscience Letters 2001 301:199-203.

Schupf N, Pang D, Patel BN, Silverman W, Schubert R, Lai F, Kline JK, Stern Y, Ferin M, Tycko B, Mayeux R. Onset of dementia is associated with age at menopause in women with Down's syndrome. Ann Neurol. 2003 Oct;54(4):433-8.

Patel BN, Pang D, Stern Y, Silverman W, Kline JK, Mayeux R, Schupf N. Obesity enhances verbal memory in postmenopausal women with Down syndrome. Neurobiol Aging. 2004 Feb;25(2):159-66.

Why are we here?

Because other courses don’t fully prepare you to develop your master’s thesis proposal or to complete the thesis

Because being in a class together can help you help one another

Because we want to get you out the door with a master’s degree in epi

Because the master’s degree in epi should mean that the bearer has had the experience of analyzing epidemiologic data and writing it up in the form of a scientific paper

This course is for students who

Intend to graduate in 2005

Do not yet have an approved master’s thesis proposal

Have completed ≥50% of course requirements for MPH, MS, etc.

The syllabus is on CourseWorks

9/27 Abstract structure, especially

Research question

Hypotheses

10/11+18 Background, lit review, EndNote*

10/25 Epi methods and your dataset

11/1+8 Substantive area discussion groups

11/15+22 Data management (with SAS)*

12/6 Finalizing the abstract and moving on

*In HHSC media center, 2^nd floor

31 students submitted surveys

Practicum

10 have completed

2 have waived

17 have identified

Have you submitted your practicum form?

12-1/2 have found a thesis dataset

5 have 2 readers

2 have 1 reader

1 who has no dataset has 1 reader

Talk to us!!!

13/31 have used EndNote

Eliminate one of two classes on EndNote?

Eliminate the second session or

Move up schedule, spend more class time on abstract

Human subjects/Patient protection

10 have GCP certification

12 have HIPAA certification

What does it take to do a master’s thesis in epi?

1-3 hypotheses about exposure and health-related outcome, preferably in an area of interest to you

Dataset in which you can test hypotheses

2 readers

one to supervise your work

the other to help supervise or just to read and comment on almost final drafts

One must be epi faculty; readers who are not epi faculty must submit their CV for approval

What else does it take?

Familiarity with the relevant literature

Competence in data analysis

Familiarity with the format of a scientific paper

Creativity and good judgment in the interpretation of findings

Writing a master’s thesis in epi is more than an academic exercise.

Studies are undertaken to address a public health problem.

Data are collected from human subjects at great trouble and expense.

We as epidemiologists have obligations

to our funders, subjects, and community

to analyze, interpret, and publish the results of our studies.

Welcome to the epi research community!

Benefits

Credentials, career advancement

Publications, 15 minutes of fame

Responsibilities

Ethical (i.e., careful) data management

Honest reporting of results

Protection of research subjects

Guest lecturer:Joyce Pressley, PhD

Practicum coordinator

Contact information:

Mailman 17-12, but please email or call for an appointment.

212-342-0421voice

212-342-0519 fax

[email protected]


	P9419

	Judith S. Jacobson, DrPH, MBA
	Nicole Schupf, PhD, DrPH

	Randomly selected Mondays,
	5:30-6:30 p.m.


	Jacobson JS, Mellins RB, Goldstein IF, Rundle AG, Williams CL, Canfield SM, Perzanowski M, Hazi Y, Milton DG, Northridge ME, Ashby-Thompson M. Factors associated with “asthma” in New York City Head Start programs. Am J Resp Crit Care Med 2004; 169 (suppl): A487.
	Grann VR, Jacobson JS, Hershman D, Li H, Troxel AB, Neugut AI. Breast biopsy and race/ethnicity among women without breast cancer. Submitted for publication.
	Mantel B, Meyers A, Tran Q, Rogers S, Jacobson JS. The use of nutritional supplements and complementary/ alternative medicine among individuals with Tourette syndrome. J Adolescent Child Psychopharmacol. In press.


	N. Schupf, B. Patel, W. Silverman, W. Zigman, N. Zhong, B. Tycko, P. Mehta, R. Mayeux. Elevated Plasma Amyloid $-peptide 1-42 and onset of dementia in Down syndrome. Neuroscience Letters 2001 301:199-203.
	Schupf N, Pang D, Patel BN, Silverman W, Schubert R, Lai F, Kline JK, Stern Y, Ferin M, Tycko B, Mayeux R. Onset of dementia is associated with age at menopause in women with Down's syndrome. Ann Neurol. 2003 Oct;54(4):433-8.
	Patel BN, Pang D, Stern Y, Silverman W, Kline JK, Mayeux R, Schupf N. Obesity enhances verbal memory in postmenopausal women with Down syndrome. Neurobiol Aging. 2004 Feb;25(2):159-66.


	Because other courses don’t fully prepare you to develop your master’s thesis proposal or to complete the thesis
	Because being in a class together can help you help one another
	Because we want to get you out the door with a master’s degree in epi
	Because the master’s degree in epi should mean that the bearer has had the experience of analyzing epidemiologic data and writing it up in the form of a scientific paper


	Intend to graduate in 2005
	Do not yet have an approved master’s thesis proposal
	Have completed ≥50% of course requirements for MPH, MS, etc.


	9/27 Abstract structure, especially
		Research question
		Hypotheses
	10/11+18 Background, lit review, EndNote*
	10/25 Epi methods and your dataset
	11/1+8 Substantive area discussion groups
	11/15+22 Data management (with SAS)*
	12/6 Finalizing the abstract and moving on
	*In HHSC media center, 2^nd floor


	Practicum
		10 have completed
		2 have waived
		17 have identified
	Have you submitted your practicum form?
	12-1/2 have found a thesis dataset
		5 have 2 readers
		2 have 1 reader
		1 who has no dataset has 1 reader
	Talk to us!!!


	Eliminate one of two classes on EndNote?
	Eliminate the second session or
	Move up schedule, spend more class time on abstract


	1-3 hypotheses about exposure and health-related outcome, preferably in an area of interest to you
	Dataset in which you can test hypotheses
	2 readers
		one to supervise your work
		the other to help supervise or just to read and comment on almost final drafts
		One must be epi faculty; readers who are not epi faculty must submit their CV for approval


	Familiarity with the relevant literature
	Competence in data analysis
	Familiarity with the format of a scientific paper
	Creativity and good judgment in the interpretation of findings


	Studies are undertaken to address a public health problem.
	Data are collected from human subjects at great trouble and expense.
	We as epidemiologists have obligations
		to our funders, subjects, and community
		to analyze, interpret, and publish the results of our studies.


	Benefits
		Credentials, career advancement
		Publications, 15 minutes of fame
	Responsibilities
		Ethical (i.e., careful) data management
		Honest reporting of results
		Protection of research subjects


	Practicum coordinator
	Contact information:
		Mailman 17-12, but please email or call for an appointment.
		212-342-0421voice
		212-342-0519 fax
		[email protected]