COURSE DESCRIPTION: This 2-week course will cover the statistical principles that are pertinent to the study of population-based genetic data sets. Students will learn current statistical approaches for analyzing genome wide association studies (GWAS) and whole genome sequencing (WGS), issues related to experimental design and integrated analysis of GWAS and other large-scale data sets. This course is the fourth module of the Quantitative Skills for the Biomedical Researcher series, and builds upon the material covered in the first three modules. As part of the assessment, students will gain practical experience by conducting a mini big data research project while working in small teams.

RECOMMENDED MATERIALS:

Laptop with R freeware installed.

Principles of Biostatistics (Second edition) by Marcello Pagano and Kimberlee Gauvreau, ISBN-13: 978-0534229023, ISBN-10: 0534229026

PREREQUISITES: It is expected that students will have completed Quantitative Skills for the Biomedical Researcher I, II and III, or have acquired this material through other means (please consult the course leader if in doubt). Programming skills in R is mandatory.

STUDENT PREPARATION: All students are expected to have a working knowledge of basic computers and college mathematics.

SUITABLE FOR 1ST YEAR STUDENTS: Yes

UNIQUE TRAINING OFFERED IN THIS COURSE: Students will learn practical skills to conduct genetic analysis and understand the current analytic approaches of this field. No overlap with existing courses.

STUDENT ASSESSMENTS: Final project (100%).

CREDIT HOURS: 0.75