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Medical Detectives

Why is there confusion in the scientific community as to whether butter or margarine is worse for your health? How do researchers find out whether cell phone use increases your risk for brain cancer? What is your risk of contracting diabetes? Discover how researchers draw on quantitative skills to detect causes of acute disease outbreaks and chronic diseases. This course introduces the techniques and methods for empirically based analyses, decisions, and actions in the context of current public health problems. Recent research findings are discussed. The recorded lectures are from the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences course Empirical and Mathematical Reasoning 15. Students may not count both BIOS E-70 and BIOS E-105 toward the same degree. Prerequisites: basic quantitative skills essential. (4 credits)
BIOS E-105 Medical Detectives (13529)
Fall term
Karin B. Michels, PhD, ScD, Associate Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Biology, Harvard Medical School and Associate Professor in the Department of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health
Course tuition: noncredit $1,045, undergraduate credit $1,045, graduate credit $2,000
Online only, beginning Sept. 11.