Courses - Public health research project development

Course Description

In this course, students will develop a practical public health research project. There will be six two hour seminars at which students will discuss with each other the development of their research project. Each student will also work with a supervisor who can offer expert guidance on the literature review and development of the research project. Students
can work in pairs on their project if they wish. We expect only a minority of students who take this course will go on to conduct the research project (eg as an elective in the Master of Public Health). Those not intending to actually conduct the research will develop a hypothetical project.

Course Syllabus

• Introduction to public health problem solving through research
• Literature review
• Framing research questions
• Research project design and methodology
• Planning the analysis of results
• Research ethics

Learning Outcomes

• Ability to search for and summarise the literature relevant to a public health problem
• Ability to formulate a public health research question
• Ability to identify suitable methods for investigating a public health research question and formulate a research plan

Indicative Assesment

Preparation of a practical public health research project proposal in the form of the standard NHMRC Health Ethics Application Template (100%).

Areas of Interest

Health, Medicine and the Body; Medicine; and Population Studies