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Paul Jung Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholar The Johns Hopkins University 600 North Wolfe Street, Carnegie 291 Baltimore, Maryland 21287 _____________________________________ |
phone: (410) 614-4524 |
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Paul Jung Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholar The Johns Hopkins University 600 North Wolfe Street, Carnegie 291 Baltimore, Maryland 21287 _____________________________________ |
phone: (410) 614-4524 |
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Research-Based Health Activism
Class
WinterTerm
2002 I.
Course Goals This will be an intensive three-week,
hands-on, experiential course in research-based advocacy.
During the fall semester, those students in the HONR 269D “Health
Policy” course who wish to participate in the winter session will develop a
brief outline of a research question and proposal.
The winter term will begin with a few seminars on the basics of research
(types of studies, bias, data analysis, etc.).
Then students will complete a formal research proposal to investigate
their question of interest. Several
sessions will be spent learning the basics of research.
Full written research protocols will undergo several revisions before
being finalized. The remainder of
the winter term will be spent critiquing each others’ protocols. We
will intertwine skill-building sessions with guest speaker sessions.
Skill-building sessions will specifically address a research methodology
topic, whereas guest speaker sessions will provide real-world examples of
research-based activism to encourage and inspire the students.
The key to this course is the hands-on work that each student will put
into their research protocol. If
preparation and planning are the keys to success, this course will give students
the experience of planning a well-prepared research project.
Although many students who decide to pursue research in the future may
learn these skills during the course of their work, no formal course is
available to offer students this type of experiential training early in their
education. Objectives:
At the end of the WinterTerm course, students will have completed a full,
written research protocol, which can easily serve as the cornerstone for a
research career. By formulating
their protocol, students will understand the basics of formulating a research
question and designing a research project.
They will also be able to critically assess published research in the
medical and health policy literature. Students
will also become familiar with the basic fundamentals of epidemiology and
biostatics. Students will be
encouraged to utilize time in subsequent semesters to carry out the research
under faculty supervision. This
research can become the student’s honors thesis and/or the basis of further
work. Students:
The class will be composed mainly of University Honors Program students from
various disciplines who are interested in health care.
They need not be pre-medical students or students in biomedical
disciplines. Students who are not
part of the Honors Program will be welcome.
The course will ideally enroll from five to ten students, with a maximum
of 15. II.
Syllabus and Class Schedule Class
will meet each day from 3pm – 5pm,
except the FIRST class, Jan 4, which will meet from 1pm – 5pm. January 2002 Calendar
Thursday,
Jan 3, 2002
No
class – Celebrate Orange Bowl Victory against the Florida Gators. Friday,
Jan 4 **PLEASE
NOTE CHANGE IN TIME FOR THIS CLASS ONLY** TIME:
1pm – 5pm Orientation/Introduction
to the Class/Guest Speaker: Sid Wolfe Goals:
Inspire students to become active and involved in the class, review goals and
structure of the course, and provide examples of research-based activism in
health care In-Class:
This will be a nuts & bolts intro to the class and what we hope the
students will achieve.
Each student will be asked to choose an area that interests them, to
provide a general idea of where their research protocol will lead.
Students will be asked to write a short paragraph about their research
topic, specifically their research question.
This will get students to commit to paper their ideas and begin honing
their specific project into a well-defined project.
It will also help us determine the general interests of each student, and
if there are several that have overlapping interests, we may encourage group
work. We
will engage in a discussion about the topic areas that are proposed to stimulate
ideas for research questions.
Homework:
Students will think about their topic areas and try to come up with a research
question. Students
will refine their question over the weekend and develop the outline of their
full research protocol.
Outlines (specifically including a completed background section) will be
presented in writing at the next session. Monday,
Jan 7 – No Class Tuesday,
Jan 8
Project
Review 1 Goal:
Review students’ proposals. In-Class:
Each student (or group or students) will present their ideas for their protocol,
and then get feedback from the other students and instructors.
We will go through each student’s outline and critique the research
idea as well as the methods.
This will set the stage for further review and refinement.
Homework:
Students will revise their outlines based on today’s discussion.
Revised outlines will be submitted at a following session. Wednesday,
Jan 9 Skills
Session Goal:
To provide a tangible skill relevant to health research.
In-Class:
Students
will have a didactic session on questionnaire design & basic biostatistics Homework:
Students will incorporate the skills learned in this session into their written
protocol. First
drafts of written protocols will be due at the next session. Homework:
Students will utilize the skills learned in this session in developing the first
draft of their full protocol at the next session. Thursday,
Jan 10 - *First Draft Due* Guest
Lecturer Speaker:
Peter Lurie, MD, MPH – Deputy Director, Public Citizen HRG Goal:
Re-energize the students with a concrete example of research-based activism. In-Class:
Dr.
Lurie will discuss his work with Public Citizen, specifically around the design
of HIV trials and trials conducted in third-world countries. Homework:
Critically
review the submitted written protocols for discussion tomorrow. Friday,
Jan 11
Project
Review Goal:
Review students’ proposals. In-Class:
We will go through each student’s proposal and critique the research idea as
well as the methods.
This will set the stage for further refinement.
Homework:
Second drafts will be submitted in writing at the Tuesday, Jan 15th
session. Monday,
Jan 14 – No Class Tuesday,
Jan 15 – *Second Drafts Due* Guest
Lecturer Speaker:
Sid Wolfe, MD – Director, Public Citizen Health Research Group Goal:
Re-energize the students with a concrete example of research-based activism In-Class:
Sid
Wolfe, MD will discuss the role of research in his work at Public Citizen,
including his successful efforts to protect the public by removing dangerous
drugs and medical devices from the market.
Homework:
Critically
review the written protocols for discussion at the next session. Wednesday,
Jan 16 and Thursday, Jan 17 No
Class due to National Health Policy Meeting Friday,
Jan 18
“How
to give a formal presentation”
Goal:
Develop presentation skills In-Class:
This session will give students pointers on how to give an effective and
precise, yet brief presentation about their research protocol in particular, and
any topic in general.
We will utilize exercises to develop speaking skills, use audio-visual
aids, and staying on the point. Homework:
Students will incorporate the principles learned in this session in their
presentations. Monday,
Jan 21 – No Class Tuesday,
Jan 22 Final
presentations Goal:
Develop
presentation skills In-Class:
Each student (or group or students) will give a short presentation on their
research protocol, with overheads.
Students will use this experience to develop their presentation skills
and further refine their research protocols. Wednesday,
Jan 23 “Now
What?” Goals:
Review and assess the course; Discuss advocacy and activism. In-Class:
We will review and evaluate the course then engage in a discussion revolving
around “What is advocacy?” and “What is activism?”
Students will get an idea of the great amount of work required after
research is completed to truly affect change in their communities. Homework:
Carry out research protocol and make positive, substantive change! III.
Snow Day Policy
Should
the campus close due to inclement weather, an official campus announcement will
be made through the usual radio and television channels.
Skills sessions and Protocol Review sessions missed due to inclement
weather will be made up, either by adding additional time to subsequent
sessions. Guest
Speaker sessions cancelled by inclement weather will try to be rescheduled based
on the guest speaker’s schedule, but there is no guarantee that these sessions
will be made up. There
is a Winterterm policy to address a catastrophic weather event that closes the
campus for a significant portion of session.
In that case, Winterterm courses on campus will be canceled.
Students will receive a full refund of their Winterterm tuition.
IV.
Required Text Book
Hulley
SB, Cummings SR, eds.
Designing Clinical Research: An Epidemiologic Approach.
Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 1988.
ISBN: 0-683-04249-1. V.
Methods of Assessment
As
this will be an experiential, hands-on course, grades will be based on
production, participation, and improvement, not on knowledge or memorization.
Grades will be based on class participation, written research protocols,
and written in-class assignments.
Grades will depend more on improvement through the course than on the
quality of the final product.
Any student who becomes obsessed with their grade will receive an
automatic F. Grades
will be roughly distributed as follows:
45% in-class participation |
