LI Course
CE Hours: 6 contact hours

Statement of Purpose and Institute Overview: The purpose of this institute is to address the need for practical knowledge of the nuts and bolts of public health research for those with limited field research experience. As studies become increasingly interdisciplinary and complex, and the cost of conducting primary data collection becomes prohibitive, more graduate students are limited to analysis of secondary data for masters’ theses or dissertations. As a result, graduates often have limited understanding of the practical aspects of starting and running a study. Furthermore, public health agencies and community organizations mandated to collect primary data are often faced with conducting research with little practical experience. The course combines lectures and small group case study discussions with a practical application of the material to a sample protocol to familiarize students with a range of issues they will confront in developing their research study. In combined sessions SSS trainers will instruct participants on how to: delineate the scope of work in a scientific protocol and determine the feasibility of a study, identify key risks to fielding a study on time and within budget, adequately staff a study, build a realistic budget, and build quality into data and operations upfront. In two separate tracks students can select either to learn how to navigate Institutional Review Boards and formulate study participant recruitment and retention plans to maximize response rates and retain participants; or how to compare and select appropriate and cost-effective technologies for data collection, and control quality after collection. The mantra of being prepared for the unexpected will be woven throughout the course. Participants will be introduced to “on the ground” practical guidelines. Working together in small groups, students will be asked to solve various field problems, and will be encouraged to pose their own questions and seek guidance about particular research issues they are facing. The content of the course will draw upon 20 years of SSS staff experience conducting studies for the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences Epidemiology Branch and for several other governmental agencies. Day in and day out, SSS staff design, train, write and follow protocols and SOPs, collect and process biological and environmental specimens, interview participants on the telephone, make home visits, and design questionnaires for electronic and paper and pencil applications. The best practices described in this course are based on extensive experience in clinical studies, field studies, and telephone surveys across the U.S. and around the world.

Session Objectives: Participants will be able to describe how to assess the feasibility of a proposed study, how to operationalize a scientific protocol, list elements of a balanced research team and support staff, list steps in building a realistic budget; and describe the methods of project management for tracking schedule and costs. In sum, participants will be able to describe methods to reduce risk to study success, and produce high quality data in epidemiologic field studies.

CE Credits: Medical (CME), Health Education (CHES), Nursing (CNE), Public Health (CPH) , Masters Certified Health Education Specialist (MCHES)