Module Catalogue 2026/27

Pre Requisite Comment

MAS2903 and MAS2906 are also desirable rather than essential.

Co Requisite Comment

N/A

Aims

To develop a broad understanding of a range of topics in medical statistics, and in health and medical research. To acquire skills in analysing and interpreting health data, with a focus on the design and analysis of medical studies. The module will cover topics such as observational studies and causal inference. Students will learn to apply statistical methods to real-world medical data, enhancing their ability to contribute to advancements in medical research and public health.

Outline Of Syllabus

This module will introduce students to a range of topics in medical statistics and health data science. The anticipated syllabus is given below, although there may be changes to reflect recent developments.

Counterfactual outcome, causal effects, the perfect doctor, ignorability, Simpson’s Paradox, confounding, Directed Acyclic Graphs, measurements in medical statistics and inferences, biases in observational studies and remedies

Intended Knowledge Outcomes

At the end of the module it is expected that a student will be able to:

1. Outline the key statistical ideas underpinning the analysis of medical and health data.

2. Apply statistical methods to real-world health data scenarios.

3. Describe the advantages and disadvantages of different statistical methods used in medical research.

Intended Skill Outcomes

At the end of the module a student will be able to:

1. Identify appropriate statistical methods for a wide variety of medical and health data.

2. Implement these analyses using relevant software tools like R.

3. Evaluate different statistical methods, apply these methods to real-world health data and effectively communicate their findings.

Students will develop skills across the cognitive domain (Bloom’s taxonomy, 2001 revised edition):
remember, understand, apply, analyse, evaluate and create.

Teaching Rationale And Relationship

Lectures are used for the delivery of theory and explanation of methods, illustrated with examples, and for giving general feedback on marked work. Problem classes are used to help develop the students’ abilities at applying the theory to solving problems.

The teaching methods are appropriate to allow students to develop a wide range of skills. From understanding basic concepts and facts to higher-order thinking.

Assessment Rationale And Relationship

A substantial formal unseen examination is appropriate for the assessment of the material in this module. The format of the examination will enable students to reliably demonstrate their own knowledge, understanding and application of learning outcomes.

Examination problems may require a synthesis of concepts and strategies from different sections, while they may have more than one way for solution. The examination time allows the students to test different strategies, work out examples and gather evidence for deciding on an effective strategy, while carefully articulating their ideas and explicitly citing the theory they are using.

The coursework assignments allow the students to develop their problem solving techniques, to practise the methods learnt in the module, to assess their progress and to receive feedback; the summative assessment has a secondary formative purpose as well as its primary summative purpose.

General Notes

N/A