Health Research Fundamentals

ICMR - National Institute of Epidemiology is offering online programmes on conduct of human bio-medical research. The programme will be offered asNIE-ICMR e-Certificate – NIeCer - Courses. The first in this series, NIeCer 101:Health Research Fundamentals, is a basic level course in health research methods. It will explain the fundamental concepts in epidemiology and bio-statistics related to research methods. This course will provide an overview of steps and principles for designing bio-medical and health research studies among human participants. We expect this course to be useful for individuals interested in pursuing health research in the roles of study investigators, clinical/public health researchers (physicians, counselors, research associates, social scientists, nurses, pharmacists, technicians, data and quality managers etc.), scientists, ethics committee members and project managers.INTENDED AUDIENCE : Any current or potential health researcherPRE-REQUISITES : Undergraduate students in medical/dental/nursing/AYUSH streams Graduate in any disciplineINSTITUTIONS SUPPORT : Government/ private sector, public health service institutions/ agencies, Post graduate institutions in biomedical and allied sciences, Medical colleges/ Universities, NGOs engaged in health research, Clinical research organizations, Pharma companies and marketing research organizations

Week 1: Conceptualizing a research study Introduction to health research – Dr. Sanjay Mehendale Formulating research question, hypothesis and objectives – Dr. P Manickam Literature review – Dr. P Ganeshkumar Week 2: Epidemiological considerations in designing a research study (1/2) Measures of disease frequency - Dr. R Ramakrishnan Descriptive study designs - Dr. Prabhdeep Kaur Analytical study designs - Dr. Manoj MurhekarWeek 3: Epidemiological considerations in designing a research study (2/2) Experimental study designs: Clinical trials - Dr. Sanjay Mehendale Validity of epidemiological studies - Dr. Tarun Bhatnagar Qualitative research methods: An overview - Dr. Tarun BhatnagarWeek 4: Bio-statistical considerations in designing a research study Measurement of study variables – Dr. R Ramakrishnan Sampling methods – Dr. R Ramakrishnan Calculating sample size and power – Dr. R RamakrishnanWeek 5: Planning a research study (1/2) Selection of study population – Dr. P Ganeshkumar Study plan and project management – Dr. Sanjay Mehendale Designing data collection tools – Dr. Tarun Bhatnagar Week 6: Planning a research study (2/2) Principles of data collection – Dr. Prabhdeep Kaur Data management – Dr. P Manickam Overview of data analysis - Dr. P Manickam Week 7: Conducting a research study Ethical framework for health research – Dr. Sanjay Mehendale Conducting clinical trials - Dr. Sanjay MehendaleWeek 8: Writing a research protocol Preparing a concept paper for research projects – Dr. P Manickam Elements of a protocol for research studies – Dr. Tarun Bhatnagar Publication ethics – Dr. Sirshendu Chaudhuri Manuscript writing – Dr. Jayashree K Grant proposal writing – Dr. S.A. Rizwan