Real-World Evidence in Pharmacoepidemiology

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Real-World Evidence in Pharmacoepidemiology

London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, University of London

United Kingdom, Camden

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Home/United Kingdom/Camden /London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, University of London/Real-World Evidence in Pharmacoepidemiology

London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, University of London

United Kingdom , Camden

Key Facts

Program Level

Certificate

Study Type

Full Time

Delivery

On Campus

Campuses

Main Site

Program Language

English

Start & Deadlines

Next Intake Deadlines17-Oct-2022

Apply to this program

Go to the official application for the university

Duration 1 year(s)

Next Intake 17-Oct-2022

Real-World Evidence in Pharmacoepidemiology

About

Overview

Overview - Practical Pharmacoepidemiology

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There is unprecedented interest in estimating the safety and effectiveness of medicines. The widespread and near-real-time availability of real-world data (RWD) offers opportunities to quickly generate real-world evidence (RWE) to address these needs. Observational studies are vulnerable to many potential biases and translating RWD into high-quality RWE requires careful consideration of the scientific process including identification of fit-for-purpose data and selection of the most appropriate design, measurement, and analysis methods to mitigate potential biases.

The aim of this course is to equip students with the understanding and techniques to generate RWE on safety and effectiveness of medicines and overcome common sources of error, with practical applications using electronic health record data.

During this online course, students will:

Develop their knowledge of concepts, study designs, and methods in pharmacoepidemiology
Apply statistical techniques to generate real-world evidence using electronic health record data
Understand biases and other sources of error that can occur in studies using real-world data, and identify and apply strategies to avoid them

Who should apply?

Individuals concerned with the safe and effective use of medicines should apply, especially those working in:

The pharmaceutical industry who are involved in drug development, licensing, or surveillance
Regulatory bodies who are involved in licensing & surveillance
Academics interested in evaluating drug safety and effectiveness
The health service who are involved in drug policy and decision making

The course is designed for individuals with a grounding in epidemiological methods and concepts and/or some prior knowledge of pharmacoepidemiology, especially those who have completed the Certificate in Pharmacoepidemiology & Pharmacovigilance.

Applicants will normally have a science, biomedical or biostatistical background, hold a second class honours degree of a United Kingdom university (or equivalent) in a science, medical, statistical or related subject and will have some post-graduate experience in the area of pharmacoepidemiology. Students should already have an understanding of methodological concepts such as bias and confounding. The course includes computer practicals conducted in Stata. Prior experience of Stata is not required; however, some statistical programming experience is strongly encouraged. It is not expected that applicants will actually be conducting pharmacoepidemiology studies. Applicants should have a good command of English.

This course has been approved by the Federation of the Royal Colleges of Physicians of the United Kingdom for 20 category 1 (external) CPD credit(s).

Up to 30 participants will be accepted.

Advice for EU nationals

Students from the EU are very welcome at LSHTM and we would strongly encourage applications from EU nationals to this course.

Beyond Brexit: Why is Europe so important to us

Course details

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What topics will you cover?

Overview of study designs, including self-controlled designs, for pharmacoepidemiology
The practicalities of planning a study, including study design and reproducible codelist building
Measurements in pharmacoepidemiology - including outcomes, exposures, confounders, and issues of validation
Sources of RWD around the world used for pharmacoepidemiology and the importance of identification of fit-for-purpose dataâ€¯
Data-enabled trials
Sources of error in pharmacoepidemiological studies, including methods for dealing with bias and confounding, with a particular focus on confounding by indication
Thinking through causal relationships and regression model building
Propensity scores, including high-dimensional propensity scores
Quantitative bias analysis (QBA)
Dealing with missing data
Open science, reproducibility, and trusted research environments (TREs)
Tools for distributed network pharmacoepidemiological studies
Critical appraisal of published studies
Overview of new methods and insights within pharmacoepidemiological research, including:
- Vaccines and confounding
- Target trials and trial replication
- Pharmacoepidemiology in the digital era
- Pharmacoequity

Course delivery

This is an online course. There is no face-to-face component during this course.

All teaching will be delivered online and consists of self-study material using a combination of pre-recorded lectures with synchronous interactive live sessions, including Q&A and panel discussions (based on pre-recorded content) and computer-based practical sessions. Computer-based practical sessions will use Stata software. Prior experience of Stata is not required; however, some statistical programming experience is strongly encouraged. Participants will be sent a link to access the course material before the course begins.

The course is tentatively set to run 9:30-16:30 BST daily, which includes a mixture of time to watch pre-recorded content and interactive live sessions (e.g., Q&A, computer practicals) where students have the opportunity to apply and discuss concepts introduced in the pre-recorded content. We will run 10 sessions over 5 days, separated into an AM and PM block each day of the week. Live Q&A sessions will be recorded and made available to students. Computer practicals will not be recorded.

Assessment

There is no formal assessment but a Certificate of Attendance will be provided at the conclusion of the course.

Teaching faculty

Prof Krishnan Bhaskaran, LSHTM

Dr Helen Blake, LSHTM

Mr Jeremy Brown, LSHTM

Ms Astrid Coste, LSHTM

Prof Will Dixon, University of Manchester

Prof Ian Douglas, LSHTM

Prof Stephen Evans, LSHTM

Dr Utibe Essien, University of Pittsburgh

Dr Susana Perez Gutthann, RTI Health Solutions

Dr Emily Herrett, LSHTM

Dr Masao Iwgami, University of Tsukuba/LSHTM

Dr Rohini Mathur, LSHTM

Mr Julian Matthewman, LSHTM

Dr Helen McDonald, LSHTM

Prof Neil Pearce, LSHTM

Prof Sallie Pearson, University of New South Wales

Prof Dani Prieto-Alhambra, University of Oxford

Dr Christopher Rentsch, LSHTM/Yale

Dr Anna Schultze, LSHTM

Dr Helen Strongman, LSHTM

Dr John Tazare, LSHTM

Dr Jemma Walker, LSHTM

Dr Angel Wong, LSHTM

Dr Kevin Wing, LSHTM

Clinical Practice Research Database (CPRD) Research Team

How to apply

How to apply - Practical Pharmacoepidemiology

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Applications are now closed. You can register your interest and we will let you know when applications reopen.

When applying for discounted fees, please include proof of student or LMIC status instead of your CV. LMIC status can be confirmed with a passport and proof of current residence. Charity status refers to individuals who are currently affiliated with a Charity.

Please read LSHTM's Admissions policies prior to submitting your application.

Requirements

English Program Requirements

English Language requirements

As part of the application process, applicants are required to demonstrate how they meet LSHTM's minimum English Language requirements. This is particularly important for applicants requiring a Student Visa, as the UK Home Office requires that every student from outside the UK and Republic of Ireland shows evidence of a minimum level of English language ability (called CEFR B2 level) in order to be granted a Student visa and study in the UK.

Additionally, LSHTM asks for English language proficiency levels that are necessary for our academic programmes, which is slightly higher than the Common European Framework for languages (CEFR) B2 level.

English language requirements policy (pdf)

Accepted English language tests

The academic English language requirements for each of LSHTM’s programmes are categorised into one of three profiles:

Band A (highest requirement)
Band B (mid-range/’standard’ requirement)
Band C (lowest requirement)

Please refer to the appropriate Programme Specification for the English language requirement Band of your preferred programme.

IELTS (Academic)
Pearson PTE Academic

These tests are only valid for entry for 2 years. As a result the qualification must have been completed no more than 2 years prior to enrolment.

LSHTM requires the following minimum proficiency test scores. Please refer to the appropriate Programme Specification for the Band of your preferred programme.

	Band A	Band B	Band C
IELTS (Academic)	7.5 overall with 7.0 in each component	7.0 overall with 6.5 in each component	6.5 overall with 6.0 in each component
Pearson PTE Academic	80 overall with 80 in each component	76 overall with 76 in each component	59 overall with 59 in each component

Majority English-speaking countries

Last updated: 26 October 2022

The UK Government recognises the following countries as majority English-speaking countries:

Antigua and Barbuda
Australia
The Bahamas
Barbados
Belize
Dominica
Grenada
Guyana
Ireland
Jamaica
Malta
New Zealand
St Kitts and Nevis
St Lucia
St Vincent and the Grenadines
Trinidad and Tobago
United Kingdom
United States of America

These countries have been classified as majority English-speaking countries by the UK Government. Further information on Student Visa requirements, including Knowledge of English, can be found on the government website. In the interest of compliance, LSHTM is not able to consider other countries as majority English-speaking countries.

If you are a national of one of these countries, you are not required to submit evidence of English language proficiency.

If you have undertaken a full degree in one of the above countries, you will not be required to submit further evidence of your English Language if the degree certificate is successfully verified with the issuing body on receipt. Any applicant found to have submitted fraudulent documentation will have their application withdrawn.

Canadian nationals are also exempt from English Language requirements but non-Canadian nationals who have studied in Canada are required to meet standard English Language requirements due to Home Office policy.

Conditions

If you request to defer your entry to LSHTM, we may ask you to re-take your test if your original offer was based on a test which will be out of date at the point of registration. Our English language programme requirements and other accepted tests provide details of how long your qualification is deemed valid.

All test scores are verified with the issuing body on receipt. Any applicant found to have submitted a fraudulent score will have their application withdrawn.

LSHTM reserves the right to change minimum English Language requirements during an application cycle in-line with any compliance guidance released by the Home Office. In the event of a change in Home Office policy which affects entry requirements, the University will notify affected applicants in writing.

Exemptions

Applicants who are a national of a majority English-speaking country or who have successfully completed an appropriate academic qualification (at least equivalent to a UK Bachelor's degree), which was taught in a majority English speaking country from the UKVI approved country list automatically meet our English Language requirements.

UKVI’s approved country list

*Please note, Canadian nationals are exempt from English Language requirements but non-Canadian nationals who have studied in Canada are required to meet LSHTM’s standard English Language requirements due to Home Office regulations.

Academic entry requirements

LSHTM's minimum entry requirements for each of its degrees are listed below. Applicants who do not meet the minimum entry requirement for the programme of their choice but who have relevant professional experience may still be eligible for admission.

Master's programmes (intensive)

In order to be admitted to an LSHTM master's degree programme, an applicant must:

hold either a first degree at Second Class Honours (2:2) standard in a relevant discipline, or a degree in medicine recognised by the UK General Medical Council (GMC) for the purposes of practising medicine in the UK, or another degree of equivalent standard awarded by an overseas institution recognised by UK ENIC or the GMC).

hold a professional qualification appropriate to the programme of study to be followed obtained by written examinations and judged by LSHTM to be equivalent to a Second Class Honours (2:2) degree or above.

have relevant professional experience or training which is judged by LSHTM to be equivalent to a Second Class Honours (2:2) degree or above.

and

satisfy any additional requirements where prescribed for admission to a specific programme.

If you have not previously studied in the UK, you can check our guide to international equivalent qualifications for our master's degrees.

Some degree programmes may have a higher entry requirement than specified above. Please be sure to check the individual programme for any additional entry requirements.

MPhil and PhD

Academic requirements

The normal minimum entrance qualification for registration at the School on a MPhil/PhD programme is evidence of an aptitude for research and at least one of the following:

a master’s degree in a subject appropriate to the course of study to be followed (recommended)
a qualification appropriate to the course of study to be followed, in medicine, dentistry or veterinary studies
an Upper Second Class Honours (2:1) degree from a UK university, or an overseas qualification of an equivalent standard, in a relevant subject.

English language requirements

If English is not your first language, you will need to meet these requirements: Band B.

DrPH

Academic requirements

The normal minimum entrance qualification for registration at the School on a Doctoral programme is evidence of an aptitude for research and at least one of the following:

a master’s degree in a subject appropriate to the course of study to be followed (recommended)
a qualification appropriate to the course of study to be followed, in medicine, dentistry or veterinary studies
an Upper Second Class Honours (2:1) degree from a UK university, or an overseas qualification of an equivalent standard, in a relevant subject.

Applicants for the DrPH study are also required to have a minimum of two year's appropriate experience.

English language requirements

If English is not your first language, you will need to meet these requirements: Band B.

Essential digital skills

Digital skills and using computers are an everyday part of modern life – and you'll need both during your time at LSHTM.

You'll need to be able to use standard software (such as Word), a web browser and email. You'll also need to be able to type at a reasonable speed in order to perform to the best of your ability during any online assessments – for reference, the average person types around 40 words per minute – there are a number of free typing speed tests available online.

It'll benefit your studies if you know how to:

use digital technologies to find, evaluate and create information
communicate effectively with online technologies
select the correct tools to complete online and offline tasks
perform tasks efficiently in a variety of digital environments

Whatever you're studying you'll need to know how to work with digital technologies, stay safe online and build a positive online presence.

Reasonable adjustments and support are available for students who have additional accessibility or learning needs, and LSHTM recognises the use of voice to text or alternative software being available for those students with disabilities.

Fee Information

Tuition Fee

GBP 0

How to Apply

Applying for CPD and short courses

All of our short courses can be applied for online. Details on how to apply including fees and payment deadline can be found the page of the course you are interested in. A link to the online application form will be found on the tab of the chosen course. For a full details of what is on offer, please visit our short courses section.

Please also read our Continuing Professional Development (CPD) and short courses admissions policy before applying for a course.

Applying for London-based modules

Details on how to apply including fees and payment deadline can be found on the London-based module section of the website. Applicants for individual modules should complete the MSc module application form and email it to [email protected].

Please note that the School gives priority to the needs of students registering for masters and research degrees, and so places on any module may be limited.

Applying for distance learning modules

Applications should be made online to the University of London international programmes. Applicants should go to the relevant programme webpage and click on the corresponding ‘Apply online’ tab. Please see below for the list of available modules per programme and to apply: