Epidemiology and Biostatistics

The Division assists with undergraduate epidemiology and biostatistics teaching in the MBChB curriculum (including during Semesters 3-5, and as part of the 4th year Public Health teaching programme) and as part of research methods teaching for allied health sciences students.

The Division provides epidemiology and biostatistics teaching at both introductory and advanced levels. Most of the Division's teaching is through the Master of Public Health (MPH) programme and Master of Science (MSc) programme, where the Division convenes the Epidemiology and Biostatistics track.
Courses taught by the Division include:

• Introduction to Epidemiology
• Advanced Epidemiology
• Clinical Epidemiology
• Seminars in Epidemiology & Biostatistics
• Infectious Diseases Epidemiology
• Non-Communicable Diseases Epidemiology
• Evidence-Based Health Care
• Biostatistics I (Introduction to Biostatistics)
• Biostatistics II (Introduction to generalised linear modelling)
• Biostatistics III (Advanced modelling, repeated measures and further topics)

Additional teaching takes place on a range of short-courses and special seminars throughout the Faculty. This additional teaching typically focusses on either general research methods (study design, measurement, causal inference, etc) and/or specific advanced topics. Recent topics for short-courses and seminars include:

• Spatial epidemiology & statistics
• Mathematical modelling of diseases
• Structural equation modelling
• Missing data and imputation
• Modelling for causal inference
• Methods for sampling and analysis of population health surveys

In addition, the Division offers PhDs in Epidemiology and Biostatistics. While the PhD programme is by dissertation-only, most of our PhD students enter through the MPH, and/or participate in short-courses and seminars programme.

The Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics offers a comprehensive epidemiology and biostatistics consulting service within the Faculty of Health Sciences. 

Services:

• Research design: Advice regarding research design, sample size, questionnaire development and data collection methodologies
• Data collection: Guidance for data capturing, cleaning and management
• Statistical analysis: Analysis and reporting of data and assistance with data interpretation 
• Training: Customised short courses on any of these topics are available upon request 

It is strongly recommended that clients contact the consulting unit as early as possible in the research process, ideally before starting their project. 

Clientele include:

• Postgraduate student research projects (including Honours, research Masters, PhD)
• Postdoctoral researchers
• Research / academic staff
• For coursework masters students, assistance is provided only for dissertation research; we do not support coursework assignments

Scoping consultation:
An initial brief meeting is used to assess your research needs before engaging the consulting unit. This helps us tailor our support to your specific project. 

Fees and payment:
The unit operates on a cost-recovery basis, with all chargeable work billed at an hourly rate (available upon request). Full payment must be received before work begins. Please note that we do not bill students directly; if statistical support is required for student projects, supervisors or their respective departments are responsible for the funding and should initiate contact with the unit.  Supervisors wishing to access services for student postgraduate projects are required to make the initial request to the consulting unit. The service is provided subject to the availability of consultants and the consulting unit reserves the right to terminate or refuse service.

Contact us:
To request consulting services, please contact the unit via email: epibios.consult@uct.ac.za.  We look forward to helping you achieve your research goals! 

Research interests and activities in the Division include:

• Infectious diseases epidemiology, including HIV, tuberculosis and sexually transmitted infections
• Maternal and child health
• Obesity and cardiovascular diseases
• Women's reproductive health, including contraception and termination of pregnancy
• Climate change and health
• The design, conduct and analysis of clinical trials
• Methods for modelling longitudinal data

Researchers in the Division collaborate with investigators in other parts of the School of Public Health (including the Division of Socio-Behavioural Sciences and CIDER). The Faculty (including the Departments of Paediatrics and Child Health, Clinical and Laboratory Sciences and Medicine) and University (including the Department of Statistical Sciences and African Climate and Development Initiative). 

About:
The Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics offers a series of R training courses annually, designed for participants at different skill levels. Each session is 3 hours long and will take place either on Wednesday or Friday from 10:00-13:00.  The courses are structured in a recommended sequence based on skill level to ensure progressive learning. Click on the respective links below to sign up. 
Fees:
For currently registered students or staff in the School of Public Health there is no fee. For all other participants, a fee of R600 per course applies. This fee must be paid via internal journal transfer only. A signed journal or proof of transfer will be required before access is granted. 
Course content:
The course content ranges from beginner to advanced levels. These courses are primarily designed for current MPH and PhD students in the School of Public Health, with an emphasis on supporting these students as they complete their coursework and dissertations. However, researchers conducting quantitative analysis are also encouraged to enrol.  

If you would like to discuss a bespoke course please email epiadmin@uct.ac.za and copy frissiano.honwana@uct.ac.za. 

Register:
Register via the provided link  using your email.