Course Offerings through the R3ISE Center

Applies basic anatomy and physiology principles to current public health problems. Teaches through specific reading assignments, individual activities, whole class discussions, short objective tests as well as case studies. Focuses on brief, supplementary presentations on seminal discoveries and current research topics in the public health field.

https://publichealth.jhu.edu/course/39747 

Do you love to "think science"? Would you enjoy looking at scientific questions through an unusual lens? Do you find stories about scientific discoveries fascinating, and would you like to learn more about what they mean to our scientific practice? Then this course is for you!

Examines the nature and philosophical foundations of science using an interdisciplinary approach that emphasizes critical thinking and storytelling; discusses the principles of good scientific practice – rigor, reproducibility and responsibility (the 3R's) - by exploring revolutionary discoveries in the life, public health and natural sciences; elaborates the relationship between theory, practice and serendipity in scientific discovery, and concludes with a discussion of the role of scientists in society.

https://publichealth.jhu.edu/course/39803 

To err is human and we must be aware that experiments and studies can have errors. While sometimes, errors can be sources of innovation, we are facing a retraction epidemic of scientific articles. Interested in learning how you can help? Equipped with guidelines from the field of meta-science you will learn to recognize errors in interdisciplinary research practice; research public repositories to find experimental flaws or signs of questionable research practices in published studies; and write a critical review for Retraction Watch.

Examines sources of error in scientific practice (misconduct or honest mistakes, methodological or systematic errors). Presents real-world examples to analyze errors that cause problems in science across the disciplines. Introduces methodological and mathematical approaches to error reduction. Explores the review- and retraction mechanisms for journal articles and grants as methods of science self-correction. Discusses historic and contemporary cases where errors constitute sources of innovation.

https://publichealth.jhu.edu/course/40213 

Are you tired of poor argumentation in the news, in public debates or in even in scientific-professional contexts? Are you interested in learning a structured approach on how to be the most reasonable person in the room using practical logic? Do you enjoy analyzing and evaluating evidence to test hypotheses, and using them to engage in debates about the most pressing, global problems in science and society today? Then join us!

Provides a broad introduction to interdisciplinary, scientific reasoning using current problems from science and society. Explores the fundamentals of basic probability and statistics using real-world datasets from a variety of basic science disciplines. Introduces data analysis and visualization in the natural and biomedical sciences. Explains the importance of computational and quantitative methods for hypothesis testing in science, technology, and daily life.

https://publichealth.jhu.edu/course/40827 

Acquaints students with the basics of effective oral and written communications in the form of brief exercises. Focuses on clarity and simplicity in presentation practice across disciplines and cultures to emphasize central messages. Introduces students to writing succinctly for advocacy using "compelling writers strategies" for opinion pieces and short speeches.

https://publichealth.jhu.edu/course/40247 

Do you feel your ability to deliver an elevator pitch needs a refresher? How often have you wished you had expressed yourself in a more succinct way in high or low stakes situations? And how good are you explaining what you do at work or in class to friends and family? Being able to communicate our work as health science professionals clearly, confidently and accessibly is an important skill set in our daily practice. This course will provide you with basic, practice-oriented communication training in a collegial atmosphere - and in unusual settings - to help you become more confident and effective at speaking in lay terms and at expert level.

Introduces students to current trends in presentation design and delivery. Focuses on narrative-oriented thinking to improve information dissemination. Emphasizes clarity and simplicity in communication practice in multiple settings, targeting both lay and interdisciplinary expert audiences.

https://publichealth.jhu.edu/course/40221 

Do you enjoy helping others learn? Ever wanted to know more about how the science of learning may inform your teaching style? Interested in building and diversifying your educational repertoire to teach science effectively? Join us for the foundations part of our interdisciplinary, evidence-based teaching course sequence!

Acquaints students interested in teaching in biomedical and health professional settings with the foundations of how adults learn as well as the science of learning. Explores practical applications of evidence-based teaching techniques most relevant to the biomedical and public health professions. Discusses a variety of assessment techniques, and their alignment with learning objectives and educational strategies using state of the art course design.

https://publichealth.jhu.edu/course/39790 

Are you interested in fundamental ideas about cause and effect relationships, and how they govern biomedical and public health researchers' work? Understanding causal relationships is essential to our abilities to explain why things happen, predict what will happen, and design interventions. We will discuss different theories of causation, and analyze how different fields in science and health establish causality. In this course, faculty from each JHSPH Department will lead a discussion of how causal relationships are understood within their field, and what approaches allow us to gain causal insight on that topic by observing phenomena ranging in scale from the molecular to the global.

Acquaints students with the central concept of causation across the biomedical and public health disciplines. Discusses how cause and effect relationships govern today's research and evidence-based decision-making based on the social, physical, political, and economic determinants of health. Compares how fields and sub-disciplines in biomedicine and public health approach causation using research case examples that illustrate major morbidity and mortality-related health problems. Examines strategies to mitigate the limitations of causal inference.

https://publichealth.jhu.edu/course/40296 

Writing is the essential skill for advancing your education and career. If you can write clearly, concisely and persuasively, your ideas, findings and analysis will resonate with peers, leaders in your field, and the public. This course provides a systematic approach to writing that will help you in many aspects of your work as a student, a scientist, a public health professional or a policymaker. It will sharpen the skills of strong writers and boost the confidence of those who are apprehensive about writing. Regardless of where you’re coming from, this course will help you write quickly, precisely, and confidently.

Introduces a system of planning, organization, writing and revision. Emphasizes the importance of defining the message, audience and purpose for any piece of writing. Illuminates the basic elements of good writing. Focuses on clear, concise and persuasive writing. Explores the use of rhetoric and storytelling to maximize a piece of writing's impact. Emphasizes best practices in various forms of writing.

https://publichealth.jhu.edu/course/40242 

When you give a presentation that includes a graph or chart, are you aware of the choices you're making in designing that visualization? Do you have a process for defining the goal of the visualization and choosing the appropriate chart type based on that goal? Are you cognizant how your choices in chart axes, series color, and even line thickness affect the ability of your audience to correctly process the main point of the visualization? This course aims to give students practical experience in creating basic data visualizations in Excel for use in presentations and infographics for non-expert audiences that are based on research-driven design principles.

Introduces students to Gestalt principles of visual perception and pre-attentive processing in service of creating data visualizations in Excel and presenting in PowerPoint to non-expert audiences. Utilizes multiple chart and graph types in Excel to create diverse visualizations for the general public. Focuses on storytelling in design and visualization techniques in service of creating effective data-driven presentations for non-expert audiences. Concepts around data visualization in Excel are transferrable to other platforms (e.g., Tableau).

https://publichealth.jhu.edu/course/40477 

It is important to develop a daily writing habit. Many of us would like to write more, however, don't know where to start or to establish a routine. This seminar series will feature people who experienced those same issues and will share their tips and tricks on how to overcome these hurdles. Individually and as a group, participants will find the method most valuable to them and use it to become productive, daily writers. 

Acquaints students with established methods to overcome writing block and write productively. Introduces participants to realistic goal setting and achievement. Prepares students to structure their thoughts and bring them to paper in a reasonable time. Emphasizes the value of learning from others' work and helping others improve to constantly self-improve.

https://publichealth.jhu.edu/course/39848 

Mentorship is a skill set that needs to be learned and continuously trained throughout a lifetime. But what is good mentorship? Many of us have experienced what it means to be mentees as well as mentors, but few were formally trained in this capacity. In this course, you will have opportunities to reflect on the characteristics of effective mentorship, analyze authentic case scenarios, exchange your thoughts with peers in a supportive community of practice, and most importantly, learn how you can grow as a mentor.

Examines the literature on evidence-based mentoring. Introduces participants to authentic mentoring situations taken from real-life cases, enriched by practitioner interviews. Discusses responsibilities, reciprocities, and trust-building in mentor-mentee relationships. Emphasizes and nurtures mentorship practices based on self-responsibility, personal growth, active listening, social intelligence, mutual support, goal setting, ethics and equitable leadership, and cultural sensitivity. Focuses on collaborative, reflective practice with the goal of developing one’s own, unique mentorship philosophy. Acquaints participants with the benefits of mutual peer support through an inclusive community of practice.

https://publichealth.jhu.edu/course/40906 

Do you sometimes struggle to understand the deeper meaning of the scientific literature across the biomedical and public health disciplines? Do you find yourself having trouble identifying the underlying reasoning of an experimental design in some journal articles? Did you ever wonder how some authors arrive at their conclusions based on the data presented? Would you like to learn how to better articulate your literature critique? Join us and learn about the anatomy of the modern journal article from the ground up. We emphasize critically-evaluative thinking about scientific practice through the lens of interdisciplinary literature discussions from the biomedical and public health sciences.

Challenges the classical format of a journal club by preparing students to critically evaluate literature across the science disciplines. Acquaints students with concrete applications of the 3 R’s of good scientific practice: rigor, responsibility, and reproducibility. Discusses techniques for effective research literature analysis and evaluation. Emphasizes in-depth understanding of journal article preparation, data evaluation, and the context of conclusions and discussion points within a given research field.

https://publichealth.jhu.edu/course/39842