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Special Topics: Oncology and Public Health

Course Number
CHL8010H S3
Series
8000 (Special Topics)
Format
Lecture

Course Description

The students will learn about the most recent advances in cancer treatment and control, and about the state of the art of cancer research being conducted in the foremost cancer research settings. The emphasis will be on design and interpretation of observational prospective studies of cancer risk in various contexts, but clinical trials will also be covered. Lecture topics will be based on research conducted by the instructor or guest lecturer who will be a world expert in the field.

Course Objectives

By the end of this course, students will be able to:

  1. Be aware of the importance of cancer in public health, including incidence, mortality, and case fatality.
  2. Be familiar with aspects of treatment pertaining to common cancer sites.
  3. Critically examine issues related to observational studies in cancer epidemiology, including prevention, risk factors, screening, and treatment.
  4. Be familiar with various methods of conducting research studies in cancer including laboratory science, epidemiology, and treatment evaluation.
  5. Have a critical knowledge of methods to evaluate studies of cancer screening.
  6. Be familiar with administrative linkage methods in Ontario related to cancer risk evaluation.

Methods of Assessment

Journal Article Presentation 20%
First Assignment – cancer risk factor 30%
Second Assignment – cancer screening 30%
Class Participation 20%

General Requirements

Students must have taken a graduate-level course in quantitative methods (e.g., Biostatistics 1-CHL5201H or Cancer Epidemiology-CHL5409H).

Winter 2025