330.690.11
Applications and Analysis of Epigenetic Data in Public Health Research

Location
East Baltimore
Term
Summer Institute
Department
Mental Health
Credit(s)
1
Academic Year
2020 - 2021
Instruction Method
TBD
Start Date
Monday, June 1, 2020
End Date
Tuesday, June 2, 2020
Class Time(s)
M, Tu, 9:00am - 12:50pm
Auditors Allowed
No
Available to Undergraduate
No
Grading Restriction
Pass/Fail
Course Instructor(s)
Peter Zandi
Brion Maher
Brion Maher
Christine Ladd-Acosta
Course Instructor(s)
Andrew Jaffe
Contact Name
Brion Maher
Frequency Schedule
One Year Only
Next Offered
Only offered in 2020
Description
This course will describe the rationale for inclusion of epigenetic measurement in public health research. It will then describe molecular measurement options, design choices, and analytic approaches to such data in the study of environmental and genetic epidemiology.
Presents applications of epigenetic measurement in public health research. Begins by providing a rationale for such work, then describing measurement tools, from single-site methylation typing, to array-based methods, and whole-genome sequencing. Study design options, quality control analyses, and association analyses will then be presented. Examples based on both mental and physical health outcomes will be used.
Learning Objectives
Upon successfully completing this course, students will be able to:
  1. Describe the rationale for including epigenetic measurements in public health research
  2. Describe the single-site and genome-scale approaches to epigenetic measurement, appropriate for public health research
  3. Apply quality-control analysis to epigenetic data generated in epidemiologic sample sets
  4. Apply association analyses to identify epigenetic marks associated with genes, exposures, and/or disease outcomes
Methods of Assessment
This course is evaluated as follows:
  • 20% In-class Exercises
  • 40% Quizzes
  • 40% Written Assignment(s)
Instructor Consent
No consent required
Special Comments

The course will move to a virtual format in two one half day sessions using Zoom. This course is offered in partnership with the Department of Epidemiology course 340.833.11 DESIGNS AND ANALYSIS FOR HUMAN GENOMIC SEQUENCING DATA. Participants are encouraged to register for both courses. An optional second day epigenetic computing laboratory (330.990.11) will be offered to teach the software implementation of methods described in the course.