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Unit of study_
FMHU5001: Foundations of Health Research
2025 unit information
This unit introduces students to the principles and foundations of health research methodologies and ethics. Students will learn about the main methodologies used to conduct research that is scientifically and ethically sound and be able to critically appraise and review literature. We will introduce common study designs and research methodologies, including qualitative, epidemiologic and clinical studies, and discuss their strengths and limitations. We will introduce students to the main principles of conducting data analysis and the basis to choose amongst different statistical methods. Obtaining ethics approval is necessary for any study involving the collection or analysis of data involving humans, animals or their tissues. Hence, in this unit we will cover ethics in research and when and how to apply for ethics approval. Students will also learn about main concepts in health economics and economical evaluations of interventions and health policies.
Unit details and rules
Managing faculty or University school:
Medicine and Health
| Study level | Postgraduate |
|---|---|
| Academic unit | Public Health |
| Credit points | 6 |
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Prerequisites:
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None |
|---|---|
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Corequisites:
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None |
| Prohibitions:
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MEDF5005 or NTDT5602 |
| Assumed knowledge:
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Basic knowledge in mathematics |
At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:
- LO1. • LO1: Describe the importance and the principles of ethics in the context of health research (GQ6, GQ7, GQ8, GQ9)
- LO2. • LO2: Identify the main elements and methodologies of qualitative, epidemiologic and clinical research (GQ2, GQ5, GQ7)
- LO3. • LO3: Identify the steps of a statistical analysis and the principles used to select the appropriate statistical method(s) (GQ2, GQ4)
- LO4. • LO4: Understand the principles of health economics, namely, resource scarcity, incentives, opportunity cost, efficiency, and equity, and their practical application in real-life examples (GQ2, GQ5)
Unit availability
This section lists the session, attendance modes and locations the unit is available in. There is a unit outline for each of the unit availabilities, which gives you information about the unit including assessment details and a schedule of weekly activities.
The outline is published 2 weeks before the first day of teaching. You can look at previous outlines for a guide to the details of a unit.
| Session | MoA ? | Location | Outline ? |
|---|---|---|---|
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Semester 1 2025
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Online | Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney |
Outline unavailable
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Modes of attendance (MoA)
This refers to the Mode of attendance (MoA) for the unit as it appears when you’re selecting your units in Sydney Student. Find more information about modes of attendance on our website.
