To complete the scenario section of the final, choose a scenario and paste it where indicated below. You may delete the other scenarios from the body of the exam. Answer the questions regarding the study you designed, giving the answers following each of the questions. If one of the questions isnât applicable to your study, respond N/A after the question. Any additional information about the study youâve designed can be added at the end of the required questions and will likely generate some extra points.
Design an epidemiological study for only ONE of the 6 scenarios below and provide at minimum the following information about your study:
Scenario 1: A new vaccine (NoBola) has been developed to prevent Ebola. Design a study that will indicate whether or not NoBola is associated with a reduction in Ebola cases in parts of the world where Ebola is endemic.
Please answer the above questions
1⢠Describe how you will recruit or identify study participants to best represent the target population
2⢠Describe the risks and benefits of participating in the study
3⢠Provide a case definition (e.g. in a cohort study, how will you diagnose those who become ill, in a case-control or cross-sectional study, what characteristics does the participant need to have to be considered a case)
4⢠Describe exposures or risk factors and how you will measure them
5⢠Describe exclusion criteria (e.g. in a prospective cohort study, a person who tests positive for illness at or near baseline must be excluded)
6⢠Describe how you will collect data for your study (survey, medical records, laboratory tests, etc.)
7⢠Divide subjects as appropriate for your study design (i.e. exposed/unexposed, case/control)
8⢠Describe outcome measure for study, how itâs calculated, and how itâs to be interpreted (you donât need to actually do calculations, but provide the equations and give an example of how theyâre interpreted): For example: RR=a/(a+b) interpreted as the risk of lung cancer in smokers is X times greater (or less) than it is in non-smokers
9⢠Give justification for your study design (tell why you chose that particular study design, why it is appropriate, and what you hoped to learn from doing the study)
10⢠Brief discussion of study strengths and weaknesses including a discussion of causal hypotheses and biases as they relate to your study design
