Practical Statistics for Epidemiology using R

About This Course

The field of epidemiology centres around the study of the patterns, causes and effects of diverse health problems in the population. It is the quantitative science underpinning public health and requires a fundamental understanding of how to interpret and present statistical results.

This course is designed by experienced statisticians and epidemiologists from Oxford Population Health, renowned for its large-scale and innovative observational studies and trials, such as the Million Women Study and the RECOVERY Trial on COVID-19 treatments.

Maximum capacity: 20

Venue: Old Road Campus, Headington, Oxford

Date

1st December 2026 - 4th December 2026.
Big Data Institute, Old Road Campus, University of Oxford

 Who is this course for?

Practical Statistics for Epidemiology using R is intended for those who have been exposed to the field of epidemiology. Prior knowledge of epidemiological measures of association such as prevalence, odds, risks, rates and their ratios is required. This is the companion and follow-on course from our Introduction to Epidemiology short course. It is aimed at researchers who use epidemiological data and work alongside statisticians. No prior experience with statistics or statistical software is required, although some experience in a numerate discipline may help participants understand the topics presented. 

Course content

The course runs in-person over four days (9:30-16:00) at the Big Data Institute on Old Road Campus, University of Oxford. During this course, participants will be introduced to::

• processing and visualising epidemiological data using the statistical programme R
• interpreting hypothesis tests, p values, and statistical power
• use of statistical models for population surveys, case-control studies, and prospective studies
• statistical techniques to assess and address bias and confounding
• appropriate presentation of epidemiological results in tables and figures
• running an analysis from start to finish

All course content employs the freely-available statistical programme R. The teaching on this course is a combination of lectures, hands-on practicals with data from the World Health Organization, online quizzes and pre-recorded videos.

Lunch will be provided. 

Outcomes

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

• understand how key epidemiological data are statistically analysed and presented
• practice running an epidemiological analysis from start to finish using R

If you have any queries on this course, please contact the course team: epi.courses@ndph.ox.ac.uk

Course Fees

£800  

Students and staff from Nuffield Department of Population Health can attend for free. Other students and residents of low-and-middle-income countries can attend for a 60% discount, for a fee of £320. Please contact the course organisers to discuss eligibility and receive the discount code for booking.

Sign up for this course today.