Clinical and Translational Research (Thesis): Clinical Research (M.Sc.) (45 credits)
Offered by: Medicine (Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences)
Degree: Master of Science
Program credit weight: 45
Program Description
The M.Sc. in Clinical and Translational Research; Clinical Research focuses on applying basic concepts in clinical epidemiology, biostatistics, clinical and patient reported outcomes, and applied data science to design and analyse clinically relevant research questions. Basic tools to manage and analyse high-volume streams of clinical and health-related data from clinical systems, wearables and social media to address research questions. The thesis must focus on clinical research.
Required Courses (33 credits)
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| EPIB 675 | Special Topics 6. | 3 |
Special Topics 6. Terms offered: Summer 2026, Fall 2026, Winter 2027 Study, through lectures, guided reading, practicals, assignments etc., of an elected and approved topic of epidemiologic importance. | ||
| EXMD 634 | Quantitative Research Methods. | 3 |
Quantitative Research Methods. Terms offered: Fall 2026 Topics covered include: 1) An overview of common research designs based on examples from research currently undertaken in the Division of Experimental Medicine; 2) Types of data arising from these designs; 3) Basic methods for data analysis; and 4) Application of these methods to student research projects. | ||
| EXMD 692 | Master's Thesis Research 3. | 9 |
Master's Thesis Research 3. Terms offered: Fall 2026, Winter 2027 Independent research work under the direction of the Thesis Supervisor and the Supervisory Committee. | ||
| EXMD 693 | Master's Thesis Research 4. | 12 |
Master's Thesis Research 4. Terms offered: Fall 2026, Winter 2027 Independent research work under the direction of the Thesis Supervisor and the Supervisory Committee. | ||
| POTH 628 | Introduction to Regression Analysis. | 3 |
Introduction to Regression Analysis. Terms offered: Winter 2027 Commonly used regression modelling approaches in the health sciences, linear and logistic regression models. Topics include: general concepts behind statistical model building, selection of appropriate model, preparatory descriptive analyses prior to regression modelling, fitting, interpreting and evaluating some linear and logistic regression models. | ||
| POTH 630 | Measurement: Rehabilitation 2. | 3 |
Measurement: Rehabilitation 2. Terms offered: Winter 2027 Theoretical and practical basis for measurement in rehabilitation research. Introduction to measurement theory, scale development and related statistics, approaches and instruments used to assess outcomes in patients with musculoskeletal, neurological, cardiovascular, respiratory, psychiatric or psychological conditions. | ||
Complementary Courses (12 credits)
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| EXMD 510 | Bioanalytical Separation Methods. | 3 |
Bioanalytical Separation Methods. Terms offered: Fall 2026 The student will be taught the capabilities and limitations of modern separation methods (gas and high-performance liquid chromatography, capillary electrophoresis, hyphenated techniques). Application of these techniques to solve analytical problems relevant to biomedical research will be emphasized, with special attention being paid to the processing of biological samples. | ||
| EXMD 521 | Computational Methods Single-Cell Analytics. | 3 |
Computational Methods Single-Cell Analytics. Terms offered: Fall 2026 Computational methods (particularly machine learning methods) for various single-cell data analysis, modelling, and visualization tasks that could drive novel biomedical discoveries, focusing on “real-world” biomedical applications. | ||
| EXMD 600 | Principles of Clinical Research. | 3 |
Principles of Clinical Research. Terms offered: Fall 2026 Foundations for conducting clinical research including the principles underlying clinical studies, an overview of key methods in clinical research and the critical interpretation of peer-reviewed literature. | ||
| EXMD 602 | Techniques in Molecular Genetics. | 3 |
Techniques in Molecular Genetics. Terms offered: Winter 2027 Precise description of available methods in molecular genetics, and rationales for choosing particular techniques to answer questions posed in research proposals for targeting genes in the mammalian genome. Emphasis placed on analysis of regulation of gene expression and mapping, strategies for gene cloning. Course divided between lectures and student seminars. | ||
| EXMD 604 | Recent Advances in Cellular and Molecular Biology 1. | 3 |
Recent Advances in Cellular and Molecular Biology 1. Terms offered: Fall 2026 Recent aspects of cell and molecular biology, including cellular organelle structure and function, molecular genetics, gene expression regulation, DNA replication and protein trafficking. | ||
| EXMD 605 | Recent Advances in Cellular and Molecular Biology 2. | 3 |
Recent Advances in Cellular and Molecular Biology 2. Terms offered: Winter 2027 Recent aspects of cell and molecular biology, includin signal transduction, cell growth and development, and immunology. | ||
| EXMD 609 | Cellular Methods in Medical Research. | 3 |
Cellular Methods in Medical Research. Terms offered: Fall 2026 Different cellular methods used in biomedical research, including spectroscopic, microscopic and immunological techniques as well as statistics. Lectures, some demonstrations by faculty as well as short seminars given by the students. | ||
| EXMD 610 | Molecular Methods in Medical Research. | 3 |
Molecular Methods in Medical Research. Terms offered: Winter 2027 Different molecular methods used in biomedical research, including chromatography, purification and analysis of proteins and nucleic acids, various techniques in molecular biology, transgenic technology, and stem cells. Lectures, some demonstrations, and short seminars given by the students. | ||
| EXMD 616 | Molecular and Cell Biology Topics. | 3 |
Molecular and Cell Biology Topics. Terms offered: Fall 2026 Structured and instructor-directed student presentations and discussions of recent advances in molecular and cellular biology. The course will reinforce the students' knowledge of currently major areas of investigation, with a focus on human disease and medical applications. Important recent publications will extend material from textbook and review articles. | ||
9 credits from the following:
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| EPIB 629 | Knowledge Synthesis. | 3 |
Knowledge Synthesis. Terms offered: Fall 2026 This course will provide a detailed description of the systematic review process, discuss the strengths and limitations of the method, and provide step-by-step guidance on how to perform a systematic review, and how to critically appraise systematic reviews. Specific topics to be covered include: formulation of the review question, searching of literature, quality assessment of studies, data extraction, meta-analytic methods, and report writing. The course will also cover statistical issues of meta-analysis. | ||
| EXMD 651 | Statistical Models for Health Research. | 3 |
Statistical Models for Health Research. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Introduction to the concepts necessary for construction of statistical models relevant to clinical research, biomedical research and other areas of health research. Modern methods and software for estimating the parameters of these models and for drawing inferences and predictions from them. The models will be applied to data drawn from health research studies. The value and limitations of statistical models vs. machine learning models. | ||
| POTH 631 | Research Proposal. | 3 |
Research Proposal. Terms offered: Winter 2027 The course covers issues involved in the development of a research protocol. The presentation of a written thesis proposal is required by the end of the course. This document will serve as the basis for an oral presentation to the student's Supervisory Committee who will also review the written proposal. | ||
Other courses, at the 500 level or higher, may be chosen in consultation with and approval by the program director.