The Publication of Master's Students' Course Projects

Dartmouth’s MPH program offers a research-focused elective course to its students. About a quarter of all student projects in Systematic Review move forward to publication. The course teaches the process of writing a systematic review, from developing a research question through a comprehensive literature search to writing a draft manuscript. Systematic reviews are crucial to evidence-based practice as they provide high-quality information for decision-makers. 

Students' work begins in the fall with a required 10-week course, Inferential Methods in Epidemiology and Public Health. In groups of three to four, students write a research proposal on a public health topic of their choice. Research questions are varied, focusing on health equity, infectious disease, and maternal health. This research proposal outlines research methods, including a detailed search strategy to identify relevant studies, and explains the significance of the topic.

Renata Yen, PhD, MPH leads students in moving their proposals forward during winter term when students have the option to continue their work in an elective course, Systematic Review, which guides them through the process of research and writing for a systematic review. Students learn how to search databases, screen for relevant articles, collect and synthesize data and communicate their findings in a publication-quality systematic review manuscript.  Some systematic reviews also include meta-analysis which involves the use of statistical techniques to analyze data across studies. Following the course, several groups choose to continue to work towards presentation or publication of their systematic review. 

Four noteworthy publications or presentations have resulted from this course since 2020. 

• Examining Interventions that Aim to Enhance TB Treatment Adherence in Southeast Asia: A Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis by Rebekah Davis, Hannah Leavitt, Aditya Singh, Eleni Fanouraki, Renata Yen, and Reed Bratches published in the Indian Journal of Tuberculosis in March 2023. Davis et al. found that interventions used by clinics to promote tuberculosis treatment resulted in a statistically significant increase in treatment completion. Therefore, they advocate for future studies to determine the clinical significance of programs providing tuberculosis treatment.
• Comprehensive Sexuality Education to Reduce Pregnancy and STIs in Adolescents in the United States: A Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis by Amy Bordogna, Amanda Coyle, Alina Manko, and Renata Yen was published in the American Journal of Sexuality Education in June 2022. Overall, their results support that the implementation of comprehensive sexuality education by schools increased safe-sex behaviors among teens and did not impact sexual activity or sexually transmitted infections.
• Effect of Probiotics on Mental Health and their Association with Serum Neurometabolites in Adults with Depression or Anxiety: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis by Shefali Gladson, Ja Mai Htun, Laila Akallal, Renata Yen, and Rebecca Emeny was presented as a poster at the 2022 American College of Gastroenterology Annual Meeting, October 2022 in Charlotte, NC. They received a Presidential Poster Award which is given to a small number of posters at the conference to recognize high quality and interesting research. In their analysis, the team found that probiotics reduced kynurenine levels, an amino acid that has been linked to depression. Probiotics were also associated with lower symptoms of anxiety and depression. The team is currently preparing their paper for publication.
• Racial Disparities in Outcomes After Spine Surgery: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis by Imad Khan, Walker Maeder-York, Renata Yen, Nathan Simmons, Perry Ball, and Timothy Ryken was published in October 2021 in World Neurosurgery. Khan et al. found that Black patients have a significantly higher risk of adverse outcomes, from longer hospital stays to death, compared to White patients. They conclude that future research should focus on how to reduce this disparity in surgical outcomes.

POSTED 7/25/2023 AT 01:06 PM IN #education