Major Textbook on Research Methodology Published
Aug 16, 2012
How do you teach medical research? How do you design a good study or develop a workable hypothesis? How do you shape research to improve patient care?
These and many more questions are addressed in an authoritative textbook detailing the clinical research process, written by researchers and clinicians at SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University and other institutions. Principles of Research Methodology: A Guide for Clinical Investigators, published by Springer, is designed to help healthcare professionals successfully conduct scientific research and also help them to better evaluate research published in the medical media.
“We believe that this comprehensive book, which spans the entire research process and focuses on the critical role of the research hypothesis, will prove a unique resource to medical students, physicians, and translational scientists, among others, who typically lack formal broad training in research methodology and wish to expand their knowledge base,” said Phyllis Supino, EdD, professor of medicine and public health, and director of clinical epidemiology and clinical research in the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine at SUNY Downstate.
Dr. Supino, who has many years of experience studying and teaching research methodology,
is editor of the book, along with Jeffrey S. Borer, MD, chair of medicine and chief
of cardiovascular medicine at SUNY Downstate. Dr. Borer is also director of The Howard
Gilman Institute for Heart Valve Diseases and the Cardiovascular Translational Research
Institute, both located at SUNY Downstate.
The text familiarizes the reader with the logic of research design and hypothesis
construction, the importance of research planning, the ethical basis of human subjects
research, the basics of writing a clinical research protocol and scientific paper,
the logic and techniques of data generation and management, and the fundamentals and
implications of various sampling techniques and alternative statistical methodologies.
Written by medical scientists and methodologists who have extensive experience in biomedical investigation and in teaching key aspects of research methodology to medical students, physicians and other health professionals, the text integrates theory with examples and employs language that is clear and useful for a general medical audience. Each of the 13 chapters ends with Take-Home Points summarizing key information.
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About SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University
Downstate Health Sciences University in Brooklyn is one of four academic health centers (AMCs) in The State University of New York (SUNY) 64-campus system and the only SUNY AMC in New York City dedicated to health education, research, and patient care for the borough’s 2.7 million residents. Its flagship hospital, University Hospital at Downstate (UHD), is a teaching hospital and benefits from the expertise of Downstate’s exceptional medical school and world-class academic center research facilities. With a staff of over 800 physicians representing 53 specialties and subspecialties, Downstate offers comprehensive healthcare services to the community.
UHD provides high-risk neonatal and infant services, pediatric nephrology, and dialysis for kidney diseases and is the only kidney transplantation program in Brooklyn. Beyond its clinical expertise, Downstate houses a range of esteemed educational institutions, including its College of Medicine, College of Nursing, School of Health Professions, School of Graduate Studies, and School of Public Health. Downstate fosters innovation through its multifaceted biotechnology initiative, the Biotechnology Incubator and BioBAT, which support early-stage and more mature biotech companies.