Medical Research: Evaluating Claims and Facts
What is the role of research in articles that make medical claims and share findings? Is the research conducted ethically? Does the media get it right? In this course, you’ll learn how to be a critical consumer of medical research. You’ll identify research methods and the importance of ethics in the field. You’ll know what questions to raise when reading traditional and social media stories about medicines, hear the perspective of both MDs and PhDs, and explore potential college majors and career paths related to medicine, medical research, and science.
Program Dates
Choose the course length that works for you: 2-week and 4-week sessions
Eligibility
For students ages 13 and up
Individual Course Fees
$1,795
Become a Critical and Strategic Medical Researcher
Answer the Question — What is Medical Research?
Medical articles make optimistic claims. But how do you know they’re true? Differentiate the research methods to state their benefits, risks, and limitations.
Review the Purpose and Need for Ethical Standards
Discover the benchmarks of ethical clinical research. Consider why human research demands ethical methods, the risks and benefits, and the history of ethics in research.
Locate and Evaluate Medical Research Like a Pro
Understand the process for reading a medical journal article. Learn how to verify the content so you can assess the quality and reliability of the materials.
Explore the Role of Traditional & Social Media
Discover how journalists choose which research to cover. Consider how disinformation and misinformation happen, and the questions required to verify health information on social media.
Understand the Need for Constant Evolution
Consider how and why medical research evolves, the concepts of reproducibility, and medical journal retractions as seen through the lens of clinicians who care for patients.
Course Conclusion & Final Capstone Project
Synthesize the information learned during the course to practice evaluating a claim regarding medical evidence presented in traditional and/or social media to better understand that claim.
How You Will Benefit
- Identify medical research methods and the strengths and limitations of the various research methods.
- Describe the benchmarks of ethical medical research, why these benchmarks exist, and their importance in the field.
- Know how to locate published medical research and read medical research articles effectively.
- Know when and how to question claims of medical evidence when presented in traditional and social media.
- Hear from MDs and PhDs about their approach regarding medical research.
- Complete a Final Capstone Project to demonstrate what you’ve learned.
- Earn a Certificate of Completion from Northwestern University.
Three Learning Advantages Designed for You
Final Capstone Project
This online course culminates in a Final Capstone Project that allows you to:
- Practice evaluating a medical evidence claim as presented in traditional and/or social media to better understand that claim.
- Search in PubMed for medical journal research articles about the claim.
- Rewrite the original claim in a way that more holistically addresses the methods, ethics, and findings of the article.
Mentoring
You’ll receive guidance from a mentor who can support you and answer questions as you deepen your learning experience. You can expect:
- Expertise in each course’s particular field.
- Encouragement and feedback on all assignments.
- Inspiration, motivation, and confidence to help you succeed in your studies.
Flexible Learning
- 100% online learning that works with your schedule.
- You’ll learn through engaging video lessons. Watch anytime that works for you.
- 20-30 hours of total instruction and course work, including engaging multimedia, simulations, and curated assignments for which you will receive guidance and support from mentors.
Apply Now for the Next Available Course
All course options have the same educational content, learning materials, and number of assignments. We are offering a condensed version of the course in order to accommodate students’ individual schedules.
Course Designed by Northwestern Faculty
Sarah Rodriguez, PhD
Associate Professor of Instruction, Global Health Studies, Weinberg College of Arts & Sciences; Lecturer, Medical Education, Feinberg School of Medicine; Faculty, Medical Humanities & Bioethics Graduate Program
Professor Rodriguez is a medical historian who focuses on the history of women’s reproductive health since the early 20th century, the history of clinical care, and the history of clinical ethics. Prior to joining our faculty, she was a postdoctoral fellow at Northwestern University, first in the Woodruff Laboratory with the Oncofertility Consortium and then in the Medical Humanities and Bioethics Program.
How To Apply:
It’s easy. No transcripts or letters of recommendation are required. Just provide some basic information and tell us why you wish to take this program.
Note: Please submit all application materials in English.
Begin the guided application process. It should take only a few minutes of your time to answer the questions.
Want to Know More?
Sign up for more information and we’ll be in touch.
Admissions
Our application process is easy. You can expect a prompt decision.
Frequently Asked Questions
How will you be graded? What are assignments like? How much time do you have to turn around a project? When do you find out if you're admitted? Find answers to your questions here.
Scholarships
We offer need-based scholarships for participating students who exhibit high potential and an inability to pay the full tuition.
- If you haven’t applied to the program, apply here. After submitting your application, click “Apply for a need-based scholarship” on the confirmation page to request a scholarship.
- If you’ve already applied to the program, sign in to your Profile to check your scholarship status. If we don’t have a scholarship request on file, click “Apply for a need-based scholarship” to request a scholarship.