Public Health Sciences Course Program (PHS)

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Diagnostic Test Evaluation

In this course, you will learn the basic concepts of diagnostic test evaluation with examples from human and animal health. Furthermore, we will focus on the interpretation of diagnostic test results and the reporting of diagnostic test accuracy studies.

Learning Outcomes

At the end of this course, participants shall be able to:

  • Correctly interpret diagnostic test results in human and animal health
  • Explain and apply sensitivity, specificity, predictive values, likelihood ratios
  • Distinguish apparent and true prevalence
  • Assess test agreement with kappa
  • Explain the principles of ROC curve
  • Determine AUC and cut-offs of ROC curves
  • Assess if a diagnostic test accuracy study complies with STARD reporting guidelines

Topics/Content

  • Introduction to diagnostic tests
  • Analysis of diagnostic test results from human and animal health in R
  • Sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV, likelihood ratios
  • Agreement with kappa
  • ROC curves
  • No gold standard: Bayesian latent class modeling
  • STARD reporting guidelines

Activities / Program

Lectures in workshop style, exercises individually and in groups. A written homework assignment after the course.

Basic information

Number E046.216.26
Dates

For FS2026, register on KSL using the following root number: 484094

1.5 days in June 2026, to be determined
Times 09:15-17:00/ 09:15 - 12:30
Course location

Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine ISPM
Mittelstrasse 43,
3012 Bern

room tbd

Situation plan
Lead

Prof. Sonja Hartnack, Section of Veterinary Epidemiology, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich
 
Seats max. 25 people
Course language English
Registration deadline The registration date has not yet been set.
Format Individual event from Public Health Sciences Course Program
You will receive a certificate of attendance.
Governing Unit

Faculty of Medicine, University of Bern
Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Bern
Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine (ISPM)
Public Health Sciences Course Program (PHS)
ECTS info

0.5 ECTS point will be credited for this course

For an accreditation of the ECTS, full attendance and active participation incl. completion of assignments and assessments are required.

 

roof number KSL: 484094

Target audience

PhD students, priority is given to Phd's from Uni Bern

Special

Students have to bring their own laptops with a recently installed version of R and RStudio.

Admission requirements

Successful completion of the R introductory course, experience with projects in R or similar qualification.

Application and admission procedure

A tertiary education degree is required. Priority is given to PhD students. The program manager decides on the final admission.

Application process: You are requested to enroll online. Seats will be allocated according to date of enrolment. Three weeks before the course/workshop at the latest, the administration will decide and inform about running or cancelling the course/workshop.

Costs

Amount still open

Administrative / Payment modalities

Registration fees are waived for PhD students of the University of Bern who commit to the whole course attendance. To avoid being invoiced, it is mandatory that you indicate your institute and the matriculation number upon registration for the course. Please note cancellation regulations below.

Course fees for other participant categories:

PostDocs Uni Bern CHF 50
Other participants Uni Bern CHF 150
Participants other academic institutions 300
Other participants CHF 420

Participants completing the entire PHS Course Program benefit from a reduction; overview course fees here.

Cancellation regulations

After the closing date for registrations, the organisers will decide whether the course can take place. The decision is based on the number of registrations.

These cancellation rules apply to PhD students of the University of Bern.

Processing fee of CHF 100 will be applied for:

  • Cancellations after 2 weeks before the first course day (late cancellations)
  • Participants with course attendance of less than 80% of the on-site course time
  • Absence on the first day of the course (considered as a late cancellation)

Course attendance cancellations and short absences must be reported at the latest 2 weeks before the first course day.
Write an email to phs-admin.ispm@unibe.ch. The cancellation or approval of short absences has to be confirmed by the course coordination.

For your registration the General Terms and Conditions of the PHS Course Program apply.

Contact

University of Bern
Public Health Sciences Course Program
c/o Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine (ISPM)
Mittelstrasse 43
3012 Bern
Switzerland

Tel: +41 31 684 34 04

phs-admin.ispm@unibe.ch
www.medizin.unibe.ch/phs

Registration