Johns Hopkins University

Evidence-based Toxicology

Thomas Hartung
Lena Smirnova

Instructors: Thomas Hartung

9,876 already enrolled

Included with Coursera Plus

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.
4.7

(115 reviews)

Beginner level
No prior experience required
19 hours to complete
3 weeks at 6 hours a week
Flexible schedule
Learn at your own pace
Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.
4.7

(115 reviews)

Beginner level
No prior experience required
19 hours to complete
3 weeks at 6 hours a week
Flexible schedule
Learn at your own pace

Details to know

Shareable certificate

Add to your LinkedIn profile

Assessments

9 assignments

Taught in English

See how employees at top companies are mastering in-demand skills

Placeholder
Placeholder

Earn a career certificate

Add this credential to your LinkedIn profile, resume, or CV

Share it on social media and in your performance review

Placeholder

There are 7 modules in this course

This module introduces you to the course, outlines the shortcomings of current toxicity testing approaches, and shows how EBT can help to overcome these shortcomings.

What's included

9 videos3 readings1 assignment1 discussion prompt

This module explains how evidence-based toxicology originated and describes the driving forces for the initiative. In the second lesson, you will learn how to distinguish between correlation and causation as well as the main problems with drawing conclusions on the basis of correlations. The Bradford Hill criteria are introduced, along with examples for each criterion. You will also learn about mechanistic toxicology and mechanistic validation.

What's included

11 videos2 readings1 assignment1 discussion prompt

This module shows how to perform systematic reviews and meta-analyses. You will learn the history of both methods and will receive step-by-step instructions on how to perform systematic reviews and meta-analyses using examples from the research activities of the instructors.

What's included

8 videos2 readings2 assignments1 discussion prompt

This module teaches you about possible biases that can be introduced at different stages of research. Each bias is explained with examples, including solutions for overcoming those biases. The second lesson covers systematic review of the zebrafish embryotoxicity test as a case study conducted by the Evidence-based Toxicology Collaboration (EBTC). You will go through all of the steps of the systematic review again to imprint the knowledge from module 3, but this systematic review will be related to a toxicological method.

What's included

8 videos2 readings1 assignment1 discussion prompt

Quality control is a very important aspect of not only modern toxicology but the entirety of life sciences. The first lesson in this module demonstrates the importance of performing quality control on your experiments. The second lesson is connected with the first one because validation of an alternative method requires highly standardized protocols and quality control at each step. This lesson teaches you different aspects of alternatives methods validation, how to perform classical validation, its pitfalls, and strategies to overcome them.

What's included

10 videos2 readings1 assignment1 discussion prompt

Evidence-based toxicology requires some knowledge of bioinformatics. The first lesson in the module teaches you some biostatistical tools you can apply when analyzing predectivity, specificity, and sensitivity of a method. You will also learn how to identify biases in a study with the help of bioinformatics. Evidence-based principles can be applied to every question you might have, even to which pizza to order tonight. You will learn the difference between eminence-based vs. evidence-based approaches. You will learn what is driving the lack of reproducibility and how evidence-based approaches should help to overcome the reproducibility crisis in science, which is explained with examples of experimental design, wrong models, poor quality of the cell cultures, etc.

What's included

8 videos1 reading2 assignments1 discussion prompt

The final week of the course is devoted to completing the Systematic Review Assignment. You will use SysRev to review at least 20 abstracts, apply inclusion and exclusion criteria, render decisions, and resolve conflicts with other reviewers.

What's included

1 reading1 assignment1 plugin

Instructors

Instructor ratings
4.6 (32 ratings)
Thomas Hartung
Johns Hopkins University
2 Courses18,250 learners
Lena Smirnova
Johns Hopkins University
2 Courses18,250 learners

Offered by

Recommended if you're interested in Basic Science

Why people choose Coursera for their career

Felipe M.
Learner since 2018
"To be able to take courses at my own pace and rhythm has been an amazing experience. I can learn whenever it fits my schedule and mood."
Jennifer J.
Learner since 2020
"I directly applied the concepts and skills I learned from my courses to an exciting new project at work."
Larry W.
Learner since 2021
"When I need courses on topics that my university doesn't offer, Coursera is one of the best places to go."
Chaitanya A.
"Learning isn't just about being better at your job: it's so much more than that. Coursera allows me to learn without limits."

Learner reviews

4.7

115 reviews

  • 5 stars

    75.65%

  • 4 stars

    18.26%

  • 3 stars

    5.21%

  • 2 stars

    0.86%

  • 1 star

    0%

Showing 3 of 115

DJ
5

Reviewed on May 25, 2020

MM
5

Reviewed on Jun 11, 2020

HH
4

Reviewed on Jul 4, 2020

New to Basic Science? Start here.

Placeholder

Open new doors with Coursera Plus

Unlimited access to 10,000+ world-class courses, hands-on projects, and job-ready certificate programs - all included in your subscription

Advance your career with an online degree

Earn a degree from world-class universities - 100% online

Join over 3,400 global companies that choose Coursera for Business

Upskill your employees to excel in the digital economy

Frequently asked questions