Join us for the "Strengthening Causal Inference in Behavioral Obesity Research" short course!
Friday, September 10th to Friday, October 1st, 2021
https://training.publichealth.indiana.edu/shortcourses/causal
Overview:
Identifying causal relations is fundamental to understanding which social and behavioral factors cause variations in obesity, which is a field of both intervention and prevention. Discussions of causation are often limited to a dichotomy of ordinary association tests versus randomized controlled trials, yet there are many other considerations and techniques available to advance causal understanding of obesity. Effectively employing techniques to produce, evaluate, and select among intervention and prevention strategies, as well as to understanding obesity's root causes, requires understanding of underlying principles to tailor approaches to specific and varying situations. Advances in behavioral obesity research require input from disciplines including statistics, economics, psychology, epidemiology, mathematics, philosophy, behavior, genetics, and more. This course includes four interactive, remote, synchronous sessions in conjunction with three weeks of engaging online material to provide key fundamental principles underlying a broad array of techniques, and experience in applying those principles and techniques through guided discussion of real examples in obesity research.
Objectives:
-To expose participants to methodologic instruction on techniques and case applications to advance understanding in causal inference in behavioral obesity research.
-To provide interactive discussions among participants and experts.
-To facilitate collaborations among scientists and methodologists working on obesity from different disciplines for informing judgments about causation to facilitate the most productive and informative work possible in the obesity field.
Format:
Four remote, synchronous sessions on September 10th, September 17th, September 24th, and October 1st, with asynchronous materials and activities through IU's Expand online educational platform during the weeks in between.
Target audience:
Advanced graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and early career scientists with interest in behavior-oriented obesity research. Women, individuals from underrepresented minority groups, and persons with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply.
Applications will remain open until registration is full. A registration fee of $350 is due upon registration for accepted applicants.
Scholarships are available to apply for as part of the application process.
Sponsor: NIH/NHLBI
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Andrew Brown
Assistant Professor
Indiana University Bloomington
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