Seminars & Workshops
Biomedical and Health Data Science Collaborative (BHDSC) Virtual Seminar: “The Elephant in the Room: Unmeasured Confounding in Pharmacoepidemiology”

The Biomedical and Health Data Science Collaborative (BHDSC), a cross-disciplinary group formed by the Tufts Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) and Institute for Clinical Research and Health Policy Studies (ICRHPS) at Tufts Medical Center, invites you to attend a virtual seminar on Wednesday, January 25, from 2:00PM-3:00PM. Jeremy P. Brown, PhD will give a talk titled “The Elephant in the Room: Unmeasured Confounding in Pharmacoepidemiology”.

Abstract

Unmeasured confounding is a major challenge to causal inference in pharmacoepidemiological research, as it can introduce bias and lead to incorrect conclusions. In this presentation, I will discuss methods for diagnosing, reducing, and quantifying unmeasured confounding in pharmacoepidemiological studies. These methods include negative controls, the high-dimensional propensity score, self-controlled study designs, and quantitative bias analysis. I will provide examples of these methods in action, as applied to two non-interventional studies conducted using UK electronic health records: one investigating the effect of proton pump inhibitors on mortality, and the other examining the effect of fluoroquinolones on aortic aneurysm or dissection. By using methods such as these, we can improve the accuracy and reliability of our findings and make more informed decisions about the safety and effectiveness of medications.

Speaker Bio

Jeremy Brown is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the CAUSALab at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. His research focuses on methods, and in particular causal inference methods, in pharmacoepidemiology and their application to understanding the safety and effectiveness of medications using insurance claims and electronic health records data. Prior to Harvard T.H. Chan he conducted his PhD in pharmacoepidemiology at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

Details

Wednesday, January 25, 2023
2:00PM-3:00PM EST
Zoom Link: https://wellforce.zoom.us/j/91467788400?pwd=U2FXdTZRZENkdzdnQTYxczlWVCtFdz09&from=addon

Contact

Please contact Anastasia Gurinovich (agurinovich@tuftsmedicalcenter.org) and Ellaina Reed (ereed1@tuftsmedicalcenter.org) if you have any questions.

Feel free to pass on to others who may be interested.

Seminars & Workshops
Obtaining Informed Consent: A Practical Approach

Does your work involve recruiting human research volunteers?

Join Tufts CTSI for a blended synchronous/asynchronous workshop focused on providing hands-on practice consenting simulated research participants. This two-part training includes a short online tutorial followed by a live Zoom meeting on January 31 where you will practice obtaining informed consent with community members, many of whom have been research participants themselves.  This is a learning and skill building opportunity for you and will not be evaluated in any way.

Participants must complete all of the pre-work on Tufts CTSI I LEARN in order to receive the Zoom link for the live training. While in the live workshop your active participation in the live role-play activity is required. You will also learn through providing feedback to others and engaging in group discussion. This will ensure that you get the most out of what this training has to offer.

Clinical research coordinators, investigators, research fellows, research nurses, and anyone involved in obtaining informed consent are encouraged to attend.

By the end of this workshop, participants of Parts 1 & 2 will be able to:

  • List the essential elements of informed consent.
  • Demonstrate (using plain language) in explaining the informed consent process, in a virtual setting.
  • Demonstrate multiple techniques to verify participants’ comprehension.
  • Identify 2-3 key considerations for obtaining informed consent in a remote or virtual setting.

Details

Live session via Zoom: Tuesday, January 31, 2022, 1:00PM-3:00PM EST 

Registration

To attend, please register here via Tufts CTSI I LEARN.

Prerequisite

CITI basic human subjects protection training. Participants will be required to upload proof of CITI completion to the Tufts CTSI I LEARN course site before the live session.

Seminars & Workshops
Obtaining Informed Consent: A Practical Approach

Does your work involve recruiting human research volunteers?

Join Tufts CTSI for a blended synchronous/asynchronous workshop focused on providing hands-on practice consenting simulated research participants. This two-part training includes a short online tutorial followed by a live Zoom meeting on January 31 where you will practice obtaining informed consent with community members, many of whom have been research participants themselves.  This is a learning and skill building opportunity for you and will not be evaluated in any way.

Participants must complete all of the pre-work on Tufts CTSI I LEARN in order to receive the Zoom link for the live training. While in the live workshop your active participation in the live role-play activity is required. You will also learn through providing feedback to others and engaging in group discussion. This will ensure that you get the most out of what this training has to offer.

Clinical research coordinators, investigators, research fellows, research nurses, and anyone involved in obtaining informed consent are encouraged to attend.

By the end of this workshop, participants of Parts 1 & 2 will be able to:

  • List the essential elements of informed consent.
  • Demonstrate (using plain language) in explaining the informed consent process, in a virtual setting.
  • Demonstrate multiple techniques to verify participants’ comprehension.
  • Identify 2-3 key considerations for obtaining informed consent in a remote or virtual setting.

Details

Live session via Zoom: Tuesday, January 31, 2022, 1:00PM-3:00PM 

Registration

To attend, please register here via Tufts CTSI I LEARN.

Prerequisite

CITI basic human subjects protection training. Participants will be required to upload proof of CITI completion to the Tufts CTSI I LEARN course site before the live session.