Strengthening Causal Inference in Behavioral Obesity Research
Dates: Friday, September 10th to Friday, October 1st, 2021
Format: Remote, synchronous sessions on Friday afternoons (Eastern), with asynchronous material during the weeks.
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:
Remote, synchronous sessions on Friday afternoons 12pm-3pm (Eastern), with asynchronous material through IU Expand.
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.
Application:
Because of the interactive nature of the course, enrollment will be limited. Priority registration is July 15th at midnight Eastern. Applications will remain open until registration is filled.
Click here to fill out the application
Registration fees:
A registration fee of $350 is due upon registration after an application is accepted.
Scholarships are available. To be considered for a scholarship, fill out the appropriate sections in the application form.
Contact:
For questions, please contact Ms. Ania Peczalska at apeczals@indiana.edu.
Sponsor:
NIH Disclaimer:
This material is based upon work supported by the National Institutes of Health under Grant No. (R25HL124208). Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Institutes of Health.