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Advanced Methods Workshop

The SPER Advanced Methods Workshop immediately precedes the SPER annual meeting. The workshop provides researchers and students with an introduction to advanced epidemiologic methods.

The 2024 Advanced Methods Workshop will be held June 17, 2024, in Austin, TX.

SESSION 1:

“Introduction to target trial emulation to improve causal inference in pediatric and perinatal epidemiology”

The ability to draw causal inference from observational data is challenging and begins with a well-specified causal question and study design to minimize bias. One strategy to aid in this process is specifying a hypothetical ‘target’ randomized controlled trial to answer the causal question of interest, and then emulating that target trial in observational data. This workshop will introduce target trial emulation, with applications in pediatric in perinatal epidemiology. We will provide a conceptual introduction to specifying protocols for the target trial and target trial emulation, discuss strategies for identifying and mitigating potential bias, and provide worked examples with code and data, as well as a reading list for those wanting to learn more.

Angela Bengtson_Headshot
Susan Hoffman_Headshot

SESSION 2:

“Conceptualizing, measuring, and estimating the relationship between socio-environmental stressors and perinatal and pediatric health”

Area-level socio-environmental exposures (e.g., neighborhood disadvantage, residential segregation) are of considerable interest in perinatal and pediatric epidemiology. However, utilizing these constructs in epidemiologic research can present some challenges. In this workshop, we will introduce attendees to various measures of socio-environmental stressors, highlight approaches for assessing the exposures of interest, and illustrate an application estimating associations between the social environment and perinatal health from a project based in North Carolina. Attendees will receive sample code that can be used to estimate a neighborhood socio-environmental exposure.

Chantel Martin_Headshot
Sarah Haight_Headshot

Click here to access slides from the 2010-2022 workshops.