First Short Course on Strengthening Causal Inference in Behavioral Obesity Research

Overview

The identification of causal relations is fundamental to a science of intervention and prevention. Obesity is a major problem for which much progress in understanding, treatment, and prevention remains to be made. Understanding which social and behavioral factors cause variations in adiposity and which other factors cause variations is vital to producing, evaluating, and selecting among intervention and prevention strategies as well as to understanding obesity’s root causes, requiring input from disciplines including statistics, economics, psychology, epidemiology, mathematics, philosophy, and in some cases behavioral or statistical genetics. The application of these techniques, however, does not involve routine well-known ‘cookbook’ approaches but requires understanding of underlying principles, so the investigator can tailor approaches to specific and varying situations. The nine course modules provide rigorous exposure to the 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.

Schedule of Events: [PDF file]

Mon 7/20/2015
8:00-8:30	Registration
8:30- 9:00	Welcoming & Introductory remarks – Allison & Fontaine
Module 1: Split Session – Introduction to Obesity OR Introduction to Basic Language, Terms, and Concepts in Statistics and Design.
	Intro to Obesity		Intro to Statistics & Design
9:00-9:45	Intro to Terms and Measurement – W. T. Garvey		Intro to Statistical Inference (mainly frequentist, with a little Bayesian; covariate and propensity score adjustment, etc.) – David Redden
9:45-10:00	BREAK
10:00-10:45	Intro to Energy Balance and Laws of Thermodynamics – Diana Thomas & Emily Dhurandhar		Quantifying Effect and Association Size – Christopher K. Haddock
10:45-11:30	Some Key Answered and Unanswered Questions – Olivia Affuso		Study Designs and Causal Inference – Chanelle Howe
11:30-12:30	LUNCH
Module 2: Conventional Observational Studies: Advantages, Limits, and Best Practices
12:30-1:15	Advantages		Emily Levitan
1:15-2:00	Limits I – Theory: Bias and Confounding		Dominik D. Alexander PhD, MSPH
2:00- 2:15	BREAK
2:15-3:00	Limits II – Empirical: Evidence & Cases Studies of Confirmation and Non-Confirmation of Observational Study-Generated Hypotheses		Andrew Brown
3:00-4:00	Best Practices – Ethical Use, Hill’s Guidelines, Negative Controls, Meta-Analysis, Public Data Availability, etc.		Douglas Weed
4:00-5:00	Moderated Discussion and Wrap-up

Tue 7/21/2015
Module 3: Randomized Controlled Experiments – I
9:00-10:00	Theory: Potential Outcomes	Dylan Small
10:00-10:45	Methods for Randomization (including cluster randomization, stratified, choice of allocation ratios, adaptive, etc.)	Scarlett L. Bellamy
10:45-11:15	Choice of Control Condition based on Hypothesis and Anticipated Claims	Kevin Fontaine
11:15-11:30	BREAK
11:30-12:00	Controlling for Expectancy and Non-Specific Effects	Bret Rutherford
12:00-1:00	LUNCH
Module 4: Randomized Controlled Experiments – II
1:00-1:45	Power & Sample Size Calculation	David Todem
1:45-2:30	Practical Challenges: Measurement Error, Missing Data, Assumption Violations, etc.	Diane J. Catellier
2:30-2:45	BREAK
2:45-3:45	Ethical Issues in RCEs	Jonathan Kimmelman
3:45-4:15	Procedural Elements: Trial Registration, Reporting Guidelines	Evan Mayo-Wilson
4:15-4:45	Large Simple Trials & Cluster Randomized Trials	J Michael Oakes
4:45-5:30	Moderated Discussion and Wrap-up
Wed 7/22/2015
Module 5: Quasi Experiments
9:00- 9:15	Quasi-experiments – Their Importance in Evaluating Changes That Occur	Brian Elbel
9:15- 10:25	Design & Analysis	William R. Shadish
10:25-10:40	BREAK
10:40-11:15	Ethical Issues	May Wang
11:15-12:00	Real World Case Studies	Brian Elbel
12:00-1:00	LUNCH
Module 6: Natural Experiments
1:00-1:45	Theory & Concepts	Kelli Komro
1:45-2:15	Packet Randomized Experiments	David Allison & Greg Pavela
2:15-3:00	Analysis	Luke J. Keele
3:00-3:15	BREAK
3:15-4:00	Practical and Ethical Issues in Accessing Natural Randomization	Luke J. Keele
4:00-4:45	Real World Case Studies	Bisakha Sen
4:45-5:30	Moderated Discussion and Wrap-up
Thu 7/23/2015
Module 7: Genetically Informed Designs – Unmeasured Genotype Approaches
9:00-9:30	Adoption as Pseudo-Random Assignment to Homes and a Special Case of Packet Randomization	Kevin Fontaine & Greg Pavela
9:30-10:15	Co-Twin and Sibling Control Designs	Matt McGue
10:15-10:30	BREAK
10:30-11:30	Structural Equation Modeling of Twin and Family Data to Assess Causal Effects	Michael C. Neale
11:30-12:00	Study of Behavioral Phenotypes of Obesity in Children: Ethical Considerations	Tanja V. Kral
12:00-1:00	LUNCH
Module 8: Genetically Informed Designs – Measured Genotype Approaches
1:00-1:30	Linkage and TDT Methods: Special Cases of Packet Randomization and Utility in Testing Fetal Sire Effects	David Allison
1:30-2:30	Mendelian Randomization	James Dai
2:30-3:15	Methodological issues in Testing for Gene by Environment or Gene by Behavior Interaction	Hemant Tiwari
3:15-3:30	BREAK
3:30-4:15	Social, behavioral, and ethical issues	Susan J. Persky
4:15-4:45	Real World Case Studies - Causal Inference and Counterfactuals in Obesity Research: Obesity and the Gut Microbiome.	Andrew C Heath
4:45-5:30	Moderated Discussion and Wrap-up
Fri 7/24/2015
Module 9: Mediating and Moderating Variables
9:00-9:45	Conceptual Models (the mediator moderator distinction, environmental, behavioral, psychological, physiological, and molecular mediators and moderators)	Francesca Filbey
9:45-10:30	Testing in General Linear Models	Amanda Fairchild
10:30-10:45	BREAK
10:45-11:30	Testing in Structural Equation Models	Michael C. Neale
11:30-12:00	Real Life Examples & Ethical Issues	Jose R. Fernandez
12:00-1:00	LUNCH
Module 10: Group Roundtable Preparation, Presentation & Discussion
1:00 - 3:00	Group Roundtable Preparation
3:00-5:00	5 Roundtable Groups Presentations (10 minutes each) Followed by Discussion
5:00-5:10	Closing Remarks	David Allison & Kevin Fontaine

Contact Information:

Logistics: Richard Sarver
UAB SOPH Dean's office
Office of Energetics & Nutrition Obesity Research Center
1700 University Boulevard, LHL 434
Birmingham AL 35294-0013
Phone: (205) 975-9169
Email: rsarver@uab.edu