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CNODES Training Newsletter
Fall, 2017
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What are your go-to resources?
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The CNODES Training Team is currently building collections of indispensable training resources for our website. The first module we are working on is PROPENSITY SCORES.
What resources would be on your Greatest Hits album for propensity scores? It can be papers, books, videos, lectures, code, etc. Send us your favourite resources, along with a brief description of why you think it deserves a place on the list. Even if it seems really obvious, send it in! We will share your responses in our next newsletter.
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CNODES Trainee Spotlight:
Hossein Mohammadhassanzadeh, Dalhousie University
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Hossein is a fifth year PhD candidate in Computer Science at Dalhousie University. He recently delivered an oral presentation at ICPE in Montreal. We caught up with him to find out more about his research and experiences.
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Tell us a bit about your background:
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I graduated with a master’s degree in Information Technology Engineering at Amirkabir University of Technology in Tehran, Iran. In my master’s thesis, I developed a context-based trust inference mechanism in social networks. In that project, I leveraged Natural Language Processing (NLP) techniques to extract users’ similarities to infer trust values.
In my PhD dissertation (supervised by Dr. Raza Abidi, Faculty of Computer Science, Dalhousie University), I am developing a semantics-based data analytics framework to improve medical knowledge discovery and decision support.
For over a year I have been working on an evaluation for the CNODES KT Team under the supervision of Dr. Ingrid Sketris (College of Pharmacy, Dalhousie University) and Dr. Sam Stewart (Medical Informatics, Dalhousie University). This evaluation has provided me a unique opportunity to pursue knowledge translation research and apply my knowledge of NLP and text mining to pharmacoepidemiology research.
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Can you give us a quick summary of the research that you recently presented at ICPE?
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The acne medication isotretinoin increases the risk of miscarriage and fetal abnormalities when taken during pregnancy. A CNODES study revealed the adherence to pregnancy prevention guidelines while using isotretinoin was not optimal. In our evaluation, we aimed to better understand how the media present pharmacoepidemiological research using the CNODES isotretinoin study as the case study. We used NLP to examine the media uptake of the CNODES study on isotretinoin safety. With this evaluation, we provide an example of how analyzing media using NLP and readability techniques can help determine communication effectiveness and uptake of information on drug safety issues by the media.
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What excites you the most about the research you are doing?
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Our preliminary results indicate that the readability of media communication related to the CNODES isotretinoin study was higher than typically recommended for the general public. High readability levels may limit understandability and comprehensibility by the targeted audience. I hope our evaluation can raise awareness of the need to examine readability, as well as provide tools which can assist in this process to help researchers communicate more effectively with the media and the public.
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Where would you like to be career-wise in five years?
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I have always been interested in working with data, digging into it and finding patterns and unexplored associations. Over the past years, I have been engaged with different health projects, and have gained knowledge about medical challenges, as well as innovative, trending computational solutions addressing those issues. This experience has convinced me that integrating computer science and healthcare can deliver valuable impacts and offer novel contributions to the health context.
After graduation, I would like to continue my professional career as a data scientist. I prefer to be involved with inter-disciplinary projects in advancing knowledge technologies and innovative knowledge-centric solutions targeting healthcare enterprises.
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You can soon read Hossein's full interview, along with other featured trainees on the CNODES Training website - a new Trainee Profiles section is coming later this fall/winter! Stay tuned.
For more information about Hossein's work or to get in touch with him, visit http://www.hmhassanzadeh.com
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Student Training Opportunity
Drug Policy Research 101
The ODPRN Student Training Program aims to engage with students to develop capacity in drug policy research in Ontario. Trainees involved in this one-year collaborative program will work towards obtaining a drug policy training research certificate through the ODPRN. Through this program, trainees will have access to online training aimed at providing instruction around drug policy, patient-oriented research, methodological concepts and various knowledge translation strategies. Application deadline: November 21, 2017
Find out more |
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Student Training Opportunity
CADTH Symposium Travel Awards
The 2018 CADTH Symposium offers an excellent opportunity to share your research, learn about the latest advancements in health technology assessment, and interact with peers from across the country as well as leading Canadian and international experts. If you’re a full-time undergraduate or graduate student attending a degree-granting institution in Canada, and taking courses in a field relevant to CADTH’s work, you are invited to apply for a travel award. This year, eligible students can receive up to $2,000 to offset registration, travel, food, accommodation, and other conference-related expenses. Application deadline: December 8, 2017
Find out more
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Student Training Opportunity
ISPE Mid-Year Meeting
This year, the ISPE Mid-Year Meeting will be held in Toronto, Ontario, April 21-24, 2018. This meeting will focus on trainees, with half of one day reserved for trainee posters and oral presentations.
ISPE is now accepting abstracts for oral/poster presentations in the area of pharmacoepidemiology and drug safety. Current full-time students that are lead author on the study are invited to submit abstracts for presentation at this meeting. Twelve student abstracts will be selected for oral presentations at the meeting in Toronto. Application deadline: November 28, 2017
Find out more |
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Free Online Lecture
SERtalks
"Practical approaches in dealing with p-values" by Dr. Enrique F. Schisterman
December 4, 2017, 1:30 - 2:30 pm, EST
Registration is free of charge courtesy of the Department of Epidemiology at the Graduate School of Public Health at the University of Pittsburgh. You may connect via weblink for live access to attend the talk. Login instructions will be sent to registered individuals.
Register Here
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Free Online Course
EdX Harvard University
"Causal diagrams: Draw your assumptions before your conclusions"
by Dr. Miguel Hernán
Over nine weeks, this free self-paced online course will teach you:
- How to translate expert knowledge into a causal diagram
- How to draw causal diagrams under different assumptions
- Using causal diagrams to identify common biases
- Using causal diagrams to guide data analysis
Enroll here
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Food For Thought
Harvard Epidemiology
"Sensitivity analysis in observational research: Introducing the E-value" by Dr. Tyler VanderWeele
Watch the recent presentation here
Read the recent publication in the Annals of Internal Medicine here
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Upcoming Conferences, Meetings, Courses & Opportunities
- ISPE Mid-Year Meeting, April 21-24, 2018 in Toronto, Ontario. Student abstract submissions are due November 28, 2017.
- Mitacs Canadian Science Policy Fellowship. Do you work for a Canadian federal or provincial government entity? You can hire a highly qualified researcher to conduct a policy-related project at your institution. The deadline for project proposals is November 30, 2017.
- CIHR Master's Awards. Recognition and support for students who are pursuing a Master's degree in a health related field at a Canadian institution. Applications due December 1, 2017.
- Harvard School of Public Health Summer Program in Clinical Effectiveness. Aimed at physicians, clinicians, faculty and fellows who are seeking training in quantitative and analytic skills. Application deadline is December 1, 2017.
- CADTH Symposium 2018. An excellent opportunity to connect with Canadian and international experts to discuss how health technologies can support appropriate, affordable, and accessible care. Halifax, NS, April 15-18, 2018. Registration opens in January. Student travel bursary deadline is December 8, 2017.
- Introductory Course on Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses. Presented by The Knowledge Translation Program, Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, St. Michael’s Hospital and Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto. Online, January 8 - April 6, 2018.
- Knowledge Translation (KT) Canada Annual Scientific Meeting. Advancing the methods of patient-oriented knowledge translation research. Vancouver, BC, June 7-8, 2018. Abstract submission opens in January.
- Society for Epidemiologic Research Student Dissertation Workshop. Doctoral students in epidemiology have an opportunity to have their thesis work critiqued, discussed, and supported through full-day workshops. Applications close February 2, 2018.
- ACCP Global Conference on Clinical Pharmacology. Seattle, WA, October 20-23, 2018. Early decision abstract submission deadline February 15, 2018.
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Have an event/opportunity/story you would like to share? E-mail training@cnodes.ca
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