Training Opportunities
Workshops
Knowledge Synthesis: Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis – February 24-26th, 2025
APPLICATION DEADLINE: December 20th, 2024
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
Knowledge synthesis is a systematic approach to identify, appraise, and combine the available evidence on specific questions using qualitative methods, and/or quantitative probabilistic and statistical techniques. This approach can be used to directly or indirectly compare evidence for alternative interventions, playing a key role in the development of evidence-based recommendations prior to knowledge translation.
Systematic reviews are syntheses of evidence that incorporate strategies to minimize bias and to maximize precision. The methodology used is explicitly stated to provide transparency and ensure the validity of the results. Meta-analysis is a statistical technique in which the results of two or more studies are combined to increase the precision of the results.
This 3-day workshop will include the following topics:
- Finding the evidence
- Study selection and data collection
- Assessing risk of bias
- Critical appraisal of quantitative and qualitative data
- Qualitative and quantitative synthesis of results
- Advanced meta-analytic approaches
- Reporting and disseminating the findings of systematic reviews
Observational Studies and Data Registries – April 7-9th, 2025
APPLICATION DEADLINE: January 17th, 2025
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
Observational studies, especially those conducted in real-world settings are essential in comparative effectiveness research. Well-conducted observational studies can provide comparative estimates of harms and benefits of interventions once deployed in the community of interest. Explanatory clinical trials usually address efficacy rather than effectiveness as they often exclude large segments of the population, particularly those who are older or have comorbid conditions. Furthermore, many highly relevant questions related to the comparative effectiveness of multiple interventions will never be addressed by clinical trials, as they would require very large samples in community settings, at a very high cost. With burgeoning amounts of data available, including secondary analysis of data from registries, healthcare claims, and electronic health records, robust methods are needed to avoid bias and confounding, and obtain valid, usable, results.
This 3-day workshop will include the following topics:
- Study design, participants, and sources of bias in observational studies
- Selection of controls
- Outcome measures for comparative effectiveness research
- Exposures of interest and covariates
- Data sources and real-world evidence for cancer research
- Confounding and risk adjustment
- Basic analytic methods including survival analysis
- Advanced analytic methods
- Fundamentals of economic evaluations in cancer research
- Basic concepts of decision analysis
Pragmatic Clinical Trials – April 2nd-4th, 2025
APPLICATION DEADLINE: January 17th, 2025
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
Pragmatic clinical trials, in contrast to explanatory trials, evaluate the effectiveness of healthcare interventions as delivered in routine ‘real-world’ practice. They can provide information on benefits and harms as they are expected to occur in community settings, unlike explanatory trials which are conducted in selected populations under restricted conditions that often do not reflect usual care. Novel strategies applied to pragmatic trials include adaptive methods, where features in the design or allocation are changed on the basis of ongoing results, mimicking what would happen in ‘real-world’ practice. In addition, to demonstrate value, pragmatic clinical trials must include patient-centered outcomes that are relevant to stakeholders.
This 3-day workshop will include the following topics:
- Pragmatic versus explanatory clinical trials
- Study design, settings, and participants
- Outcomes and independent variables
- Design issues
- Basic data analysis
- Advanced data analysis
- Sample size and power
- Overview of intervention and implementation mapping
- Implementation strategies
- Hybrid effectiveness-implementation research studies
Basic Training: Online Course
The CERTaIN comprehensive online course includes over 50 lectures on topics in comparative effectiveness research (CER) and patient-centered outcomes research (PCOR). These lectures are available now on edX.org. Click the hyperlinks below to access each course on the edX site.
- Basic Statistics for PCOR/CER I
- Basic Statistics for PCOR/CER II
- Ethics
- Introduction to Comparative Effectiveness and Patient-Centered Outcomes Research
Knowledge Synthesis: Systematic Reviews and Clinical Decision Making Course
- Overview of Systematic Reviews
- Finding and Managing the Evidence from the Biomedical Literature
- Intervention Reviews Methodology
- Meta-Analysis of Clinical Trials: Direct Comparisons
- Introduction to Meta-Analysis: Indirect Comparisons
- Meta-Analysis of Non-Randomized Studies
- Diagnostic Test Evaluation
- Meta-Synthesis
- Clinical Practice Guidelines
- Economic Evaluation
- Decision Analysis for Outcomes Research
Observational Studies and Registries Course
- Overview of Using Observational Data in Comparative Effectiveness Research (CER)
- Cancer Registries and Data Linkage
- SEER-Medicaid and Other Data Sources
- Overview of Analytic Methods I
- Overview of Analytic Methods II
- Longitudinal Data Analysis
- Advanced Methods in CER I
- Advanced Methods in CER II
- Survival Analysis
- Analysis of Medical Cost Data in Observational Studies
- Healthcare Policy Research
Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Course
- Engaging Patients and Stakeholders in Patient-Centered Outcomes Research
- Principles of Community-Based Participatory Research
- Shared Decision Making in Cancer: Models and Methods
- Patient Decision Support Tools in Cancer
- An Overview of Patient-Reported Outcomes in Cancer
- Designing Surveys: Asking Questions with a Purpose
- Qualitative Methods of Research
- Dissemination and Implementation Research in PCOR: Translating Knowledge into Practice
- The Role of Health Literacy in Patient-Centered Outcomes Research
- Cognitive Impairment and Participation in Research
- Behavioral Interventions in Patient-Centered Outcomes Research
Pragmatic Clinical Trials and Healthcare Evaluations Course
- Overview of Design Options for Pragmatic Clinical Trials
- Outcome Measures in Clinical Trials
- Non-Inferiority Trials
- Basic Analytic Methods
- Basic Power and Sample Size Calculations
- SMART: Adaptive Treatment Strategies
- Introduction to Bayesian Methods
- Bayesian Designs
- Quasi-Experiment in Health Services Research
- Adaptive Trial Design
- Logistics of Clinical Trials
Advanced Training: Webinars
CERTaIN partners with ASCO University to bring you advanced training by experts in comparative effectiveness and patient-centered outcomes research.
Recorded Webinars:
Reducing Cancer Disparities Through Engaging Diverse Communities, Lorna H. McNeill, Ph.D., M.P.H.
Modern Psychometrics: Getting the Most from Patient-reported Data in Cancer Care, Chris Sidey-Gibbons, Ph.D.
Introduction to Network Meta-Analysis, Angeles Lopez-Olivo, M.D., Ph.D.
Pragmatic Clinical Trials, Barry Davis, M.D., Ph.D.
Medical Cost Research Using Observational Data, Tina Shih, Ph.D.
Designing Patient Decision Aids 101, Aubri Hoffman, Ph.D. and Robert Volk, Ph.D.
Patient-reported Outcomes in Cancer, Deborah Fitzsimmons, Ph.D., BN (Hons), RNA
Observational Studies and Data Sources in Cancer Research, Sharon Giordano, M.D.
Synthesis of Knowledge with Direct Meta-Analysis, Angeles Lopez-Olivo, M.D., Ph.D.
Qualitative Methods of Research, Sheryl McCurdy, Ph.D.
Note that recorded webinars can be viewed by creating a free ASCO University Account. Click "access course" on the webinar link to create your account.
Past Workshops
Our Labs
Learn more about our faculty and research taking place in our labs.
Conferences
View conferences available for continuing education credit.