Lectures and seminars Sfo Epi Seminar in Biostatistics: Professor Sonia Hernández-Díaz

Zoom Link: https://ki-se.zoom.us/j/69658391166

*Webinar format: unless you are on the panel you will be muted and with no video. Participants can raise their hands during the Q&A to be recognized to ask questions.

Abstract

Questions on the comparative effectiveness or safety of treatments and vaccines during pregnancy are often answered using observational data. Causal inference from observational data can be conceptualized as an attempt to emulate a hypothetical pragmatic randomized trial: the target trial.  In this seminar, I will propose a protocol framework that makes the target trial explicit. Emulating a trial forces the investigators to specify the causal question, the study population and eligibility criteria, the exposure and reference groups, and the start and end of follow-up. In addition, investigators must consider which assumptions are necessary for specific analyses. I will discuss how this process itself can be enlightening and can help describe and avoid biases including confounding, immortal person-time bias, and prevalent user bias. I will present applications to different causal questions in the setting of treatment decisions before, early, and late in pregnancy that emphasize specific protocol components, challenges, and solutions.

If you have any questions, please contact Erin Gabriel.