A handful of places are still available on our Introduction to #CausalInference Course for Health & Social Scientists (15-19 May 2023, Leeds, UK). Book *NOW* to avoid disappointment!
For more information, & to register, please visit: https://www.causal.training/
Interested in #causalinference?
CAUSALab Director @MiguelHernan worked with HarvardX to put together a free #CausalDiagramsCourse.
Learn more and sign up below:
https://www.edx.org/course/causal-diagrams-draw-your-assumptions-before-your
"Biological embedding vs. embodiment of social experiences: How these two concepts form distinct thought styles around the social production of health inequalities"
By Louvel & Soulier
Acknowledging the differences between the concepts and divergences in their evolution provides an opportunity for identification of topics where thought styles are either complementary or in tension.
My ambitions as a researcher of social & health inequality are far more modest than they were when the pandemic hit
-I aim to calmly get on with describing & understanding health inequities to provide evidence, & to uplift my colleagues in this field as much as possible
-I try to make my work policy-relevant, but I am not a policy researcher
-Interventional research is an important step, but social inequalities are largely persistent due to macro political choices
You *can* estimate causal effects in observational data. But it requires good data, expert knowledge, & extreme diligence. Hence most observational studies are flawed.
To improve, we must move on from the dogmatism of #EBM, which sees all observational studies as equally bad.
As long as #EBM categorically discounts observational research, we prevent growth in the science of observational research.
This isn't a problem for those in the business of designing & conducting trials. But this is a deeply regressive lens through which to study health.
APPARENTLY THIS NEEDS TO BE MADE CLEAR:
If you only support randomised controlled trials, then you only support research suitable for experimental study.
That excludes studying structural & social determinants, like racism & poverty.
This is socially regressive. Simple.
Interdisciplinary PhD studentships in the UK on social-biological research, please share!
"Soc-B ESRC studentships are now open!
"The purpose of Soc-B research is to identify social exposures and causal pathways that lead to sub-clinical biological change, the ultimate aim of which is to identify points for intervention with the potential to improve health and redress health inequalities"
⤵️ ⤵️
https://www.ucl.ac.uk/soc-b-biosocial-doctoral-training/how-apply-0#Four-year
Peter Tennant, PhD
CAUSALab
Pausal Živference
Michelle Kelly-Irving
Dr Emily T Murray