FRM9915 – Introduction to and Application of Propensity Scores
Schedule, syllabus and examination date
Course content
The course will focus on current applications of propensity score methods for bias reduction in pharmacoepidemiology studies. The emphasis of this course will be on practical applications of propensity score methods, backed by teoretical lectures.
Learning outcome
After completing the course the student should:
- Understand the role of the propensity score as a method for controlling confounding in observational studies.
- Be able to build a propensity score model and use the resulting propensity score in a variety of applications (matching, adjustment, stratification, weighting).
- Perform diagnostics and balance checks on propensity score models.
- Communicate the results of a propensity score analysis in an oral presentation.
Admission to the course
PhD candidates from the University of Oslo should apply for classes and register for examinations by?contacting the Study Administration at the Department of Pharmacy, studieinfo@farmasi.uio.no.
If a course has limited intake capacity, priority will be given to PhD candidates who follow an individual education plan where this particular course is included. Some national researchers’ schools may have specific rules for ranking applicants for courses with limited intake capacity.
PhD candidates who have been admitted to another higher education institution must?apply for a position as a visiting student?within a given deadline.
The course will be offered to maximum 12 participants. The course will not be offered if there are fewer than 5 participants.
Formal prerequisite knowledge
Students should have previous experience in epidemiology (equivalent to MF9230 – Course on clinical, epidemiological and public health research) and biostatistics (equivalent to MF9560 – Logistic regression for nominal and ordinal responses (discontinued)), and prior experience with multivariable logistic regression is required. The course will be taught primarily in R, with some support available for SAS and Stata; prior experience in R is recommended but not required.
Teaching
The course is centered on a four day obligatory session held in Oslo; students will be expected to have done substantial reading prior to the course meeting.
The individual program during the intensive four-day course includes:
- 8 50-minute lectures (students expected to do 1-2 hours of preparation for each lecture)
- 3 journal club-style discussions of current literature (each student will be responsible for presenting 1 article and will be expected to have read the other articles discussed - 1-2 hours prep for each session)
- 3 3.5-hour practical skills data labs (lab assignments will be completed within the lab session; final presentation may require additional preparation, depending on student progress in lab)
- 1 15-minute presentation on the students mini-project
The intensive four-day course will include: lectures by local, national and foreign invited speakers within the field of pharmacoepidemiology who are experienced in propensity score methods; journal club-style discussions of important literature on propensity score methods (1-2 students will be assigned to present each article); and practical lab sessions for skill practice and development.
Additional reading will complete work hours requirements according to the ECTS Users? Guide 2015. Reading list to be determined at a later point.
MANDATORY ACTIVITIES:
Four-day course in Oslo which includes:
- 8 lectures
- 3 lab sessions
- 3 student-led discussions of assigned reading
- 1 presentation for each candidate
Examination
At the beginning of the course, students will choose from one of several research questions. These topics will be designed in advance to highlight important topics in observational epidemiology, with a particular focus on confounding, as this is the main source of bias that propensity scores aim to address. Students may apply in advance of the course to use their own data for the lab session. Students will apply knowledge from the morning lecture sessions during afternoon lab sessions, and will receive formative feedback on lab work (e.g. identifying potential confounders, fitting propensity score models, diagnostics and balance checks, etc). On the last day of the course, each student will give a 15-minute presentation on his or her mini-Project.
Examination support material
No examination support material is allowed.
Language of examination
The examination text is given in English, and you submit your response in English.
Grading scale
Grades are awarded on a pass/fail scale. Read more about the grading system.
Resit an examination
If students are unable to give this final presentation due to illness or other valid reasons for absence, the alternative assignment is to complete a written report of their findings. The report should be approximately 5000 words in length, structured as a scientific manuscript and follow standard IMRAD layout including appropriate tables and figures, with special attention paid to the propensity score methods. This assignment will be due 2 weeks after the course ends, and will be graded pass/fail.
Re-scheduled examinations are not offered to students who withdraw during, or did not pass the original examination.
More about examinations at UiO
- Use of sources and citations
- Special exam arrangements due to individual needs
- Withdrawal from an exam
- Illness at exams / postponed exams
- Explanation of grades and appeals
- Resitting an exam
- Cheating/attempted cheating
You will find further guides and resources at the web page on examinations at UiO.