This three-day (5/2, 5/4, and 5/6) course will be offered via Zoom. Attendance is required as the course will not be recorded.

Course Summary:

Integrated mixed methods are used to answer questions that necessitate more than one method to achieve a holistic understanding. Combining qualitative and quantitative approaches can enhance conversations about theory, practice, and/or policy. This demanding paradigm requires knowledge, skill, and expertise in quantitative and qualitative methods, as well as the art of intentionally integrating the approaches to and findings from each mode of inquiry.

This course focuses on strategies, tips, and best practices to accomplish integration in accessible and effective ways, including:

- Rationales to guide decision-making related to study design and execution
- Conceptual, theoretical, and/or logic models as roadmaps to set the stage for and guide integration
- Analytic strategies that advance frameworks and dynamic processes of connecting, building, merging, embedding, and bridging

Instructor: Alison Hamilton

Alison B. Hamilton, Ph.D., M.P.H., a VA Research Career Scientist and Professor-in-Residence in the UCLA Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, received her Ph.D. in medical and psychological anthropology from UCLA in 2002, and her M.P.H. in Community Health Sciences from UCLA in 2009. Dr. Hamilton is the Director of the VA-funded EMPOWER (Enhancing Mental and Physical Health of Women through Engagement and Retention) Quality Enhancement Research Initiative (QUERI), focused on improving women Veterans’ health and health care through implementation science. She is the Chief Officer of Implementation & Policy at the VA Health Services Research and Development (HSR&D) Center for the Study of Healthcare Innovation, Implementation and Policy at the VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, specializing in women Veterans’ health, mental health services research, and implementation science.

She is also PI of a large-scale NIH study of enhancing organizational and individual readiness to address cardiovascular risk among individuals living with HIV. She was a fellow in the inaugural cohort of the NIMH/VA Implementation Research Institute and she serves as an Associate Editor for Implementation Science Communications (BMC) and on the editorial boards of Implementation Science (BMC), Women’s Health Issues (Elsevier), and Implementation Research and Practice (Sage).

Dr. Hamilton has been a consultant with ResearchTalk for over 20 years, providing direct support to clients as well as serving as faculty for several of the Qualitative Research Summer Intensives and mentor at ResearchTalk’s Qualitative Methods Camps. At recent Intensives, she has taught courses on qualitative methods in implementation research, rapid qualitative research methods, qualitative grant-writing, qualitative interviewing, integrated mixed methods research, and enhancing the usefulness of qualitative research. Dr. Hamilton is a co-author of Dr. Ray Maietta’s Sort and Sift, Think and Shift (forthcoming, Guilford).

Registration Fees
- UNC-CH Students: $0, with a $35 deposit to hold your spot (deposit is refundable upon your attendance for at least 66% of the course)
- UNC-CH Faculty/Staff/Postdoc: $95
- Non UNC-CH: $145

Additional Course Registration
- Registration will close at 12:01 am on 4/29/2022. Once registration closes, no late registrations will be accepted, no exceptions.
- Cancellation/ Refund Policy: A full refund will be given to those who cancel their registration no later than 10 days prior to the course. If you cancel within 10 days prior to the class, no refund will be given. Please allow 30 days to receive your refund.
- Zoom link for this course will be sent prior to the course. Registration must be made at least 3 days prior to the course date to receive the Zoom link.
- For questions regarding the status of this class, please contact Jill Stevens at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Register

Orientation for New Clinical Research Personnel is returning for Spring 2022! The curriculum is designed to be a true orientation for new research personnel (either new to UNC or new to research altogether), but anyone is welcome to attend. The orientation will be held via Zoom on May 3 and 4, from 1-3:30 p.m. Topics covered in the orientation will include:

- The Research Landscape at UNC Chapel Hill
- The Research Study Life Cycle and Different Types of Research Studies
- Good Clinical Practice
- Overview of Research Regulations and Research Processes
- Overview of Research Roles and Responsibilities
- Informed Consent

Register

Please contact Catherine Barnes at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you have questions regarding this training. 

This three-day (5/2, 5/4, and 5/6) course will be offered via Zoom. Attendance is required as the course will not be recorded.

Course Summary:

Integrated mixed methods are used to answer questions that necessitate more than one method to achieve a holistic understanding. Combining qualitative and quantitative approaches can enhance conversations about theory, practice, and/or policy. This demanding paradigm requires knowledge, skill, and expertise in quantitative and qualitative methods, as well as the art of intentionally integrating the approaches to and findings from each mode of inquiry.

This course focuses on strategies, tips, and best practices to accomplish integration in accessible and effective ways, including:

- Rationales to guide decision-making related to study design and execution
- Conceptual, theoretical, and/or logic models as roadmaps to set the stage for and guide integration
- Analytic strategies that advance frameworks and dynamic processes of connecting, building, merging, embedding, and bridging

Instructor: Alison Hamilton

Alison B. Hamilton, Ph.D., M.P.H., a VA Research Career Scientist and Professor-in-Residence in the UCLA Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, received her Ph.D. in medical and psychological anthropology from UCLA in 2002, and her M.P.H. in Community Health Sciences from UCLA in 2009. Dr. Hamilton is the Director of the VA-funded EMPOWER (Enhancing Mental and Physical Health of Women through Engagement and Retention) Quality Enhancement Research Initiative (QUERI), focused on improving women Veterans’ health and health care through implementation science. She is the Chief Officer of Implementation & Policy at the VA Health Services Research and Development (HSR&D) Center for the Study of Healthcare Innovation, Implementation and Policy at the VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, specializing in women Veterans’ health, mental health services research, and implementation science.

She is also PI of a large-scale NIH study of enhancing organizational and individual readiness to address cardiovascular risk among individuals living with HIV. She was a fellow in the inaugural cohort of the NIMH/VA Implementation Research Institute and she serves as an Associate Editor for Implementation Science Communications (BMC) and on the editorial boards of Implementation Science (BMC), Women’s Health Issues (Elsevier), and Implementation Research and Practice (Sage).

Dr. Hamilton has been a consultant with ResearchTalk for over 20 years, providing direct support to clients as well as serving as faculty for several of the Qualitative Research Summer Intensives and mentor at ResearchTalk’s Qualitative Methods Camps. At recent Intensives, she has taught courses on qualitative methods in implementation research, rapid qualitative research methods, qualitative grant-writing, qualitative interviewing, integrated mixed methods research, and enhancing the usefulness of qualitative research. Dr. Hamilton is a co-author of Dr. Ray Maietta’s Sort and Sift, Think and Shift (forthcoming, Guilford).

Registration Fees
- UNC-CH Students: $0, with a $35 deposit to hold your spot (deposit is refundable upon your attendance for at least 66% of the course)
- UNC-CH Faculty/Staff/Postdoc: $95
- Non UNC-CH: $145

Additional Course Registration
- Registration will close at 12:01 am on 4/29/2022. Once registration closes, no late registrations will be accepted, no exceptions.
- Cancellation/ Refund Policy: A full refund will be given to those who cancel their registration no later than 10 days prior to the course. If you cancel within 10 days prior to the class, no refund will be given. Please allow 30 days to receive your refund.
- Zoom link for this course will be sent prior to the course. Registration must be made at least 3 days prior to the course date to receive the Zoom link.
- For questions regarding the status of this class, please contact Jill Stevens at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Register

Orientation for New Clinical Research Personnel is returning for Spring 2022! The curriculum is designed to be a true orientation for new research personnel (either new to UNC or new to research altogether), but anyone is welcome to attend. The orientation will be held via Zoom on May 3 and 4, from 1-3:30 p.m. Topics covered in the orientation will include:

- The Research Landscape at UNC Chapel Hill
- The Research Study Life Cycle and Different Types of Research Studies
- Good Clinical Practice
- Overview of Research Regulations and Research Processes
- Overview of Research Roles and Responsibilities
- Informed Consent

Register

Please contact Catherine Barnes at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you have questions regarding this training. 

This three-day (5/2, 5/4, and 5/6) course will be offered via Zoom. Attendance is required as the course will not be recorded.

Course Summary:

Integrated mixed methods are used to answer questions that necessitate more than one method to achieve a holistic understanding. Combining qualitative and quantitative approaches can enhance conversations about theory, practice, and/or policy. This demanding paradigm requires knowledge, skill, and expertise in quantitative and qualitative methods, as well as the art of intentionally integrating the approaches to and findings from each mode of inquiry.

This course focuses on strategies, tips, and best practices to accomplish integration in accessible and effective ways, including:

- Rationales to guide decision-making related to study design and execution
- Conceptual, theoretical, and/or logic models as roadmaps to set the stage for and guide integration
- Analytic strategies that advance frameworks and dynamic processes of connecting, building, merging, embedding, and bridging

Instructor: Alison Hamilton

Alison B. Hamilton, Ph.D., M.P.H., a VA Research Career Scientist and Professor-in-Residence in the UCLA Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, received her Ph.D. in medical and psychological anthropology from UCLA in 2002, and her M.P.H. in Community Health Sciences from UCLA in 2009. Dr. Hamilton is the Director of the VA-funded EMPOWER (Enhancing Mental and Physical Health of Women through Engagement and Retention) Quality Enhancement Research Initiative (QUERI), focused on improving women Veterans’ health and health care through implementation science. She is the Chief Officer of Implementation & Policy at the VA Health Services Research and Development (HSR&D) Center for the Study of Healthcare Innovation, Implementation and Policy at the VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, specializing in women Veterans’ health, mental health services research, and implementation science.

She is also PI of a large-scale NIH study of enhancing organizational and individual readiness to address cardiovascular risk among individuals living with HIV. She was a fellow in the inaugural cohort of the NIMH/VA Implementation Research Institute and she serves as an Associate Editor for Implementation Science Communications (BMC) and on the editorial boards of Implementation Science (BMC), Women’s Health Issues (Elsevier), and Implementation Research and Practice (Sage).

Dr. Hamilton has been a consultant with ResearchTalk for over 20 years, providing direct support to clients as well as serving as faculty for several of the Qualitative Research Summer Intensives and mentor at ResearchTalk’s Qualitative Methods Camps. At recent Intensives, she has taught courses on qualitative methods in implementation research, rapid qualitative research methods, qualitative grant-writing, qualitative interviewing, integrated mixed methods research, and enhancing the usefulness of qualitative research. Dr. Hamilton is a co-author of Dr. Ray Maietta’s Sort and Sift, Think and Shift (forthcoming, Guilford).

Registration Fees
- UNC-CH Students: $0, with a $35 deposit to hold your spot (deposit is refundable upon your attendance for at least 66% of the course)
- UNC-CH Faculty/Staff/Postdoc: $95
- Non UNC-CH: $145

Additional Course Registration
- Registration will close at 12:01 am on 4/29/2022. Once registration closes, no late registrations will be accepted, no exceptions.
- Cancellation/ Refund Policy: A full refund will be given to those who cancel their registration no later than 10 days prior to the course. If you cancel within 10 days prior to the class, no refund will be given. Please allow 30 days to receive your refund.
- Zoom link for this course will be sent prior to the course. Registration must be made at least 3 days prior to the course date to receive the Zoom link.
- For questions regarding the status of this class, please contact Jill Stevens at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Register

N-of-1 Randomized Trials: CRAVE and I-STOP-AFib as Examples (Gregory Marcus, MD, MAS)

This NIH Collaboratory Rethinking Clinical Trials Grand Rounds features:

Gregory Marcus, MD, MAS
Professor of Medicine
University of California, San Francisco

Learn More

Join a live training session for the N3C Data Enclave. Users of all types can learn how to navigate the N3C, utilize the Enclave and resources it provides, and learn how to better achieve their analytical goals. This orientation is split into 2 sessions – Session A and Session B. These orientations are offered on a monthly basis. Session A is recommended before attending Session B.

Session A is for those who want to learn about N3C, as well as how to engage with project teams and access the data.

Topics include:

• Provide a general overview of N3C, including goals, organization, and community resources such as Domain Teams and Data Liaisons.
• Introduces the 3 data tiers available and important considerations for research driven by the data harmonization process.
• Discusses resources for training and help, as well as the Data Use Request (DUR) process required for researcher access.

Register

This series is jointly sponsored by the UNC Core Center for Clinical Research (CCCR) and the UNC Program for Precision Medicine in Health Care (PPMH). All events will be virtual (Zoom) and free of charge.

The goal of this seminar series is to bring together researchers and clinicians across the UNC campus and catalyze new clinical research using machine learning. All backgrounds and experience levels will find this series engaging and informative.

Machine learning analysis methods offer the opportunity to integrate and learn from large amounts of biological, clinical, and environmental data, and there is a growing interest in how these tools can be used to inform and individualize clinical decision making in a variety of disease areas. Machine learning can offer different, yet often complementary, insights compared to traditional statistical analyses to better understand heterogeneity in patient presentation, prognoses, and treatment response, generating critical data for precision medicine research. These methods can allow integration across diverse data types and large feature sets, overcoming some limitations of traditional tools to answer clinical questions. However, many clinical researchers have little exposure to machine learning methods, presenting a barrier to utilization of these tools themselves and/or to effective collaboration with methodologists in their own research.

The objectives of this series are to:

On May 11, 2022, from 9:30-11:30 a.m., clinicians and researchers will discuss examples of how machine learning tools have been applied in arthritis and autoimmune disease. This session will feature an overview of machine learning and its application to identify clinical phenotypes of osteoarthritis and type 1 diabetes.

On May 18, 2022, from 1:00-3:00 p.m., clinicians and researchers will explore the use of machine learning tools and precision medicine techniques in clinical research. This session will feature an overview of machine learning tools in the field of precision medicine and address how they may be used to inform decision support for peripheral artery disease and rare genetic diseases.

On May 25, 2022, from 1:00-3:00 p.m., a panel discussion will focus on how researchers and clinicians at UNC can integrate machine learning techniques into their own clinical research. Are you a clinician with an idea for how patient care could be improved with computational decision support tools? Pitch your idea (5-10 minute overview) to assembled machine learning experts on May 25. Receive expert guidance and compete for funding from the UNC Program for Precision Medicine in Health Care for analytical support to develop your project. Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for more information about the pitch opportunity.

We encourage anyone interested in using machine learning as part of their own research to attend, regardless of research background or experience with machine learning!

Register

Ethics and Collateral Findings in Pragmatic Clinical Trials: Implications of a Multi-Method Exploration

This NIH Collaboratory Rethinking Clinical Trials Grand Rounds features:

Jeremy Sugarman, MD, MPH, MA
Deputy Director for Medicine
Harvey M. Meyerhoff Professor of Bioethics and Medicine
Berman Institute of Bioethics
Johns Hopkins University

Stephanie Morain, PhD, MPH
Assistant Professor
Berman Institute of Bioethics
Johns Hopkins University

Juli Bollinger, MS
Research Scientist
Berman Institute of Bioethics
Johns Hopkins University

Kevin P. Weinfurt, PhD
Professor and Vice Chair of Research
Department of Population Health Sciences
Duke University School of Medicine

Learn More

This course delivers fundamental NGx concepts and addresses barriers that impede translation of research results from laboratories to people by bringing together researchers and practitioners in NGx concepts ranging from cell biology to dietetics. Designed for graduate students, health professionals and nutrition scientists from academia, agencies, and industry.

Presented by: UNC Nutrition Research Institute (NRI) and UNC Nutrition and Obesity Research Center (NORC)

Goals

Features

Presenters are from departments of Nutrition, Genetics, Epidemiology, Psychology and Neuroscience, School of Pharmacy, and the Nutrition Research Institute at UNC-Chapel Hill; UNC Charlotte; Western Human Nutrition Research Center, USDA-ARS; Instituto Nacional de Medicina Genomica; University of Illinois; and Baylor College of Medicine USDA/ARS Children’s Nutrition Research Center.

Attendees

The NRI has produced this short course annually since 2016 (with the exception of 2020 due to the pandemic) with attendees and presenters from around the world. Annual attendance is capped at 80 and past attendees have included graduate students, postdocs, faculty, industry researchers, physicians, and registered dietitians.

Registration and Fees

Registration fees include accommodations, see details below.

NGx will be held at the Embassy Suites by Hilton Charlotte Concord Golf Resort & Spa. Registration fees include the full conference and a single room in the hotel for the nights of 5/15 – 5/18, as well as continental breakfast, lunch, and dinner daily (no dinner on 5/19). Also included is transportation between event venues during the short course. Transportation to and from the conference is not included.

Keynote Speaker

Robert A. Waterland, PhD is a professor in the Department of Pediatrics and the Department of Molecular & Human Genetics at Baylor College of Medicine USDA/ARS Children’s Nutrition Research Center.

Register

Overview

On May 16 and 17, 2022, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) will host a jointly sponsored virtual workshop to explore Regulatory Fitness in Rare Disease Clinical Trials.

Advances in rare diseases, particularly in the field of genetics, result in an active, highly innovative, and rapidly evolving area of science and drug development. Nonetheless, rare disease drug development represents an area of high unmet medical need. There are many challenges in rare disease drug development that are broadly recognized by the rare disease drug development community, such as:

Academic investigators, patient groups, and small or emerging pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies play a critical role in rare disease drug development and are often the sponsors for rare disease drug development, but they may lack regulatory experience. This workshop focuses on academic investigators and those looking to learn how to bridge the gap between academic investigation and the regulatory aspects of drug development.

This workshop will: