This course will be offered via Zoom and divided into two parts: September 20 & 22 and October 4 & 6. Attendance is required as the course will not be recorded.

Course Summary:
Statistical machine learning and data mining is an interdisciplinary research area which is closely related to statistics, computer sciences, engineering, and bioinformatics. Many statistical machine learning and data mining techniques and algorithms are very useful for various scientific areas. This short course will provide an overview of statistical machine learning and data mining techniques with applications to the analysis of real data. Supervised learning techniques will be covered, including penalized regression such as LASSO and its variants, support vector machines. The main emphasis will be on the analysis of real data sets from various scientific fields. The techniques discussed will be demonstrated in R.

This course is intended for researchers who have some knowledge of statistics and want to be introduced to statistical machine learning and data mining, or practitioners who would like to apply statistical machine learning techniques to their problems.

Prerequisite:
Participants should be familiar with linear regression and basic statistical and probability concepts, as well as some familiarity with R programming.

Instructor: Yufeng Liu, PhD
Yufeng Liu, PhD, is currently a professor in the Department of Statistics and Operations Research, Department of Biostatistics, and Department of Genetics at UNC-Chapel Hill. His current research interests include statistical machine learning, high dimensional data analysis, personalized medicine, and bioinformatics. He has taught statistical machine learning courses multiple times at UNC, as well as short courses on this subject at Joint Statistical Meetings, ENAR, FDA, and Biostatistics Summer Institutes at the University of Washington.

Registration Fees
- UNC-Chapel Hill Students: $0, with a $20 deposit to hold your spot (deposit is refundable upon your attendance for at least 66% of the course)
- UNC-Chapel Hill Faculty/Staff/Postdoc/Resident/Visiting Scholars: $40

Additional Course Registration
- Registration will close at 12:01 am on 9/17/2022. 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

This course will be offered via Zoom and divided into two parts: September 20 & 22 and October 4 & 6. Attendance is required as the course will not be recorded.

Course Summary:
Statistical machine learning and data mining is an interdisciplinary research area which is closely related to statistics, computer sciences, engineering, and bioinformatics. Many statistical machine learning and data mining techniques and algorithms are very useful for various scientific areas. This short course will provide an overview of statistical machine learning and data mining techniques with applications to the analysis of real data. Supervised learning techniques will be covered, including penalized regression such as LASSO and its variants, support vector machines. The main emphasis will be on the analysis of real data sets from various scientific fields. The techniques discussed will be demonstrated in R.

This course is intended for researchers who have some knowledge of statistics and want to be introduced to statistical machine learning and data mining, or practitioners who would like to apply statistical machine learning techniques to their problems.

Prerequisite:
Participants should be familiar with linear regression and basic statistical and probability concepts, as well as some familiarity with R programming.

Instructor: Yufeng Liu, PhD
Yufeng Liu, PhD, is currently a professor in the Department of Statistics and Operations Research, Department of Biostatistics, and Department of Genetics at UNC-Chapel Hill. His current research interests include statistical machine learning, high dimensional data analysis, personalized medicine, and bioinformatics. He has taught statistical machine learning courses multiple times at UNC, as well as short courses on this subject at Joint Statistical Meetings, ENAR, FDA, and Biostatistics Summer Institutes at the University of Washington.

Registration Fees
- UNC-Chapel Hill Students: $0, with a $20 deposit to hold your spot (deposit is refundable upon your attendance for at least 66% of the course)
- UNC-Chapel Hill Faculty/Staff/Postdoc/Resident/Visiting Scholars: $40

Additional Course Registration
- Registration will close at 12:01 am on 9/17/2022. 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

This online training session will provide an introduction to qualitative research methods. Participants will have the opportunity to ask questions and share experiences conducting qualitative research.

Topics:

• Differences between quantitative and qualitative research
• Qualitative research methodologies
• Strategies for qualitative data collection
• Methods of qualitative data analysis

Presenters:
MaryBeth Grewe, MPH
Engagement and Qualitative Research Specialist
NC TraCS Institute

Simone Frank, MPH
Community Engagement and Outreach Specialist
NC TraCS Institute

Register

Non-linear link functions cause some difficulty in interpreting parameters in generalized mixed models. This presentation will cover the interpretation of both regression coefficients and variance components in generalized mixed models.

Regression coefficients for within- and between-cluster covariates have different interpretations that will be explained. Interpretation of variance components, within and between, will be covered.

The focus will be on logistic and log-linear models, although the ideas apply to other link functions. Numerical examples will be presented.

Presenter: Bahjat Qaqish, PhD
Professor, Department of Biostatistics
UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health

Format: ~1 hour talk, 30 min Q&A

Register

The NC TraCS Biostatistics Seminar Series provides more in-depth discussion of select biostatistical topics for clinical and translational researchers who have basic quantitative training in biostatistical methods. Join us this fall for seminars on power analysis & sample size planning, parameter interpretation in generalized mixed regression models, basic steps in questionnaire development, and choosing the right graphs and tables for your data.

Impact Of Handovers Of Anesthesia Care On Morbidity And Mortality

This NIH Collaboratory Rethinking Clinical Trials Grand Rounds features:

Melanie Meersch-Dini, MD
Professor
Department of Anesthesiology, Intensive Care and Pain Medicine
University Hospital Münster, Germany

Learn More

Fall 2022 Seminar Series Co-Sponsored by the UNC Gillings Department of Nutrition and the UNC Nutrition Obesity Research Center

Virtual Seminar, A Career in Biopharmaceutical Industry, with Juhaeri Juhaeri, PhD, Vice President and Head of Epidemiology and Benefit-Risk, Sanofi.

Register

UNC Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute and the UNC School of Social Work are co-sponsoring Language Summit 2022. The summit will take place across four days—while attendees are encouraged to attend multiple sessions, you do not have to attend all to benefit from the presentations/discussions.

Together, we will think through the importance of intentional language use and how language can be harmful, understand how language is always changing and changes are typically seen in spoken language before written language, and develop more inclusive language practices across daily communications in our work and in our communities.

The first panel will provide a broad discussion of how we can be intentional in our daily communications to be inclusive, respond to injustices, and avoid creating or perpetuating harm and will include: a spoken word performance with poet, Destiny James; a keynote presentation, “The Power of Language: The Crossroads of Standardization, Policy, and Identity” from Lamar Graham, assistant professor of Hispanic linguistics, UNC Department of Romance Languages; and a panel on Power in Daily Communication with Travis Albritton, associate dean for diversity, equity, and inclusion, UNC School of Social Work, and Lindsay MacNeill, historian, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.

Register

I Spot a Cool Plot: A Nearly Syntax-Free Introduction to Advanced Data Visualization in R for Survey Researchers and Social Scientists

Course Summary:

This online workshop will introduce attendees to the advanced data visualization capabilities in R and to the concepts of the grammar of graphics. Specifically, we will demonstrate how to access ggplot2 using a graphical user interface library in R as well as through an R shiny app. These environments provide the user a “point and click” interface for accessing the power of ggplot2 and can generate R syntax automatically thereby providing users a boost up the learning curve for understanding the grammar of graphics used by ggplot2.

We begin the workshop with an overview of the grammar of graphics and explain how graphs are constructed in layers and aesthetics which will lay a foundation for how to approach creating advanced graphics and visualizations. We will then demonstrate how to create and export various kinds of visualizations including violin pots, line plots, boxplots, scatterplots, bubble plots, bar charts, histograms and more using these interfaces. The examples used throughout will leverage mixed data types (e.g. a combination of continuous and categorical variables) that are common in both survey research and social sciences.

While no prior R programming experience is assumed, a working understanding of the R environment (how to load packages, etc.) or Rstudio will be very helpful. Having the most recent version of R and /or Rstudio and an internet connection during the workshop would help users follow along in real time if desired.

Instructor: Trent Buskirk, PhD

Trent D. Buskirk, PhD, is the Novak Family Professor of Data Science and the Chair of the Applied Statistics and Operations Research Department at Bowling Green State University. Trent received his PhD in Statistics from Arizona State University with emphasis in Survey Sampling. Since that time he has developed specific expertise in Mobile and Smartphone Survey Designs and Data and in the use of machine learning methods for developing sampling designs and adaptive survey protocols. Trent has held positions in academia and industry including Director of the Center for Survey Research at UMass Boston and as an Associate Professor of Biostatistics at Saint Louis University as well as the Research Director in Measurement Science for the Nielsen Company and Vice President or Methods and Statistics at the Marketing Systems group. 

Register

Aging & Mobility

Please join the Department of Health Sciences Office of Research & Scholarship for a special University Research Week research forum featuring speakers on Aging & Mobility. The hybrid forum will take place in person (MacNider 321, LUNCH provided) and via Zoom. Please register to attend.

Presenters:

Jason Franz, PhD
Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering
Mobility and falls prevention in the elderly

Michael Lewek, PhD
Division of Physical Therapy, Department of Health Sciences
Mobility assessment in older patients with neurological disorders

John Batsis, MD, PhD
Division of Geriatric Medicine, Department of Medicine
Department of Nutrition, Gillings School of Global Public Health
Treating obesity to improve mobility

Questions? Contact the Department of Health Sciences Office of Research & Scholarship at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Register

This interactive online workshop will focus on semi-structured interviewing, a data collection method used in qualitative research. Participants will have the opportunity to practice developing interview questions and using interviewing skills.

Topics:

• Basics of semi-structured interviews
• Development of interview questions and probes
• Interviewing skills
• Considerations for conducting virtual interviews.

Presenters:
MaryBeth Grewe, MPH
Engagement and Qualitative Research Specialist
NC TraCS Institute

Simone Frank, MPH
Community Engagement and Outreach Specialist
NC TraCS Institute

Register

The Proposal Development Unit in the Office of Research and Innovation at NC State University invites everyone in the NC State community and the broader NC TraCS Institute community to participate in the NIH @ NC State Fall Grantsmanship Series.

Almost 60% of NIH’s budget is spent on a class of grants called the RPGs (Research Project Grants). This session will walk through the most common RPG activity codes, such as R01, R21, R03, U01, and P01, and discuss why a researcher may choose a particular activity code for a given project.

Register

UNC Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute and the UNC School of Social Work are co-sponsoring Language Summit 2022. The summit will take place across four days—while attendees are encouraged to attend multiple sessions, you do not have to attend all to benefit from the presentations/discussions.

Together, we will think through the importance of intentional language use and how language can be harmful, understand how language is always changing and changes are typically seen in spoken language before written language, and develop more inclusive language practices across daily communications in our work and in our communities.

In this panel, we will discuss the connections between language and legislation and how language can be used intentionally to disrupt injustice and promote inclusive, democratic learning environments where all students can thrive. Panelists include: Xigrid Soto-Boykin, assistant research professor/senior scientist for bilingual learning, Children's Equity Project, Arizona State University; JP Przewoznik, clinical assistant professor, UNC School of Social Work; and North Carolina State Representative Julie Von Haefen, NC General Assembly.

Register

Responding (or Not) to Signals of Potential Clinical Significance in Pragmatic Clinical Trials

This NIH Collaboratory Rethinking Clinical Trials Grand Rounds features:

Joseph Ali, JD
Assistant Professor
Assistant Professor, Dept. of International Health
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Core Faculty & Associate Director for Global Programs
Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics

Tanya Matthews, PhD
HRPP Director
Kaiser Permanente Washington

Leslie J. Crofford, MD
Wilson Family Chair in Medicine
Professor of Medicine and Pathology, Microbiology & Immunology
Chief, Division of Rheumatology
Vanderbilt University Medical Center

Learn More

This in-person course will be offered over 3 afternoons (10/17/22, 10/19/22, and 10/21/22) 2 hours per day. Attendance is required as the course will not be recorded.

Course Summary:

This course introduces Structural equation modeling (SEM) with Stata software. This statistical method tests theoretically derived models with observed and unobserved variables. This methodology is different from other regression models in that this method does not assume that the variables have been measured without error. The relationship between theoretical constructs is tested using latent variables, which are variables with at least two observable measures that mathematically can represent unobserved abstract constructs. The relationship between variables is analyzed using direct, indirect, and total effects. SEM allows searchers can test mediation effects to identify underlying mechanisms that influence the relationship between a key independent variable and outcome. Moreover, this model enables researchers to test theoretical models with more than one dependent variable. The class will focus on models for continuous variables and discuss options to analyze models with categorical variables.

The course will cover how to perform the following steps:

- Measure confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to evaluate the validity of the construct
- Model identification
- Model fit
- Test hypotheses
- Model the missing data of continuous independent variables
- Interpret results

Requirements:

1) Students must know how to model and interpret correlations and ordinary least square (OLS) regressions.
2) Know how to use the basic Stata functions, i.e., enter and save data, create variables, use command window, and do file.

Instructor: Eugenia Conde, PhD

Eugenia Conde, PhD, is a Statistical Consultant at The H. W. Odum Institute for Research in Social Science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She provides consultations to students and faculty on research methods and statistics. Her PhD is in sociology with a concentration in demography and medical sociology. In addition, she holds an MSPH in epidemiology. Before working at the Odum Institute, she worked at Rutgers University and at Duke University as a statistical consultant for graduate students and as a statistician for researchers from different disciplines, including political science, economics, psychology, sociology, and public health.

Registration Fees
- $0, with a $20 deposit to hold your spot (deposit is refundable upon your attendance for at least 66% of the course)

Additional Course Registration
- Registration will close at 12:01 am on 10/14/2022. 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.
- 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

The UNC Eshelman Institute for Innovation is hosting their next AWS Immersion Training October 18-20 on campus in Beard Hall.

This no-cost three-day training will educate UNC faculty/staff about AWS products and services and help them develop the skills needed to build, deploy, and operate infrastructure and applications in the cloud. Immersion days also provide participants with hands-on AWS lab experience.

Immersion Days are designed for all PIs and research teams interested in using the AWS console for their research data needs. Research team members who will build, deploy, and operate the infrastructure are encouraged to participate in the training.

Interested participants can register online by completing an assessment form. The Eshelman Institute will contact registrants to learn more about their research. Following participation, users are eligible to receive up to $5,000 in free AWS credits.

Training times TBD

Registration deadline: October 3, 2022

register

Implementation Science Speaker Series - Implementation and Effectiveness of Digital Health Interventions for Cancer Screening

The growing prevalence of mobile device ownership and high-speed internet access have created new opportunities to reach, educate, and empower patients to participate in their care. However, digital health interventions can be difficult to implement in busy clinical environments and may widen health disparities. David Miller, MD, MS, will share lessons learned along his 20-year journey of creating and implementing patient-facing digital health interventions designed to facilitate cancer screening.

Presenter:

David P. Miller, MD, MS
Professor, Internal Medicine and Implementation Science
Wake Forest University School of Medicine

The event is co-sponsored by NC TraCS and the Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Register

UNC Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute and the UNC School of Social Work are co-sponsoring Language Summit 2022. The summit will take place across four days—while attendees are encouraged to attend multiple sessions, you do not have to attend all to benefit from the presentations/discussions.

Together, we will think through the importance of intentional language use and how language can be harmful, understand how language is always changing and changes are typically seen in spoken language before written language, and develop more inclusive language practices across daily communications in our work and in our communities.

Science doesn’t speak for itself. It requires translation for non-academic audiences, like practitioners, policymakers, or the public. The science of framing can help scientists avoid predictable communications missteps and advance greater understanding and engagement. Join Julie Sweetland, a sociolinguist and senior advisor of the FrameWorks Institute, to explore an evidence-based, action-oriented set of principles for more effective science communication.

Register

The UNC Eshelman Institute for Innovation is hosting their next AWS Immersion Training October 18-20 on campus in Beard Hall.

This no-cost three-day training will educate UNC faculty/staff about AWS products and services and help them develop the skills needed to build, deploy, and operate infrastructure and applications in the cloud. Immersion days also provide participants with hands-on AWS lab experience.

Immersion Days are designed for all PIs and research teams interested in using the AWS console for their research data needs. Research team members who will build, deploy, and operate the infrastructure are encouraged to participate in the training.

Interested participants can register online by completing an assessment form. The Eshelman Institute will contact registrants to learn more about their research. Following participation, users are eligible to receive up to $5,000 in free AWS credits.

Training times TBD

Registration deadline: October 3, 2022

register

This in-person course will be offered over 3 afternoons (10/17/22, 10/19/22, and 10/21/22) 2 hours per day. Attendance is required as the course will not be recorded.

Course Summary:

This course introduces Structural equation modeling (SEM) with Stata software. This statistical method tests theoretically derived models with observed and unobserved variables. This methodology is different from other regression models in that this method does not assume that the variables have been measured without error. The relationship between theoretical constructs is tested using latent variables, which are variables with at least two observable measures that mathematically can represent unobserved abstract constructs. The relationship between variables is analyzed using direct, indirect, and total effects. SEM allows searchers can test mediation effects to identify underlying mechanisms that influence the relationship between a key independent variable and outcome. Moreover, this model enables researchers to test theoretical models with more than one dependent variable. The class will focus on models for continuous variables and discuss options to analyze models with categorical variables.

The course will cover how to perform the following steps:

- Measure confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to evaluate the validity of the construct
- Model identification
- Model fit
- Test hypotheses
- Model the missing data of continuous independent variables
- Interpret results

Requirements:

1) Students must know how to model and interpret correlations and ordinary least square (OLS) regressions.
2) Know how to use the basic Stata functions, i.e., enter and save data, create variables, use command window, and do file.

Instructor: Eugenia Conde, PhD

Eugenia Conde, PhD, is a Statistical Consultant at The H. W. Odum Institute for Research in Social Science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She provides consultations to students and faculty on research methods and statistics. Her PhD is in sociology with a concentration in demography and medical sociology. In addition, she holds an MSPH in epidemiology. Before working at the Odum Institute, she worked at Rutgers University and at Duke University as a statistical consultant for graduate students and as a statistician for researchers from different disciplines, including political science, economics, psychology, sociology, and public health.

Registration Fees
- $0, with a $20 deposit to hold your spot (deposit is refundable upon your attendance for at least 66% of the course)

Additional Course Registration
- Registration will close at 12:01 am on 10/14/2022. 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.
- 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

The UNC Eshelman Institute for Innovation is hosting their next AWS Immersion Training October 18-20 on campus in Beard Hall.

This no-cost three-day training will educate UNC faculty/staff about AWS products and services and help them develop the skills needed to build, deploy, and operate infrastructure and applications in the cloud. Immersion days also provide participants with hands-on AWS lab experience.

Immersion Days are designed for all PIs and research teams interested in using the AWS console for their research data needs. Research team members who will build, deploy, and operate the infrastructure are encouraged to participate in the training.

Interested participants can register online by completing an assessment form. The Eshelman Institute will contact registrants to learn more about their research. Following participation, users are eligible to receive up to $5,000 in free AWS credits.

Training times TBD

Registration deadline: October 3, 2022

register

Frequent Research Study Audit Findings Requiring a Corrective and Preventative Action (CAPA) Plan

Please join the Network of Research Professionals and Jamie Kauwell, Senior CTQA Auditor, for a review of frequent audit findings and provide suggestions to develop an appropriate corrective and preventative action plan (CAPA).

- Define the criteria used to identify what findings require a CAPA plan

- Identify frequent findings requiring a CAPA plan found during a research study audit by the CTQA Program

- Explain what is needed to create an effective CAPA plan

Register

UNC Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute and the UNC School of Social Work are co-sponsoring Language Summit 2022. The summit will take place across four days—while attendees are encouraged to attend multiple sessions, you do not have to attend all to benefit from the presentations/discussions.

Together, we will think through the importance of intentional language use and how language can be harmful, understand how language is always changing and changes are typically seen in spoken language before written language, and develop more inclusive language practices across daily communications in our work and in our communities.

This panel will explore how the language that academics choose to use shapes interactions with community partners and impacts the feeling of belonging and inclusion in academic spaces. Panelists include Mysha Winn, executive director, Project Momentum and Victoria Chavis, coordinator co-curricular & academic engagement, Carolina Firsts.

Register

Bad City: A Conversation with the Author

Please join the UNC Office of Ethics & Policy for a conversation with the Pulitzer Prize winning reporter Paul Pringle about his new book, Bad City, which details his investigation of shocking misconduct by a former dean at the University of Southern California medical school. Pringle’s book is a study about complicity and abuses of power by individuals and institutions. The conversation hosts will talk with Pringle about his book and his insight about ethics in journalism, the perils of cronyism and the courage of everyday citizens who attempt to seek justice amid corrupt practices. Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill has copies of Bad City available for 10% off, leading up to the event.

Presenters:

Paul Pringle
Investigative Reporter
LA Times

Kim Strom, PhD, LISW
Director, UNC Office of Ethics and Policy
Smith P. Theimann Distinguished Professor of Ethics and Social Work

Susan King, MA
Dean Emeritus
UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media

Register

This in-person course will be offered over 3 afternoons (10/17/22, 10/19/22, and 10/21/22) 2 hours per day. Attendance is required as the course will not be recorded.

Course Summary:

This course introduces Structural equation modeling (SEM) with Stata software. This statistical method tests theoretically derived models with observed and unobserved variables. This methodology is different from other regression models in that this method does not assume that the variables have been measured without error. The relationship between theoretical constructs is tested using latent variables, which are variables with at least two observable measures that mathematically can represent unobserved abstract constructs. The relationship between variables is analyzed using direct, indirect, and total effects. SEM allows searchers can test mediation effects to identify underlying mechanisms that influence the relationship between a key independent variable and outcome. Moreover, this model enables researchers to test theoretical models with more than one dependent variable. The class will focus on models for continuous variables and discuss options to analyze models with categorical variables.

The course will cover how to perform the following steps:

- Measure confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to evaluate the validity of the construct
- Model identification
- Model fit
- Test hypotheses
- Model the missing data of continuous independent variables
- Interpret results

Requirements:

1) Students must know how to model and interpret correlations and ordinary least square (OLS) regressions.
2) Know how to use the basic Stata functions, i.e., enter and save data, create variables, use command window, and do file.

Instructor: Eugenia Conde, PhD

Eugenia Conde, PhD, is a Statistical Consultant at The H. W. Odum Institute for Research in Social Science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She provides consultations to students and faculty on research methods and statistics. Her PhD is in sociology with a concentration in demography and medical sociology. In addition, she holds an MSPH in epidemiology. Before working at the Odum Institute, she worked at Rutgers University and at Duke University as a statistical consultant for graduate students and as a statistician for researchers from different disciplines, including political science, economics, psychology, sociology, and public health.

Registration Fees
- $0, with a $20 deposit to hold your spot (deposit is refundable upon your attendance for at least 66% of the course)

Additional Course Registration
- Registration will close at 12:01 am on 10/14/2022. 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.
- 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

Disinformation, Cyberthreat and Choice, Protecting Patients and Clinical Research from the Digital Triple Threat

This NIH Collaboratory Rethinking Clinical Trials Grand Rounds features:

Eric Perakslis, PhD
Chief Science & Digital Officer
Duke Clinical Research Institute
Professor, Department of Population Health Sciences
Chief Research Technology Strategist
Duke University School of Medicine

Andrea Downing
ePatient and Security Researcher
Co-Founder – The Light Collective

Learn More

Causes and Outcomes of Persistent Unethical Behavior

Why does unethical behavior persist over prolonged periods of time—often as an open secret—in many workplaces? What makes institutions of higher education especially prone to such systems? How can such behavior be stopped, disrupted, or countered? In this session, Professors Drumwright and Cunningham will share their research on networks of complicity and foster discussion about responding to the enablers of unethical behavior.

Presenters:

Minette Drumwright, PhD
Stan Richards School of Advertising & Public Relations
University of Texas-Austin

Peggy Cunningham, PhD
Rowe School of Business
Dalhousie University

Register

Clinical Protocol Development Series

The goal of this two-day series is to provide researchers with the knowledge, tools, and resources to aid in the development of a scientific protocol for a clinical research study. Both sessions will begin at 9:00 AM and a question-and-answer session will follow each presentation.

The first day of the series will provide an introduction and focus on the following key points:
- Who needs a clinical protocol and why it is important
- Types of clinical protocols, and content expectations for sections of the protocol
- UNC Scientific Review processes
- Resources and tools available at UNC to support clinical protocol development

Audience: academic researchers, scientists, study coordinators, and students engaged in clinical research and/or clinical trials.

ACRP Contact Hours: 2.0 Contact Hours of clinical research education on the application for maintenance of ACRP's ccrc®, ccra® or cpi®, certification designations will be available for attendees

Register

Social Network Analysis: Description and Inference

This one-day course will be offered via Zoom. Attendance is required as the course will not be recorded.

Course Summary:

This course will provide an introduction to descriptive and inferential network analysis. In the morning we will cover descriptive network analysis, including: terminology, data collection/management, position (e.g., centrality) analysis, visualization, and community detection. In the afternoon we will cover statistical network analysis. Do actor attributes such as gender, race, or political preferences salary predict tie formation in a network? Does the network exhibit a tendency towards reciprocal tie formation? Statistical network models can be used to empirically study network structure and answer questions such as these. We will cover both empirical analysis and network simulation using statistical network models. Real-world network data and R code will be presented through interactive workshop sessions in both the morning and afternoon. There are no formal prerequisites for the course, but a background in basic statistical analysis (e.g., regression) will be useful.

Instructor: Bruce Desmarais, PhD

Bruce Desmarais, PhD, is the DeGrandis-McCourtney Early Career Professor in Political Science, Associate Director of the Center for Social Data Analytics, and an Affiliate of the Institute for Computational and Data Sciences at Penn State University. His research is focused on methodological development and applications that further our understanding of the complex interdependence that underlies politics and public policy. Methodologically, he focuses on methods for modeling networks, analyzing text, and running experiments on social systems. Primary application areas of interest to Bruce include public policy diffusion and digital communications involving political elites.

Register

This session will cover the scope and requirements of NIH's new Data Management and Sharing (DMS) Policy that goes into effect January 25, 2023. Supplementary NIH guidance on the DMS plans required in proposals, data repository selection, and allowable costs in proposal budgets will also be reviewed. Selected resources and tools to help researchers navigate the new requirements will be covered, including hands-on tour of selected UNC resources as time allows.

Register

This course will be offered over two mornings (10/26 and 10/28), 3.5 hours per morning, via Zoom. Attendance is required as the course will not be recorded.

Course Summary:
This course provides an introduction to using Python in a data analysis and research environment. No prior programming experience is required. Participants will learn the basics of the Python language and how to use Jupyter Notebooks. Through a series of hands-on exercises, participants will learn to load data using the pandas library, create plots and data visualizations using the matplotlib library, and perform numerical analysis using the NumPy and SciPy libraries. We will briefly discuss the statsmodels and scikit-learn packages for regression and machine learning.

Instructor: Matthew Wigginton Bhagat-Conway, PhD
Matthew Wigginton Bhagat-Conway, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of City and Regional Planning and a consultant in the Odum Institute for Research in Social Science. His research interests are in travel behavior, urban transportation, and statistical methods for transportation data analysis. He is available to assist researchers with statistics and data analysis.

Additional Course Registration
- Registration will close at 12:01am 10/23/2022. No late registrations will be accepted.
- 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.

Register

Clinical Protocol Development Series

The goal of this two-day series is to provide researchers with the knowledge, tools, and resources to aid in the development of a scientific protocol for a clinical research study. Both sessions will begin at 9:00 AM and a question-and-answer session will follow each presentation.

On the second day of the series, we will take a "deeper dive" into clinical study design, statistics, and their impact on clinicaltrials.gov reporting:
- Clinical Protocol Study Design - aims, objectives, endpoints, and outcomes
- Statistical analysis, sample size considerations, data management
- Clinicaltrials.gov - outcome measure reporting
- Protocol problem spots and ways to improve protocols

Audience: academic researchers, scientists, study coordinators, and students engaged in clinical research and/or clinical trials.

ACRP Contact Hours: 2.0 Contact Hours of clinical research education on the application for maintenance of ACRP's ccrc®, ccra® or cpi®, certification designations will be available for attendees

Register

This interactive online workshop will provide an introduction to focus groups, a data collection method used in qualitative research. Attendees will also observe or participate in a mini "mock" virtual focus group session.

Topics:

• Focus group methodology
• Considerations for planning a focus group
• Development of focus group discussion guides
• Focus group facilitation skills
• Tips for conducting virtual focus groups

Presenters:
MaryBeth Grewe, MPH
Engagement and Qualitative Research Specialist
NC TraCS Institute

Simone Frank, MPH
Community Engagement and Outreach Specialist
NC TraCS Institute

Register

The theme of the next Carolina Data Science Now seminar is Unearthing Environmental Impact.

The event will feature three lightning talks by professors and researchers in UNC-Chapel Hill’s academic community, centered around how data science is used to study, impact, and improve the environment. These talks will be followed by a guided panel, an opportunity for questions and answers with the speakers, and a discussion with the data science community at UNC-Chapel Hill.

For more information, please visit here.

Register

This course will be offered over two mornings (10/26 and 10/28), 3.5 hours per morning, via Zoom. Attendance is required as the course will not be recorded.

Course Summary:
This course provides an introduction to using Python in a data analysis and research environment. No prior programming experience is required. Participants will learn the basics of the Python language and how to use Jupyter Notebooks. Through a series of hands-on exercises, participants will learn to load data using the pandas library, create plots and data visualizations using the matplotlib library, and perform numerical analysis using the NumPy and SciPy libraries. We will briefly discuss the statsmodels and scikit-learn packages for regression and machine learning.

Instructor: Matthew Wigginton Bhagat-Conway, PhD
Matthew Wigginton Bhagat-Conway, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of City and Regional Planning and a consultant in the Odum Institute for Research in Social Science. His research interests are in travel behavior, urban transportation, and statistical methods for transportation data analysis. He is available to assist researchers with statistics and data analysis.

Additional Course Registration
- Registration will close at 12:01am 10/23/2022. No late registrations will be accepted.
- 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.

Register

The NC TraCS Clinical and Translational Research Center (CTRC) will be conducting a 12 lead ECG training for research personnel.

This four-hour course will provide group instruction, practice sessions with a manikin and on a standardized patient, and a short test. Students who satisfactorily complete the course will receive a certificate of completion.

Register

Attendance for the full session is mandatory for satisfactory completion of the course. Please be aware students will be practicing electrode placement on a manikin and on a standardized patient (not on each other) during this course.

Participants taking the course must be UNC employees whose responsibilities include or will soon include performing ECGs for research studies. (UNC students wishing to enroll must also hold a paid research position as a UNC employee.)

Currently, we are not able to offer this course to clinical staff who may obtain training through the hospital, research staff who have not completed required ethics training, or those who are not UNC employees.

Completing this course does not qualify students as licensed personnel, nor does it qualify the student to take any certification exam. This course is not required by the University, rather it fulfills the 21CFR312 requirement that a PI be able to show that study staff are adequately trained to perform a study procedure delegated to them (12 lead ECG, in this case).

Please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you have questions regarding this training. If for any reason you cannot make a session, please notify Janette at least 48 hours in advance.

The HERO (Healthcare Worker Exposure Response & Outcomes) Program: An Online Community to Support Observational Studies, Randomized Trials, and Long-Term Safety Surveillance

This NIH Collaboratory Rethinking Clinical Trials Grand Rounds features:

Emily O’Brien, PhD, FAHA
Associate Professor
Duke Clinical Research Institute
Duke University School of Medicine
Department of Population Health Sciences

Russell Rothman, MD, MPP
Senior Vice President, Population and Public Health
Director, Vanderbilt Institute for Medicine and Public Health
Vanderbilt University Medical Center

Learn More

Join the Center for Urban & Regional Studies (CURS) for a remote lecture covering ongoing research around digital nomadic work & digital infrastructures with UNC School of Library Science's Mohammad Hossein Jarrahi, PhD.

Register