Planning Epidemiologic Research in Anticipation of Future Evaluations
Year: 2021
Type: conference-abstract
Abstract: BACKGROUND AND AIM: Epidemiologists seek to conduct studies that will be influential on hazard identification, risk assessment and policy decisions. Individual studies contribute via various forms of evidence synthesis conducted by national and international agencies. The first presentation of this symposium will focus on the identification of promising research topics, followed by presentations on design strategies for generating highly influential studies; conducting analyses and presenting results to maximize contribution to policy; and rounded up by an integrative case study. METHODS: This presentation will draw particularly on experience with the IARC Monographs process on cancer hazard identification. Each Monograph will inevitably identify new research gaps. However, a Monograph would not spell out research recommendations. Results will draw from lessons learned from Workshops on research gaps and recommendations and Advisory Groups making recommendations on priorities for future evaluations. RESULTS:Multiple factors need to be taken into account for the identification of promising research topics 1) The strengths and limitations of the current evidence weighed against the criteria for evaluation by stream of evidence and for evidence integration. 2) The timeline for research ideas identified from a new Monograph evaluation or from a workshop on research recommendations is less urgent than for topics identified from “high priorities” for future evaluations. 3) The specific stream of evidence that led to a “high priority” recommendation may be taken into account in a complementary manner. 4) Different epidemiologic designs may contribute to different streams of evidence, e.g., molecular epidemiologic studies may contribute to mechanistic upgrades of the overall evaluation. CONCLUSIONS:The strategies and concrete ideas for the identification of potentially influential research topics will be followed by presentations on detailed considerations for study design, analyses and reporting. How studies will feed into future evaluations by various programmes will be elaborated in the complementary symposium on principles of evidence synthesis. KEYWORDS: Causal inference, Policy and practice, Research translation
Source: ISEE Conference Abstracts
Author: Kurt Straif
Institutions: Boston College, Barcelona Institute for Global Health
Language: English
Subfield: Statistics and Probability
Field: Mathematics
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W3193319222