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SUMMARY:Causal Inference Through Propensity Score Analysis - Dr Michael Po
 sner\, University of Cambridge and Villanova University.
DTSTART:20160707T180000Z
DTEND:20160707T200000Z
UID:TALK66546@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Dr Sobia Hamid
DESCRIPTION:In data science\, we work with "found data" that is gathered i
 n the process of doing business.  The appeal of these data are that they a
 re readily available and plentiful ("the four Vs of Big Data"). However\, 
 this type of data exploration presents challenges for inferring causality.
   Causal inference is established in clinical trials through the randomise
 d controlled trial\, which is considered the gold standard.  Found or obse
 rvational data\, however\, suffers from violations of the reliance on even
  distribution of groups due to subjects self-selecting into the study or i
 nto modalities based on various characteristics or circumstances.\n\nThe p
 ropensity score method is frequently used for analysis of observational da
 ta in fields including medicine\, psychology\, education\, and survey rese
 arch.  It is essentially stratification on multiple factors using a single
  summary measure and is performed by calculating the conditional probabili
 ty (propensity) of being in the treated group given a set of covariates\, 
 weighting (or sampling) the data based on these propensity scores\, and th
 en making statistical inferences using the weighted data.\n\nDr. Posner wi
 ll provide an overview of propensity score analysis and review methods of 
 data selection or allocation of weights. Various methods are compared usin
 g empirical analysis and via an application on sending patients to respite
  care and simulations are described and discussed to compare methods.  \n\
 nSpeaker Bio:\nDr Michael A Posner is an Associate Professor of Statistics
  in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at Villanova University\,
  where he has been since 2005 after completing his PhD in biostatistics at
  Boston University. His publications and research span the fields of stati
 stics education research\, biostatistics\, public health\, healthcare rese
 arch\, statistics and the law\, educational research\, and analysis of obs
 ervational studies.  He is currently on sabbatical at the University of Ca
 mbridge.\n\nHis research grants\, totaling over $3 million\, have come fro
 m the National Science Foundation\, the Agency for Healthcare Research and
  Quality\, and the Villanova Center for Nursing Research.  His most recent
  grant is on Data Science education for undergraduate students. Dr Posner 
 won the 2010 Villanova University Faculty Award for Innovative Teaching\, 
 the MAA's 2012 Alder Award for Distinguished Teaching\, and the ASA's 2012
  Waller Education Award. He is the founding director of the Center for Sta
 tistics Education\, a Center for Excellence in the College of Liberal Arts
  and Sciences at Villanova University.
LOCATION:For further details\, please register at www.meetup.com/Data-Insi
 ghts-Cambridge/
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