#TargetTrial

Starting right: aligning eligibility and treatment assignment at time zero when emulating a target trial This article provides methodological guidance when emulating a target trial with longitudinal observational data by showing how to align eligibility criteria and treatment assignment at the start of f...

2 months ago

Having trouble with time zero when using healthcare databases to emulate a #TargetTrial?

See our review of procedures to align eligibility and treatment assignment in observational emulations. We use 3 target trials of increasing complexity and provide a decision diagram
www.bmj.com/content/392/...

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5 months ago

New publication: Trial Emulation, Simulation, and Augmentation Using Electronic Health Records and Generative AI

A new editorial in @ai.nejm.org explores how AI computational tools can transform causal analyses.

Researchers examine how AI can support #targettrial emulation, enhance observational data extraction and analysis, and improve efficiency of clinical trials.

🔗 ai.nejm.org/doi/full/10....

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Harvard Epidemiology

@harvardepi.bsky.social

5 months ago

Person jogging along a path next to a large body of water at sunrise or sunset.

⭐New Publication⭐

Published September 2025 in 'Epidemiology' paper titled "Estimating the Effects of Lifestyle Intervention on Mortality Among Cancer Survivors: A Methodological Framework."

➡️ Read here: journals.lww.com/epidem/fullt...

#cancer #lifestyle #Harvard #targettrial #exercise #diet

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6 months ago

When using observational data for #causalinference, the choice isn’t between emulating or not emulating a #TargetTrial, but between reporting or not reporting the target trial that we are emulating.

For those who prefer to be explicit about what they do, we have developed the TARGET Statement 👇

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6 months ago

🌟 Dr. Alejandro Szmulewicz 🌟
(1/9) Faculty member Alejandro Szmulewicz leverages #causalinference methods and large-scale electronic health records (EHR) to advance suicide prevention. He applies #targettrial emulation to assess effectiveness and safety of interventions.

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Melissa Sharp-Crowe, MPH, PhD²

7 months ago

Oxford campus picture

Summer at Oxford 📸

Sonia Hernández-Díaz was featured at RWE Summer School 2025 @ox.ac.uk. Sonia presented #targettrial emulation and real-world evidence to inform safety of pharmaceuticals during pregnancy.

Thank you @ndorms.bsky.social @ox.ac.uk!

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@sharpmelk.bsky.social

11 months ago

The target trial framework in global health research: barriers and opportunities A randomised trial is the best way to make causal inferences when evaluating the effectiveness and safety of health interventions in global health research. Trials, however, are inherently expensive, ...

The #TargetTrial framework is underutilised in observational studies conducted in most LMICs
Need to incorporate high-quality observational data collection into large randomised trials & introduce small adjustments to the teaching curriculum pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC...

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@mauriceoconnell.bsky.social

11 months ago

An overview of causal machine learning methodology in Electronic Health Records (EHR) YouTube video by The Turing Way

You can view the recording of my online talk at Turing Institute
here on YouTube on #causalinference #TargetTrial emulation #CausalMachineLearning #polypharmacy & #deprescribing on research with @mattsperrin.bsky.social
@dynairx.bsky.social
@uniofmanchester.bsky.social
youtu.be/z0CtfYnu3b8?...

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In-Person Course: Towards Regulatory-Grade Causal Inference from Observational Data Bring your causal questions about real-world data to the experts

11 months ago

Towards Regulatory-Grade Causal Inference from Observational Data (March 24-25, 2025)

Last chance to register!

Next week: Towards Regulatory-Grade Causal Inference from Observational Data applies practical #targettrial use cases for regulatory & research purposes.

📅 Mar 24-25, 2025
📍 Barcelona, Spain

Learn more & register:
www.rtihs.org/updates-and-...
#publichealth #causal

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RTI Health Solutions

@rti-hs.bsky.social

1 year ago

2 day course on Causal Inference from Observational Data. Includes practical use-case studies that apply to the target trial framework. Submit questions about your own target trial emulations. Learn more at ow.ly/3e4250UOSa0 #targettrial #epidemiology #biostatistics #causalinference 🧪

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Tomás Varnet Pérez

@tvarnetperez.bsky.social

1 year ago

🧒 These findings align with other studies (RCT's and observational) showing minimal effects of ADHD medication on actual learning, despite improvements in symptoms and behavior.

The article is available in open-access at IJE.

#causalinference #ADHD #targettrial #proximal #RWD #RWE #FHI #NIPH

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1 year ago

2/ The #TargetTrial framework is a structured procedure to operationalize good practices for study design, data analysis, and reporting.

It avoids design-induced biases but not biases arising from data limitations, such as measurement error and insufficient information to adjust for confounding.

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1 year ago

1/ When using observational data for #causalinference, emulating a target trial helps solve some problems... but not all problems.

In a new paper, we explain why and when the #TargetTrial framework is helpful.

www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/...
Joint work with my colleagues @causalab.bsky.social

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Rich Jones

@rnjma.bsky.social

1 year ago

Target trial emulation estimates causal effects by explicitly specifying a hypothetical RCT, aligning time zero, mimicking treatment assignment, and using statistical methods (eg, inverse probability weighting, marginal structural models) to reduce bias. #CausalInference #TargetTrial
(3/3)

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Rich Jones

@rnjma.bsky.social

1 year ago

Observational cohort studies focus on descriptive goals—prevalence, incidence, duration, severity. Target trial emulation aims for causal effect estimation, mimicking an RCT using observational data. #TargetTrial #Epidemiology (2/3)

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1 year ago

Towards Regulatory-Grade Causal Inference from Observational Data (March 24-25, 2025)

🌐 Upcoming course collaboration w/ RTI Health Solutions!

Towards Regulatory-Grade Causal Inference from Observational Data applies practical #targettrial use cases for regulatory & research purposes.

📅 Mar 24-25, 2025
📍 Barcelona, Spain

Register to attend:
www.rtihs.org/updates-and-...

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1 year ago

Alejandro Szmulewicz Assistant Professor of Epidemiology banner

Congratulations to Alejandro Szmulewicz for his new role as Assistant Professor of Epidemiology @harvardchanschool.bsky.social! 🎉

We are excited to continue working with Alejandro in the new year.

#causalab #causalinference #harvardchan #targettrial #publichealth #healthdata #epidemiology

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1 year ago

2/
Immortal time may occur when individuals

1) are assigned to treatment strategies based on post-eligibility information or

2) determined to be eligible based on post-assignment information.

#TargetTrial emulation prevents it by synchronizing eligibility and assignment at the start of follow-up.

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1 year ago

Happy Holidays from CAUSALab!

Happy holidays from CAUSALab! ☃️

Our team wishes you a season filled with joy and time with loved ones. Here's to a bright new year ahead!

#publichealth #causalinference #targettrial #healthdata #harvardchan #causal

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1 year ago

2024 CAUSALab New Team Members & Visiting Researchers

2024 has been a year of growth!

We are so thankful for the 15 new team members & visiting researchers who joined our team since June 2024.

Thank you for your key contributions to CAUSALab's #causalinference public health research!

#healthdata #publichealth #targettrial #bostonresearch

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@patrickheindel.bsky.social

1 year ago

CAUSALab GitHub upload for gfoRmulaICE package

Live on GitHub!

gfoRmulaICE implements a plug-in estimator of the iterative conditional expectation (ICE) representation of
#gformula with a choice between singly robust & multiply-robust estimators.

Access now:
github.com/CausalInfere...
#causalinference #targettrial #causal #healthdata

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Patrick Heindel, MD, MPH

1 year ago

Evaluating the effectiveness of systemic heparin during arteriovenous fistula creation by emulating a target trial Abstract. Most of the 800 000 people living with end-stage kidney disease in the United States rely on a functioning vascular access to provide life-sustai

Evaluating the Effectiveness of Systemic #Heparin During Arteriovenous #Fistula Creation by Emulating a #TargetTrial
Paper in @amjepi.bsky.social by #VESELab #vascsky #medsky

academic.oup.com/aje/advance-...

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1 year ago

2024-2025 Methods Series speaker lineup

The CAUSALab Methods Series at Karolinska Institutet is back!

Jonathan Sterne kicks off Fall 2024 with a virtual talk on COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness & OpenSAFELY.

Register to attend 👇
stats.sender.net/forms/e7JD1d...

#publichealth #causalinference #targettrial #causal #healthdata #hsph

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1 year ago

Sonia Hernández-Díaz at NordicEpi 2024

Causal inference in Copenhagen? Count us in.

NordicEpi 2024, organized by Danish Epidemiological Society & University of Copenhagen, featured Sonia Hernández-Díaz, Epi Professor & Co-Director of H4P.

Sonia taught a pre-conference course & plenary session on #targettrial for treatment effects.

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1 year ago

This week I discussed methods for health technology assessment at HTAi. My main point:

"Observational data (#RWD) can often be used to emulate a #TargetTrial, but we need more research to characterize questions that can only be answered by randomized trials."

Let's learn the limits of #RWE.

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Target Trial Emulation for Causal Inference From Observational Data With Dr Hernán Miguel A. Hernán, MD, DrPH, professor of epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, discusses Target Trial Emulation: A Framework for Causal Inference From Observational Data with JAMA Statistical Editor Roger J. Lewis, MD, PhD.

1 year ago

With #TargetTrial emulation becoming increasingly popular, it's important to understand what it can and can't do.

In this podcast I discuss how target trial emulation can improve causal inference from observational data and extend inferences from randomized trials
edhub.ama-assn.org/jn-learning/...

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