Bayesian Modeling for Environmental Health Workshop: Concepts and Computational Tools for Spatial, Temporal, and Spatiotemporal Modeling Relevant to Public Health
August 21-22, 2024 | In-person training
Registration is open! Join us for the next Bayesian Modeling for Environmental Health Workshop on August 21-22, 2024.
The Bayesian Modeling for Environmental Health Workshop is a two-day intensive course of seminars and hands-on analytical sessions to provide an approachable and practical overview of concepts, techniques, and data analysis methods used in Bayesian modeling with applications in Environmental Health.
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Jump to: Overview | Audience and Requirements | R Tutorials | Software Introductions | Instructors | Scholarships | Locations | Testimonials | Registration Fees | Additional Information
Training Overview
Summer 2024 dates: In-person training August 21-22, 2024; 9:00am - ~5:00pm ET
This training is needed for those who are interested or who have heard about Bayesian modeling and work in Environmental Health, but who have little theoretical or practical experience of it and would like some tools and know-how to get started in an approachable and friendly setting.
This two-day intensive workshop introduces the ideas of Bayesian inference and modeling in the context of Environmental Health, designed to be as approachable and friendly as possible while still providing technical and practical know-how. Led by a team of scientists with many years of diverse combined experience, the workshop will integrate seminar lectures with hands-on computer sessions to put concepts into practice. Several examples will be given using existing data, and conversations on starting new investigations with attendees' research questions will also be encouraged. The lectures and lab sessions will give an overview of the principles of Bayesian inference, as well as how to deal with different data structures, the various software options available, different types of analyses, and current and future research.
By the end of the workshop, participants will be familiar with the following topics:
- Principles of Bayesian inference
- Practicalities of Bayesian inference
- Priors and hyperpriors
- Different data structures (spatial, point, continuous, categorical)
- Advantages and drawbacks of Bayesian approaches
- Temporal modeling
- Spatial modeling
- Spatiotemporal modeling
- Hierarchical modeling
- Forecasting
- Software options
- Examples of use
- Examples of current and future research
Audience and Requirements
Investigators at all career stages are welcome to attend, and we particularly encourage trainees and early-stage investigators to participate. There are three requirements to attend this training:
- Basic familiarity with R and R studio (how to download R/R studio, and how to install a package) is recommended to get the most out of the workshop.
- Familiarity with spatial and temporal data structures, as well as exponential family distribution types (normal, Poisson etc.) would also be useful, though not essential.
- Each participant is required to bring a personal laptop as all lab sessions will be done on your personal laptop. Each participant will be using RStudio Cloud to carry out tasks while attending the Workshop. Instructions for the basics of RStudio Cloud.
R Tutorials
Knowing basic R platform and commands is required for the Workshop as noted in the requirements above. This training will use RStudio Cloud. If you are new to R or need a refresher, you can review the below tutorials to be well prepared:
- R Programming Tutorial - Learn the Basics: A free datalab.cc class on R fundamentals
- Once you create your free, basic RStudio Cloud account for the training: Primers on Programming Basics and Visualization Basics.
- SHARP Program RStudio Cloud Tutorial: This self-paced tutorial from the Columbia SHARP Program walks through the Cloud Platform you will use at the training, as well as some basic exercises. We recommend this tutorial if you have not used the Cloud version of RStudio before, or if you are a beginner user of R.
If you have any specific questions about R and R studio in the context of the Bayesian Modeling for Environmental Health Workshop, please email us.
Software Introductions
Instructors
Summer 2024 instructing team is being finalized, but will be comparable to the 2023 lineup below.
Training Director: Robbie Parks, PhD, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University.
Jaime Benavides, PhD, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University.
Marianthi-Anna Kioumourtzoglou, ScD, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University.
Garyfallos Konstantinoudis, PhD, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Imperial College London.
Theo O. Rashid, PhD, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Imperial College London.
Elizaveta Semenova, PhD, Department of Computer Science, University of Oxford.
Scholarships
Training scholarships are available for the Bayesian Modeling for Environmental Health Workshop.
Locations
Summer 2024: The Bayesian Modeling for Environmental Health Workshop is a live, in-person training taking place August 21-22 at the Columbia University Irving Medical Campus in NYC. All training start and end times are in EDT.
More information on travel, lodging, and getting around NYC.
Testimonials
"The workshop was a meticulously prepared, and every detail was thoughtfully addressed. It was an inspiring experience to have the opportunity to learn from world-leading experts in the field." - Postdoc at Columbia University, 2023
"This is an efficient, in-depth course with lecture/lab pairs on topics including Bayesian workflows, temporal models, spatial models, and and non-parametric models. The course gives hands-on practice with the tools used for these analyses, with a focus on NIMBLE, but opportunity to work with INLA and ensemble models." - Student at University of North Carolina Chapel Hill School of Medicine, 2023
"This course was a great overview of how Bayesian models can be used within the environmental health/ public health arenas. User friendly with very knowledgeable instructors that made me excited to incorporate Bayesian models into my research!" - Postdoc at University of South Carolina, 2023
Registration Fees
Registration Fee includes course material, breakfast, and lunch on training days. Course material will be available to all attendees during and after the workshop. Lodging and transportation are not included.
| Early-Bird Rate (through 6/10/24) | Regular Rate (6/11/24 - 8/14/24) | Columbia Discount* | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Student/Postdoc/Trainee | $1,195 | $1,395 | 10% |
| Faculty/Academic Staff/Non-ProfitOrganizations/Government Agencies | $1,395 | $1,595 | 10% |
| Corporate/For-Profit Organizations | $1,595 | $1,795 | NA |
*Columbia Discount: This discount is valid for any active student, postdoc, staff, or faculty at Columbia University. If paying by credit card, use your Columbia email address during the registration process to automatically have the discount applied. If paying by internal transfer within Columbia, submit this Columbia Internal Transfer Request form to receive further instructions. Please note: filling out this form is not the same as registering for a training and does not guarantee a training seat.
Invoice Payment: If you would prefer to pay by invoice/check, please submit this Invoice Request form to receive further instructions. Please note: filling out this form is not the same as registering for a training and does not guarantee a training seat.
Cancellations: Cancellation notices must be received via email at least 30 days prior to the training start date in order to receive a full refund, minus a $75 administrative fee. Cancellation notices received via email 14-29 days prior to the training will receive a 75% refund, minus a $75 administrative fee. Please email your cancellation notice to Columbia.Bayesian@gmail.com. Due to workshop capacity and preparation, we regret that we are unable to refund registration fees for cancellations <14days prior to the training.
If you are unable to attend the training, we encourage you to send a substitute within the same registration category. Please inform us of the substitute via email at least one week prior to the training to include them on attendee communications, updated registration forms, and materials. Should the substitute fall within a different registration category your credit card will be credited/charged respectively. Please email substitute inquiries to Columbia.Bayesian@gmail.com. In the event Columbia must cancel the event, your registration fee will be fully refunded.
Additional Information
- Register for the Bayesian Modeling Boot Camp
- Subscribe for updates on new Training details and registration deadlines.
- Contact the Boot Camp team.
The Bayesian Modeling for Environmental Health Workshop is hosted by Columbia University's SHARP Program at the Mailman School of Public Health.
Jump to: Overview | Audience and Requirements | R Tutorials | Software Introductions | Instructors | Scholarships | Locations | Testimonials | Registration Fees | Additional Information