Report title: Causal Inference in Epidemiology

Reported by: Karen J Goodman

Report time: 9:00 on January 13 (Thursday)

Report place: ZOOM meeting ID: 873 4463 5927

Organizer: School of Public Health

Brief introduction of the reporter:

Karen J Goodman is a professor in the Division of Gastroenterology of the Department of Medicine at the University of Alberta, with an adjunct appointment in the University of Alberta School of Public Health. She has developed and taught courses in epidemiologic methods and related special topics. Her published research on Helicobacter pylori infection has been cited in over 500 publications catalogued by the Science Citation Index.

Summary:

Scientific Inference is a process of drawing conclusions from systematic observations aimed at explaining phenomena.Scientific reasoning depends on making generalizations, or inductions, from observations to general laws of nature.The process of formulation scientific hypotheses involves induction from systematic observation.Inferences of cause-effect relations are required to solve public health problems demanding action. A single epidemiologic study that investigates a causal hypothesis constitutes a single test of that hypothesis,and the closer the study comes to approximating the causal contrast, the greater the rigor of the test, and the greater the strength of the resulting evidence for or against causation,with strong evidence, the generally resulting from multiple rigorous tests, is required to infer causation.