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Columbia University: PI Crash Course: Skills for Future or New Lab Leaders
Date/Time: Jun 09, 2025, 09:00 AM to Jun 10, 2025, 04:00 PM
Location: Hybrid training
This two-day intensive crash course integrates the principle skills that future and new PIs did not develop during their post-doctoral training, but will be necessary to survive as a new Lab leader and manager. Whether you are a doctoral student, postdoc, new PI, or looking to start your own lab, as a lab leader you will immediately be confronted on daily basis by a variety of situations that you must be prepared to handle. This crash course will provide you the tools you need to start your lab on the right foot.
Led by a team of experienced leaders and scientists in the field of environmental sciences, epigenetics, genomics, epidemiology, immunology, neuroscience and bioinformatics, this workshop will integrate lectures with hands-on sessions to put eight key “survival skills” into practice: Negotiating, Staffing, Leading, Mentoring, Managing People, Managing time, Managing projects, and Networking. Emphasis will be given to leadership styles, leadership vision, self-awareness, successful delegation, responsibility, problem solving, adaptability, communication techniques, goal setting, and strategizing. The Crash Course will conclude with a panel discussion with successful PIs at different stages of their careers, ranging from Assistant Professors to Department Chairs.
By the end of the workshop, participants will be familiar with the following topics:
Negotiation skills for a new position/promotion/collaboration/publication
Staffing skills for job posts/candidate screening/interviews/hiring
Leadership and mentoring skills in the Lab
People management: day-to-day/conflict resolution/misconduct/promotions/layoffs
Time management: balancing research, teaching, service/when & how to say No
Project management: planning/tracking progress/meeting deadlines/introduction to management software
Network creation and maintenance: mentors/collaborators/supporters
Real-life lab leader success stories and best tips from early-stage and experienced investigators
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Oct
29
09:00 AM • TBD
Innovators Day 2025
Mark your calendars for Innovators Day 2025, happening on October 29, 2025! Join us for an inspiring day of innovation, collaboration, and discovery. Stay tuned for more details, and in the meantime, check out the highlights from last year in this video. Don’t miss it!
Nov
07
11:30 AM • K-State University, Olathe campus
BioNexus KC: One Health Day
More details to come.
Nov
13
03:00 PM • Hybrid
Innovations in Quality Forum: Project Updates from the Healthcare Institute for Innovations in Quality
Apr
10
08:00 AM • Kansas City University
Nexus Informatics Conference 2025
Join us for a two-day event at the nexus of collaboration and innovation in the field of informatics.
Engage with experts from industry, academia, medicine, agriculture, technology, and biology to explore groundbreaking advancements and launch potential partnerships.
Discover the future of informatics through 30+ speakers delivering 10-minute talks across several tracks: Data Management, Artificial Intelligence, Data Visulaization, Data Analysis, Image Analysis, Data Application, Career Panel.
Students are invited to present research posters, with the chance to win a cash scholarship and a speaking opportunity.
Learn More
Student Poster Opportunity
Apr
23
12:00 PM • Virtual
MONTHLY DIGITAL HEALTH SEMINAR : Olivia Veatch, Ph.D., Bringing relevant information for decision support efficiently
Digital Health Co/Lab hosts a monthly Digital Health Seminar, offering a platform for innovators at various career stages to showcase their work. These presentations include innovations, grant proposals, business plans and investor pitches. All meetings are virtual and free to attend.
Frontiers Genomics Navigator (KUMC) Olivia Veatch, Ph.D., MS, will present.
Apr
24
12:00 PM • KU Lawrence campus
2025 Spring Mock Study Section
Letters of Intent are due Feb. 21.
For additional information, visit the Mock Study Section section on the Education and Training page.
May
01
02:00 PM • KUMC Beller Conference Center
KUMC Internal Medicine Division of Geriatrics and the Landon Center on Aging: Geroscience Spring Symposium
May
15
03:00 PM • Hybrid
Innovations in Quality Forum: Generative AI – Disruptions and Advances in Healthcare
May
19
09:00 AM • Livestream, virtual training
Columbia University: Google Earth Engine Boot Camp: Methods for Using Satellite and Geospatial Data for Environmental Exposure Science
The Google Earth Engine (https://earthengine.google.com/(link is external and opens in a new window)) combines a multi-petabyte catalog of satellite imagery and geospatial datasets with planetary-scale analysis capabilities to estimate environmental measures at fine spatial and temporal resolutions. To-date, this resource has yet to be fully leveraged for environmental exposure science and health research. This two-day intensive boot camp provides an overview of concepts, techniques, applications, and data analysis methods for applying the Google Earth Engine to estimate environmental factors (e.g., green space, air pollution, climate change) and exposures for health research. Lectures will introduce participants to cutting-edge geospatial exposure assessment methods and example case studies will use the Google Earth Engine to estimate air pollution, green space, built environment, temperature, climate, and natural system-related exposures (e.g. drought, flooding, forest change, etc.). This boot camp is led by experts in the field of environmental exposure science and epidemiology, data science, and geography.
By the end of the workshop, participants will be familiar with the following topics:
Capabilities of the Google Earth Engine
Datasets available for environmental exposure science
Data analysis methods within the Google Earth Engine
Applications for air pollution, green space, built environment, temperature, and climate exposure research
Applications for planetary and human health research
Emerging satellite data and exposure science opportunities
May
28
09:00 AM • Livestream, virtual training
Columbia University: Multi-omics Boot Camp: Analysis of Omics Data for Research Studies
Many observational studies are now leveraging modern technologies to measure multiple types of omic data. Omic tools can assist in better characterizing risk factors (e.g. germline genetics, exposomics), providing measurements for intermediate variables that may capture the underlying mechanism (e.g. transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and the microbiome), or defining an outcome of interest. In this context, the investigator is often confronted with an analytic decision on a continuum between simplicity and complexity. Simple approaches often treat sets of variables in a pairwise independent manner, sacrificing joint evaluation for benefits in interpretability. At the other extreme, complex methods may more-completely model the joint omics structure, but can sacrifice interpretability. This workshop will cover several different approaches to the analysis of multiple omic data, with a focus on the tradeoffs between simple and complex approaches.
This three-day intensive workshop will provide an overview of multiple approaches to analyze multiple omic data types measured on the same individuals or via the use of summary statistic data. Instructors have experience in developing and applying methods for omic analysis in genetic and environmental epidemiology and are members of an active program project focused on developing statistical methods for integrated analysis. The workshop will include seminar lectures with hands-on computer lab sessions to put concepts into practice. Since the analysis of multi-omic data is broad in scope, the workshop will survey a range of approaches and highlight the appropriate application and interpretation of each approach for specific research questions. The lab sessions will provide an opportunity to work hands-on with different types of omic data.
By the end of the workshop, participants will be familiar with the following topics:
Data reduction, including clustering.
Regression analysis, including regularized regression, hierarchical models, and partial least squares.
Interaction analysis and Genome-wide interaction scans (GWIS).
Mediation analysis.
Polygenic/polyexposure analysis.
Integrative analysis using genome-wide association study (GWAS) summary statistics.
Jun
09
09:00 AM • Hybrid training
Columbia University: PI Crash Course: Skills for Future or New Lab Leaders
This two-day intensive crash course integrates the principle skills that future and new PIs did not develop during their post-doctoral training, but will be necessary to survive as a new Lab leader and manager. Whether you are a doctoral student, postdoc, new PI, or looking to start your own lab, as a lab leader you will immediately be confronted on daily basis by a variety of situations that you must be prepared to handle. This crash course will provide you the tools you need to start your lab on the right foot.
Led by a team of experienced leaders and scientists in the field of environmental sciences, epigenetics, genomics, epidemiology, immunology, neuroscience and bioinformatics, this workshop will integrate lectures with hands-on sessions to put eight key “survival skills” into practice: Negotiating, Staffing, Leading, Mentoring, Managing People, Managing time, Managing projects, and Networking. Emphasis will be given to leadership styles, leadership vision, self-awareness, successful delegation, responsibility, problem solving, adaptability, communication techniques, goal setting, and strategizing. The Crash Course will conclude with a panel discussion with successful PIs at different stages of their careers, ranging from Assistant Professors to Department Chairs.
By the end of the workshop, participants will be familiar with the following topics:
Negotiation skills for a new position/promotion/collaboration/publication
Staffing skills for job posts/candidate screening/interviews/hiring
Leadership and mentoring skills in the Lab
People management: day-to-day/conflict resolution/misconduct/promotions/layoffs
Time management: balancing research, teaching, service/when & how to say No
Project management: planning/tracking progress/meeting deadlines/introduction to management software
Network creation and maintenance: mentors/collaborators/supporters
Real-life lab leader success stories and best tips from early-stage and experienced investigators
Jun
09
09:00 AM • Children's Mercy Research Institute and Virtual
Genomic Medicine Short Course 2025
Next generation sequencing has had a profound impact on biomedical research. Clinicians and scientists seeking to stay abreast of the field may be challenged by the rapid rate of genomic discovery and technologic advancement. The Genomic Medicine Center, with support of the NIH, offers a four-day CME/CEU program in translational genomics.
Topics include:
Technical and analytic aspects of DNA and RNA
Variant analysis
Gene regulation and epigenetics
Polygenic Risk Scores
Clinical and ethical implications of genomics
The course features hands on workshops to teach NGS analysis skills, including analysis of long read HiFi genomes.
A unique aspect of the program is the opportunity for enrollees to have genomic sequencing completed on themselves.
Participants can use the resultant data file as they learn variant identification and characterization. This strategy, known as Personalized Genomic Educational Testing (PGET) is optional and provided at no additional cost.
This program is supported by the NHGRI Initiative to Maximize Research Education in Genomics: Courses for Skills Development (R25) program.
More information.
Jun
12
09:00 AM • Livestream, virtual training
Columbia University: Microbiome Data Analytics Boot Camp: Planning, generating, and analyzing 16S rRNA gene sequencing surveys
Amplicon sequencing of taxonomic marker genes such as the 16S rRNA gene in bacteria has been used over the last two decades to survey the microbiota of myriad environments. From soil to aquatic to human systems, 16S rRNA amplicon sequences are widely used to characterize the diversity and composition of the gut microbiome, discover novel microbes, and define how specific microbes link to environmental or host traits of interest. As a result, 16S rRNA amplicon surveys have proven invaluable in efforts designed to uncover the potential contribution of microbiomes to critical ecological and health processes.
This two-day intensive workshop will provide a rigorous introduction to the theory and methodology underlying the design, generation, and analysis of Amplicon Sequence Variant (ASV) based investigations of microbial communities. The workshop will introduce state-of-the-art techniques using the R language and environment. A team of leading experts in microbiome data analytics and statistics will offer a hands-on experience in learning how to implement these techniques by integrating publicly available data and R packages to explore and understand some of the pitfalls and information drawn from 16S rRNA data analysis. This workshop specifically trains participants in the use of the R programming environment for the analysis of microbiome sequence data, including the implementation of the DADA2 and phyloseq software packages. It will also introduce introductory concepts and methods in the generation and analysis of shotgun metagenomic data.
By the end of the workshop, participants will be familiar with the following topics:
The theoretical basis underpinning 16S rRNA investigations
Methodologies for generating 16S rRNA sequence data
16S sequence data quality control
Amplicon sequence variant inference
Taxonomic annotation
Biodiversity estimation
Principal Component Analysis and PERMANOVA
Taxon-covariate correlation and regression modeling
Introduction to machine learning in microbiome data
Phylogenetic analysis
Jun
16
09:00 AM • Livestream, virtual training
Columbia University: NIH Grant Writing Boot Camp: Building a Strong Foundation for Funding Success
Federal grants, particularly from the NIH, provide a critical means of support for academic research programs. Despite the importance of this support in advancing both research and researchers’ careers, training in how to obtain grants is uneven at best. This training gap leaves many researchers struggling to learn as they go, which can introduce significant stress, delay the time to a successful application, and impact their overall productivity. The good news is that training and hands-on practice can enable you to conquer grant writing, increase your chances of receiving funding, and devote more time to moving your scientific goals forward.
The 2-day NIH Grant Writing Boot Camp: Building a Strong Foundation for Funding Success will provide comprehensive training that supplies researchers with the tools to write persuasive, effective grant proposals. Through a combination of seminars, discussions, examples, and hands-on activities, with a particular focus on navigating between-the-lines on how to tailor your proposals to grant reviewers, this training will orient you to all aspects of the academic funding process (i.e., grant writing and grant strategizing), including:
How to identify and apply for the right funding opportunities with the NIH (and beyond);
How to position your research and yourself to make reviewers your research advocates;
How to target your application to the right place at the right time; and
How to write clearly, effectively, and persuasively when telling your scientific story.
The workshop will begin with a live online seminar 3-4 weeks before the 2-day boot camp to introduce the fundamentals of drafting the Specific Aims page— that oh-so-important project overview that can ‘make or break’ the reviewers’ perception of the application.
The 2-day portion of the boot camp will cover critical topics that help you package your proposal for maximum impact:
What the Aims page captures, why it’s so important to get it right, and how to tackle it
A comprehensive introduction to NIH funding announcements and award mechanisms: What to apply for and how to apply
Merit review: Understanding who, what, why, and how enables you to frame your application
Principles of good communication: How to ‘sell’ yourself and your science
Psychology of grant review
Tackling resubmissions for ultimate success
Attendees will leave the boot camp with:
A foundational understanding of the NIH granting process and how it pertains to public health research
Hard-copy reference materials for information retention & review
A refined Aims page
A refined NIH Biosketch
One round of written feedback for a Specific Aims page will be made available to all attendees for 3 months after the boot camp, at no additional cost, further solidifying the boot camp concepts into practical skills.
Jun
23
09:00 AM • Livestream, virtual training
Columbia University: The PI's Business of Research Boot Camp: Ins and Outs of Budgets, Personnel and Project Management
This two-day intensive boot camp challenges participants to think about their research group as a business and to implement strategies for effective and efficient teamwork and (research and career) goal attainment that fosters success to maximize your impact. Hands-on activities will engage you to identify your current strategies for personnel, project, and time management, learn new strategies, and plan to implement those strategies for a more effective research enterprise.
By the end of the workshop, participants will be familiar with the following topics:
The importance of setting and attaining goals
Developing a program vision and culture
Hiring (and firing) the right person
Strategies for effective research group meetings
Budgeting basics for NIH, DOD, and NSF
Managing time and energy and avoiding procrastination
When to say no, when to say yes
Moving projects forward
Knowing when to drop a project
Understanding how to keep your team motivated
Audience and Requirements
This boot camp is targeted for faculty who are in the process of establishing or growing their research group. PIs and/or those with a group leader appointment at any university, hospital, institution, or other research organization are welcome to attend. There are no prerequisites to attend the PI's Business of Research Boot Camp. This boot camp is not applicable to students, and there is a limited number of seats for postdocs and trainees.
What's the difference between the PI's Business of Research Boot Camp and the PI Crash Course?
The SHARP Program offers two professional development programs geared towards PIs: PI's Business of Research Boot Camp and the PI Crash Course. PI Crash Course is for transitioning into a faculty position and navigating the first years of this position. PI Crash Course is about obtaining key skills to successfully start your research group whereas PI’s Business of Research is for those leading more established research groups and more focused on day-to-day operation of that group almost as a ‘business’. PI Crash Course includes negotiation skills, determining your leadership style, and how to build a colleague network to support you as a junior faculty member, whereas PI's Business of Research Boot Camp looks at the group you are leading with budgeting, setting up team meetings and a deeper dive into project management, and internal workings of the team. There is some overlapping themes between the two trainings, but PI Crash Course is core career development skills for the individual, and PI's Business of Research Boot Camp is more operational/management skills for the group you lead.
Instructors
Jessica K. Lerch, PhD, Co-Founder, CareerVolt; Founder, Significance, Innovation, Impact. Dr. Lerch earned her PhD in Neuroscience at Case Western. She then completed postdoctoral training at the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis at the University of Miami and went to a Research Assistant and then a tenure-track Assistant Professor appointment in the Department of Neuroscience at The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. In late 2017, Jessica moved to a science consulting role with Eva Garland Consulting, helping small biotechnology companies and researchers across the world strategize their science to achieve grant funding for their R&D and early-phase clinical trial projects. Jessica started her first company, Significance, Innovation, Impact, in 2018 as a grant-writing consultant. In 2019, Jessica joined with long-time friend and colleague Dr. Sheila Cherry to launch CareerVolt, born of their shared desire to help scientists succeed in their career paths by filling skills gaps and supporting attainment of professional goals. Since moving into consulting in 2018, Jessica has helped individuals and small and large biotech raise over $65 million in grant funding.
Sarah Bronson, PhD, Research Leadership and Success Consultant, CareerVolt. Dr. Bronson received her PhD in Biomedical Sciences from Washington University in Saint Louis, Missouri, and was a postdoctoral trainee with Oliver Smithies, DPhil at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. Sarah spent her entire faculty career at the Penn State College of Medicine where she was a researcher, educator, and administrator. She is now an emeritus associate professor and associate dean. She was the co-director (2010-2020) of the nationally recognized Junior Faculty Development Program where she developed a holistic program that teased out the steps to scholarly project development as well as the path toward a sustainable and rewarding career. She was also a co-director for the Grants Academy, with a more specific focus on grant proposal development. As Director of Research Development (2014-2023) she implemented the internal awards program and the limited submission process.
Craig Layman, PhD, Research Leadership and Success Consultant, CareerVolt. Dr. Layman received his PhD at Texas A&M University in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology with a minor in Philosophy. He was awarded a Fulbright Fellowship and was the Donnelley Fellow at Yale University. He is a Senior Fellow in the Andrew Sabin Center for Environment and Sustainability and a Research Professor in the Biology Department at Wake Forest University. He was a Full Professor at North Carolina State University, a Chancellor’s Faculty Excellence Fellow in the Applied Ecology Department, and a founding member of the Global Environmental Change and Human Well-being Cluster. Craig is passionate about academic writing, reflected by his more than 160 scientific publications and over 17,000 citations, his successful grantsmanship, and his mentorship of hundreds of academic colleagues over his career.
There will be additional individuals experienced with NIH, DOD, and NSF budgets for a Q&A session.
Jun
26
08:00 AM • Hybrid training
Columbia University: Epigenetics Boot Camp: Planning and Analyzing DNA Methylation Studies for Human Populations
This two-day intensive boot camp integrates the principle concepts of epigenetics and the effects of risk factors on the epigenome as we step through the key components of designing and executing DNA methylation studies. Led by a team of scientists with more than 50 years of combined expertise in the field of environmental epigenetics, this epigenetics training will integrate seminar lectures with hands-on computer sessions to put concepts into practice. Emphasis will be given to leveraging existing resources from ongoing studies and initiating new investigations. The afternoon lab sessions will provide an opportunity to work hands-on with real methylation data generated by the Illumina Infinium MethylationEPIC (850k) BeadChip platform. Participants will learn and practice data handling, cleaning, and basic analysis of epigenome-wide DNA methylation data. This training will not cover WGBS or analyses from sequencing experiments in animal models.
By the end of the epigenetics training, participants will be familiar with the following topics:
Principles of epigenetics
Concept ideation and study design
Sample collection and processing
Laboratory methods and platforms for analysis
Data handling and cleaning
Analysis of 450K/EPIC data
Study design advantages and pitfalls
Emerging epigenetic topics and laboratory platforms
Jun
26
09:00 AM • Livestream, virtual training
Columbia University: GIS Workshop: Visualizing and Analyzing Health Data
This two-day intensive course introduces participants to the fundamentals of geospatial data visualization and spatial analysis using open-source software. This year’s workshop features two distinct tracks:
1. Track 1: QGIS
Participants in this track will learn to use QGIS, a traditional Geographic Information System with a user-friendly, point-and-click interface for creating maps and conducting spatial analyses. Additional tools, like GeoDa and GWR4, will support QGIS to enhance spatial analysis workflows.
2. Track 2: R and RStudio
This track focuses on geospatial analysis using R, a versatile programming language, and RStudio, its integrated development environment (IDE). Participants will explore leading packages like ggplot2 for mapping and sf for geoprocessing. These tools provide robust spatial analysis and visualization capabilities, offering a programmatic alternative to traditional GIS software.
Both tracks emphasize the use of open-source tools and publicly available environmental and demographic data to explore spatially centered visualization and analytical techniques. The workshop integrates lectures with hands-on applications, allowing participants to practice the methods taught.
The workshop is comprised of 4 components 1) data visualization, 2) geo-processing, 3) cluster analysis, and 4) relationship identification.
By the end of the workshop, participants will be familiar with the following topics:
Principles of data visualization and analysis
Sources and techniques for the acquiring and managing spatial data
Methods for geospatial visualization and analysis
Techniques for the identifying statistical hotspots and clusters
Incorporating spatial data into traditional regression methods of association studies
This workshop is led by Dr. Jeremy R. Porter and Dr. Joel Capellan two of the highest-rated teachers at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and the authors of many celebrated geospatial analysis publications and books. This workshop will integrate lectures with hands-on application.
Jun
30
08:00 AM • Livestream, virtual training
Columbia University: Electronic Medical Records Boot Camp: Biostatistical methods for analyzing EMR data
Over the last decade, Electronic Health Records (EHRs) and Electronic Medical Records (EMRs) systems have been increasingly implemented at US hospitals. Huge amounts of longitudinal and detailed patient information, including lab tests, medications, disease status, and treatment outcome, have been accumulated and are available electronically. Extensive effort has been dedicated to developing advanced clinical data processing and data management in order to integrate patient data into a computable collection of rich longitudinal patient profiles. EMR/EHRs provide unprecedented opportunities for cohort-wide investigations and knowledge discovery. They are important data resources for building predictive models for disease diagnosis and prognosis, thus enabling personalized medicine.
Despite the great potential, analyzing such large, scattered and heterogeneous observational patient data is still technically challenging. This two-day intensive workshop will go over opportunities and potentials of EMR/EHR for health and medical studies, statistical challenges and pitfalls for analyzing EMR/EHR, and the latest developments of multiple techniques to address those challenges, followed by hands-on computer lab sessions and case studies to put concepts into practice.
By the end of the electronic medical records training, participants will be familiar with the following topics:
Power and potentials of EMR/EHR data
Open-access datasets across the world
Preparation, transformation and integration of EMR/EHR
Confounding, bias and missing data in EMR/EHR and statistical methods addressing these challenges
Statistical methods for comparative effectiveness
Statistical methods for predictive analysis
Jul
07
09:00 AM • Livestream, virtual training
Columbia University: Creating Compelling Research Narrative Workshop: Strategies for Effectively Presenting Your Science
This five-hour hands-on writing workshop covers several approaches to create compelling research narrative and is led by expert instructors with more than two decades of experience providing research writing, editing, and training for researchers worldwide. This intensive workshop will lead you through detailed examples, revise writing in guided group settings with instructors, and then put those lessons into practice on your own writing. Thus, we encourage you to bring a draft in progress (e.g., grant proposal, research manuscript), so this workshop can directly impact an active writing project. Participants also will come away with an SOP for writing logically and will learn some additional narrative tricks and tips to entice and engage readers on their science.
By the end of this writing intensive workshop, participants will have:
A clear and organized approach for writing manuscripts and grants
Several easy grammar concepts for clear communication
Examples to share/work with their trainees
An improved portion of your own grant or manuscript (if you bring it with you to the workshop)
Audience and Requirements
Investigators at all career stages are welcome to attend, and we particularly encourage research trainees and early-stage investigators to participate. To register for this training, you must have:
Written at least one thesis chapter, manuscript, or grant
A grant or manuscript that is in progress is strongly encouraged, but not required to attend this training.
Jul
07
09:00 AM • Livestream, virtual training
Columbia University: Quantitative Genomics Training: Methods and tools for whole-genome and transcriptome analyses
Genome-wide association studies have discovered tens of thousands of loci significantly associated with complex traits. However, the majority of these loci are located outside of protein-coding regions making it difficult to determine the causal gene or the mechanism through which the phenotype is affected. With whole-genome and RNA sequencing becoming increasingly accessible and feasible to conduct large-scale analyses, we can use different quantitative genomics methods to address these challenges in human health studies.
This two-day intensive workshop will provide a rigorous introduction to several different techniques to analyze whole-genome sequencing and transcriptome data. Led by a team of experts in statistical genomics and bioinformatics, who have developed their own methods to analyze such data, the training will integrate seminar lectures with hands-on computer lab sessions to put concepts into practice. The training will focus on reviewing existing approaches based on predicted expression association with traits, colocalization of causal variants, and Mendelian Randomization, including discussion on how they relate to each other, and their advantages and limitations. Emphasis will also be given to reviewing integrative sequence-based association studies for whole-genome sequencing data, and functional annotation of variants in noncoding regions of the genome.
By the end of the workshop, participants will be familiar with the following topics:
Sequence-based association tests (Burden, SKAT and extensions)
Functional genomic annotations
Analysis of genomic variants in human diseases
Transcriptome wide association tests (PrediXcan, MetaXcan, and extensions)
Mendelian Randomization techniques
Colocalization techniques
Jul
09
08:00 AM • Livestream, virtual training
Columbia University: Causal Mediation Analysis Training: Methods and Applications Using Health Data
Mediation analysis is an emerging field in causal inference relevant for comparative effectiveness research, evaluating and improving policy recommendations, and explaining biological mechanisms. Training in the potential outcomes framework for causal inference is important to understand the assumptions required for valid mediation analyses. This course will equip participants with foundational concepts and cutting edge statistical tools to investigate mediating mechanisms.
This three-day intensive course will cover some of the recent developments in causal mediation analysis and provide practical tools to implement these techniques and assess the mechanisms and pathways by which causal effects operate. Led by a team of experts in causal mediation techniques at Columbia University, this course will integrate lectures and discussion with hands-on computer lab sessions using R. The course will cover the relationship between traditional methods for mediation in environmental health, epidemiology, and the social sciences and new methods in causal inference using a wide variety of examples to illustrate the techniques and approaches. We will discuss 1) when the standard approaches to mediation analysis are valid for dichotomous, and continuous, outcomes, 2) alternative mediation analysis techniques when the standard approaches will not work, introducing the counterfactual notation for mediation analysis and formal definitions of natural direct and indirect effects, 3) the no-unmeasured confounding assumptions needed to identify these effects, and 4) how regression approaches for mediation analysis can be extended in the presence of multiple mediators.
By the end of the workshop, participants will be able to:
Understand when traditional methods for mediation fail
Articulate concepts about mediation under the counterfactual framework and assumptions for identification
Formulate and apply regression approaches for mediation for single and multiple mediators
Develop facility with the use of software for mediation and interpretation of software output
Jul
10
09:00 AM • Livestream, virtual training
Columbia University: https://www.publichealth.columbia.edu/academics/non-degree-special-programs/professional-non-degree-programs/skills-health-research-professionals-sharp-training/trainings/google-earth-engine
The major goals of K Awards: A Path to Success is to orient attendees to grant-writing and grant-strategizing for successful K applications, including how to position their research and themselves to engage reviewers. Participants will work with CareerVolt workshop leaders with a proven track record of helping applicants improve and position compelling K applications. Attendees will learn about different K award mechanisms, how K’s are unique from R’s, and strategies to maximize each K award component. They will gain an understanding of the goal of the K award program, which is critical for maximizing funding success.
This workshop will take place in two parts: a required online, asynchronous web-based course (~5 hours total) followed by the livestream, 6-hour online training on July 10, 2025. Participants will be given access to the web-based course about three weeks before the live training.
By the end of the workshop, participants will be familiar with the following topics:
K Program Goals and Expectations
Types of K Awards: Which Is Right for You?
Timing: When to Submit Your K Application
K Award Application Preparation and Considerations
K Award Application Evaluation: How K Awards are Evaluated and Scored
Principles of Great K Applications
Selling Yourself as a K Applicant
Selling Your Science
Synthesizing the Full K Story
One round of written feedback for a Specific Aims page will be made available to all attendees for up to 2 months after the workshop, at no additional cost.
Jul
17
03:00 PM • Hybrid
Innovations in Quality Forum: Emerging Trends in the Health Insurance Industry
Jul
21
08:00 AM • Livestream, virtual training
Columbia University: Data, Designed Workshop: Develop Your Creative Process to Create Better, More Effective Data Visualizations
Data visualization—the study of the visual representation of data—plays a crucial role in the work of researchers and analysts. Organizations tasked with producing, releasing, and analyzing large amounts of data can more effectively analyze and communicate their work by understanding how to better visualize their data. Often, however, visualizing research results is an after-thought, secondary to the analysis, which ultimately limits the effective relay of information.
Bring your data to life using innovative visualization techniques in this workshop unlike any other, and learn from world leaders that come from two sides of data visualization: data science and design. Explore styles, techniques, and best practices to create meaningful and beautiful visualizations.
As the amount and speed of data grows at ever-increasing rates, being able to visualize and communicate data and data analysis has become more and more important. Organizations that are tasked with producing, releasing, and analyzing large amounts of data can more effectively do so by understanding how to visualize their data. In this workshop, you will learn the important underpinnings of the science and design process behind data visualization and how to effectively communicate your work.
This workshop will provide you with the core skills needed to conceptualize, plan, and develop data visualization products. Taught by world-renowned leaders in the field—Stefanie Posavec and Jonathan Schwabish—this workshop will inspire you to push beyond your own limits so you can create great, effective visualizations. Step away from your keyboard and enjoy some fresh space for your hands and mind: the entire workshop will be taught using nothing more than basic drawing materials and office supplies.
By the end of the workshop, participants will be familiar with the following topics:
Be familiar with different kinds of data visualizations
Identify the different forms and functions of visualizations
Learn, and exchange ideas about, visualization best practices
Learn how to increase message clarity and impact
Learn the basic data analysis skills one needs as a data visualizer
Understand the data visualization design process
Explore how to create their own custom data visualization system
Have a starting point for applying data visualization in their own work
Jul
28
09:00 AM • Livestream, virtual training
Columbia University: Powerful Presentations Workshop: Designing and Delivering for Impact
Communicating data plays a crucial role in the work of researchers and analysts. Often, however, effective ways to communicate data is an after-thought, secondary to the analysis, which ultimately limits the effective relay of information. In this Powerful Presentations workshop, attendees will learn the key, practical strategies to creating, designing, and delivering great, effective presentations.
Powerful Presentations Workshop: Designing and Delivering for Impact is a training workshop that provides a well-rounded introduction to improving how people design and deliver their work. This workshop is divided into three main parts to guide attendees’ process from presentation conceptualization, to creation, to delivery. The first part focuses on planning the presentation; instead of booting up the computer and immediately inserting text, graphs, and images onto slides, attendees are presented with a process for outlining the content of their presentation. The second part is about building the presentation: how to create more effective text, graph, and image slides. The final section moves to the practical details of giving the presentation.
By the end of the workshop, participants will be familiar with the following topics:
Learn how to increase message clarity and impact through better slide design
Improve presentations to more effectively communicate data and analysis
Learn, and exchange ideas about, presentation best practices
Think critically about presentation slide design
Aug
07
09:00 AM • Livestream, virtual training
Columbia University: Mendelian Randomization Boot Camp: A Practical Guide to Study Design and Implementation
This two-day intensive boot camp integrates motivation for Mendelian randomization studies, statistical concepts, genetic considerations, and practical examples to design, implement and interpret a Mendelian randomization analysis. Led by a scientist with several award winning papers on Mendelian randomization combined with extensive expertise in epidemiology, the workshop will integrate seminar lectures with hands-on computer sessions to put concepts into practice. Emphasis will be given to leveraging existing publicly available resources (data, tools and packages) as well as indicating the scope for new studies. The afternoon lab sessions will provide an opportunity to work hands-on with real data. Participants will learn and practice all the steps required for a successful Mendelian randomization analysis using publicly available data, including identifying suitable data sources, data extraction, data alignment, assumption checking and sensitivity analysis.
By the end of this Mendelian randomization training, participants will be familiar with the following topics:
Principles of Mendelian randomization
Implementation options
Suitable publicly available data sources
Data interpretation and handling
Data analysis
Sensitivity analysis
Study design advantages and pitfalls
Emerging Mendelian randomization techniques
Use of MR-Base
Sep
11
03:00 PM • Hybrid
Innovations in Quality: What Does a Public Health Transformation Look Like?
Sep
26
09:00 AM • Westin Crown Center, Kansas City, Mo.
2025 International LAM Research Conference & LAMposium
The International LAM Research Conference & LAMposium is The LAM Foundation’s marquee event, which includes a state-of-the-art scientific meeting and a dedicated patient and family conference. Next year’s event will continue the highly successful format of blending patient and family participation with leading-edge discussions about basic and translational advances in LAM research. We look forward to welcoming attendees from around the world to this important conference that will celebrate the LAM community's research innovation, courage, and resilience as we strive to find better treatments and ultimately a cure for LAM.
Oct
29
08:00 AM • TBD
KUMC Co/Digital Health INNOVATORS DAY 2025
Stay tuned for more information.
Oct
29
09:00 AM • TBD
Innovators Day 2025
Mark your calendars for Innovators Day 2025, happening on October 29, 2025! Join us for an inspiring day of innovation, collaboration, and discovery. Stay tuned for more details, and in the meantime, check out the highlights from last year in this video. Don’t miss it!
Nov
07
11:30 AM • K-State University, Olathe campus
BioNexus KC: One Health Day
More details to come.
Nov
13
03:00 PM • Hybrid
Innovations in Quality Forum: Project Updates from the Healthcare Institute for Innovations in Quality
Apr
10
08:00 AM • Kansas City University
Nexus Informatics Conference 2025
Join us for a two-day event at the nexus of collaboration and innovation in the field of informatics.
Engage with experts from industry, academia, medicine, agriculture, technology, and biology to explore groundbreaking advancements and launch potential partnerships.
Discover the future of informatics through 30+ speakers delivering 10-minute talks across several tracks: Data Management, Artificial Intelligence, Data Visulaization, Data Analysis, Image Analysis, Data Application, Career Panel.
Students are invited to present research posters, with the chance to win a cash scholarship and a speaking opportunity.
Learn More
Student Poster Opportunity
Apr
23
12:00 PM • Virtual
MONTHLY DIGITAL HEALTH SEMINAR : Olivia Veatch, Ph.D., Bringing relevant information for decision support efficiently
Digital Health Co/Lab hosts a monthly Digital Health Seminar, offering a platform for innovators at various career stages to showcase their work. These presentations include innovations, grant proposals, business plans and investor pitches. All meetings are virtual and free to attend.
Frontiers Genomics Navigator (KUMC) Olivia Veatch, Ph.D., MS, will present.
Apr
24
12:00 PM • KU Lawrence campus
2025 Spring Mock Study Section
Letters of Intent are due Feb. 21.
For additional information, visit the Mock Study Section section on the Education and Training page.
May
01
02:00 PM • KUMC Beller Conference Center
KUMC Internal Medicine Division of Geriatrics and the Landon Center on Aging: Geroscience Spring Symposium
May
15
03:00 PM • Hybrid
Innovations in Quality Forum: Generative AI – Disruptions and Advances in Healthcare
May
19
09:00 AM • Livestream, virtual training
Columbia University: Google Earth Engine Boot Camp: Methods for Using Satellite and Geospatial Data for Environmental Exposure Science
The Google Earth Engine (https://earthengine.google.com/(link is external and opens in a new window)) combines a multi-petabyte catalog of satellite imagery and geospatial datasets with planetary-scale analysis capabilities to estimate environmental measures at fine spatial and temporal resolutions. To-date, this resource has yet to be fully leveraged for environmental exposure science and health research. This two-day intensive boot camp provides an overview of concepts, techniques, applications, and data analysis methods for applying the Google Earth Engine to estimate environmental factors (e.g., green space, air pollution, climate change) and exposures for health research. Lectures will introduce participants to cutting-edge geospatial exposure assessment methods and example case studies will use the Google Earth Engine to estimate air pollution, green space, built environment, temperature, climate, and natural system-related exposures (e.g. drought, flooding, forest change, etc.). This boot camp is led by experts in the field of environmental exposure science and epidemiology, data science, and geography.
By the end of the workshop, participants will be familiar with the following topics:
Capabilities of the Google Earth Engine
Datasets available for environmental exposure science
Data analysis methods within the Google Earth Engine
Applications for air pollution, green space, built environment, temperature, and climate exposure research
Applications for planetary and human health research
Emerging satellite data and exposure science opportunities
May
28
09:00 AM • Livestream, virtual training
Columbia University: Multi-omics Boot Camp: Analysis of Omics Data for Research Studies
Many observational studies are now leveraging modern technologies to measure multiple types of omic data. Omic tools can assist in better characterizing risk factors (e.g. germline genetics, exposomics), providing measurements for intermediate variables that may capture the underlying mechanism (e.g. transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and the microbiome), or defining an outcome of interest. In this context, the investigator is often confronted with an analytic decision on a continuum between simplicity and complexity. Simple approaches often treat sets of variables in a pairwise independent manner, sacrificing joint evaluation for benefits in interpretability. At the other extreme, complex methods may more-completely model the joint omics structure, but can sacrifice interpretability. This workshop will cover several different approaches to the analysis of multiple omic data, with a focus on the tradeoffs between simple and complex approaches.
This three-day intensive workshop will provide an overview of multiple approaches to analyze multiple omic data types measured on the same individuals or via the use of summary statistic data. Instructors have experience in developing and applying methods for omic analysis in genetic and environmental epidemiology and are members of an active program project focused on developing statistical methods for integrated analysis. The workshop will include seminar lectures with hands-on computer lab sessions to put concepts into practice. Since the analysis of multi-omic data is broad in scope, the workshop will survey a range of approaches and highlight the appropriate application and interpretation of each approach for specific research questions. The lab sessions will provide an opportunity to work hands-on with different types of omic data.
By the end of the workshop, participants will be familiar with the following topics:
Data reduction, including clustering.
Regression analysis, including regularized regression, hierarchical models, and partial least squares.
Interaction analysis and Genome-wide interaction scans (GWIS).
Mediation analysis.
Polygenic/polyexposure analysis.
Integrative analysis using genome-wide association study (GWAS) summary statistics.
Jun
09
09:00 AM • Hybrid training
Columbia University: PI Crash Course: Skills for Future or New Lab Leaders
This two-day intensive crash course integrates the principle skills that future and new PIs did not develop during their post-doctoral training, but will be necessary to survive as a new Lab leader and manager. Whether you are a doctoral student, postdoc, new PI, or looking to start your own lab, as a lab leader you will immediately be confronted on daily basis by a variety of situations that you must be prepared to handle. This crash course will provide you the tools you need to start your lab on the right foot.
Led by a team of experienced leaders and scientists in the field of environmental sciences, epigenetics, genomics, epidemiology, immunology, neuroscience and bioinformatics, this workshop will integrate lectures with hands-on sessions to put eight key “survival skills” into practice: Negotiating, Staffing, Leading, Mentoring, Managing People, Managing time, Managing projects, and Networking. Emphasis will be given to leadership styles, leadership vision, self-awareness, successful delegation, responsibility, problem solving, adaptability, communication techniques, goal setting, and strategizing. The Crash Course will conclude with a panel discussion with successful PIs at different stages of their careers, ranging from Assistant Professors to Department Chairs.
By the end of the workshop, participants will be familiar with the following topics:
Negotiation skills for a new position/promotion/collaboration/publication
Staffing skills for job posts/candidate screening/interviews/hiring
Leadership and mentoring skills in the Lab
People management: day-to-day/conflict resolution/misconduct/promotions/layoffs
Time management: balancing research, teaching, service/when & how to say No
Project management: planning/tracking progress/meeting deadlines/introduction to management software
Network creation and maintenance: mentors/collaborators/supporters
Real-life lab leader success stories and best tips from early-stage and experienced investigators
Jun
09
09:00 AM • Children's Mercy Research Institute and Virtual
Genomic Medicine Short Course 2025
Next generation sequencing has had a profound impact on biomedical research. Clinicians and scientists seeking to stay abreast of the field may be challenged by the rapid rate of genomic discovery and technologic advancement. The Genomic Medicine Center, with support of the NIH, offers a four-day CME/CEU program in translational genomics.
Topics include:
Technical and analytic aspects of DNA and RNA
Variant analysis
Gene regulation and epigenetics
Polygenic Risk Scores
Clinical and ethical implications of genomics
The course features hands on workshops to teach NGS analysis skills, including analysis of long read HiFi genomes.
A unique aspect of the program is the opportunity for enrollees to have genomic sequencing completed on themselves.
Participants can use the resultant data file as they learn variant identification and characterization. This strategy, known as Personalized Genomic Educational Testing (PGET) is optional and provided at no additional cost.
This program is supported by the NHGRI Initiative to Maximize Research Education in Genomics: Courses for Skills Development (R25) program.
More information.
Jun
12
09:00 AM • Livestream, virtual training
Columbia University: Microbiome Data Analytics Boot Camp: Planning, generating, and analyzing 16S rRNA gene sequencing surveys
Amplicon sequencing of taxonomic marker genes such as the 16S rRNA gene in bacteria has been used over the last two decades to survey the microbiota of myriad environments. From soil to aquatic to human systems, 16S rRNA amplicon sequences are widely used to characterize the diversity and composition of the gut microbiome, discover novel microbes, and define how specific microbes link to environmental or host traits of interest. As a result, 16S rRNA amplicon surveys have proven invaluable in efforts designed to uncover the potential contribution of microbiomes to critical ecological and health processes.
This two-day intensive workshop will provide a rigorous introduction to the theory and methodology underlying the design, generation, and analysis of Amplicon Sequence Variant (ASV) based investigations of microbial communities. The workshop will introduce state-of-the-art techniques using the R language and environment. A team of leading experts in microbiome data analytics and statistics will offer a hands-on experience in learning how to implement these techniques by integrating publicly available data and R packages to explore and understand some of the pitfalls and information drawn from 16S rRNA data analysis. This workshop specifically trains participants in the use of the R programming environment for the analysis of microbiome sequence data, including the implementation of the DADA2 and phyloseq software packages. It will also introduce introductory concepts and methods in the generation and analysis of shotgun metagenomic data.
By the end of the workshop, participants will be familiar with the following topics:
The theoretical basis underpinning 16S rRNA investigations
Methodologies for generating 16S rRNA sequence data
16S sequence data quality control
Amplicon sequence variant inference
Taxonomic annotation
Biodiversity estimation
Principal Component Analysis and PERMANOVA
Taxon-covariate correlation and regression modeling
Introduction to machine learning in microbiome data
Phylogenetic analysis
Jun
16
09:00 AM • Livestream, virtual training
Columbia University: NIH Grant Writing Boot Camp: Building a Strong Foundation for Funding Success
Federal grants, particularly from the NIH, provide a critical means of support for academic research programs. Despite the importance of this support in advancing both research and researchers’ careers, training in how to obtain grants is uneven at best. This training gap leaves many researchers struggling to learn as they go, which can introduce significant stress, delay the time to a successful application, and impact their overall productivity. The good news is that training and hands-on practice can enable you to conquer grant writing, increase your chances of receiving funding, and devote more time to moving your scientific goals forward.
The 2-day NIH Grant Writing Boot Camp: Building a Strong Foundation for Funding Success will provide comprehensive training that supplies researchers with the tools to write persuasive, effective grant proposals. Through a combination of seminars, discussions, examples, and hands-on activities, with a particular focus on navigating between-the-lines on how to tailor your proposals to grant reviewers, this training will orient you to all aspects of the academic funding process (i.e., grant writing and grant strategizing), including:
How to identify and apply for the right funding opportunities with the NIH (and beyond);
How to position your research and yourself to make reviewers your research advocates;
How to target your application to the right place at the right time; and
How to write clearly, effectively, and persuasively when telling your scientific story.
The workshop will begin with a live online seminar 3-4 weeks before the 2-day boot camp to introduce the fundamentals of drafting the Specific Aims page— that oh-so-important project overview that can ‘make or break’ the reviewers’ perception of the application.
The 2-day portion of the boot camp will cover critical topics that help you package your proposal for maximum impact:
What the Aims page captures, why it’s so important to get it right, and how to tackle it
A comprehensive introduction to NIH funding announcements and award mechanisms: What to apply for and how to apply
Merit review: Understanding who, what, why, and how enables you to frame your application
Principles of good communication: How to ‘sell’ yourself and your science
Psychology of grant review
Tackling resubmissions for ultimate success
Attendees will leave the boot camp with:
A foundational understanding of the NIH granting process and how it pertains to public health research
Hard-copy reference materials for information retention & review
A refined Aims page
A refined NIH Biosketch
One round of written feedback for a Specific Aims page will be made available to all attendees for 3 months after the boot camp, at no additional cost, further solidifying the boot camp concepts into practical skills.
Jun
23
09:00 AM • Livestream, virtual training
Columbia University: The PI's Business of Research Boot Camp: Ins and Outs of Budgets, Personnel and Project Management
This two-day intensive boot camp challenges participants to think about their research group as a business and to implement strategies for effective and efficient teamwork and (research and career) goal attainment that fosters success to maximize your impact. Hands-on activities will engage you to identify your current strategies for personnel, project, and time management, learn new strategies, and plan to implement those strategies for a more effective research enterprise.
By the end of the workshop, participants will be familiar with the following topics:
The importance of setting and attaining goals
Developing a program vision and culture
Hiring (and firing) the right person
Strategies for effective research group meetings
Budgeting basics for NIH, DOD, and NSF
Managing time and energy and avoiding procrastination
When to say no, when to say yes
Moving projects forward
Knowing when to drop a project
Understanding how to keep your team motivated
Audience and Requirements
This boot camp is targeted for faculty who are in the process of establishing or growing their research group. PIs and/or those with a group leader appointment at any university, hospital, institution, or other research organization are welcome to attend. There are no prerequisites to attend the PI's Business of Research Boot Camp. This boot camp is not applicable to students, and there is a limited number of seats for postdocs and trainees.
What's the difference between the PI's Business of Research Boot Camp and the PI Crash Course?
The SHARP Program offers two professional development programs geared towards PIs: PI's Business of Research Boot Camp and the PI Crash Course. PI Crash Course is for transitioning into a faculty position and navigating the first years of this position. PI Crash Course is about obtaining key skills to successfully start your research group whereas PI’s Business of Research is for those leading more established research groups and more focused on day-to-day operation of that group almost as a ‘business’. PI Crash Course includes negotiation skills, determining your leadership style, and how to build a colleague network to support you as a junior faculty member, whereas PI's Business of Research Boot Camp looks at the group you are leading with budgeting, setting up team meetings and a deeper dive into project management, and internal workings of the team. There is some overlapping themes between the two trainings, but PI Crash Course is core career development skills for the individual, and PI's Business of Research Boot Camp is more operational/management skills for the group you lead.
Instructors
Jessica K. Lerch, PhD, Co-Founder, CareerVolt; Founder, Significance, Innovation, Impact. Dr. Lerch earned her PhD in Neuroscience at Case Western. She then completed postdoctoral training at the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis at the University of Miami and went to a Research Assistant and then a tenure-track Assistant Professor appointment in the Department of Neuroscience at The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. In late 2017, Jessica moved to a science consulting role with Eva Garland Consulting, helping small biotechnology companies and researchers across the world strategize their science to achieve grant funding for their R&D and early-phase clinical trial projects. Jessica started her first company, Significance, Innovation, Impact, in 2018 as a grant-writing consultant. In 2019, Jessica joined with long-time friend and colleague Dr. Sheila Cherry to launch CareerVolt, born of their shared desire to help scientists succeed in their career paths by filling skills gaps and supporting attainment of professional goals. Since moving into consulting in 2018, Jessica has helped individuals and small and large biotech raise over $65 million in grant funding.
Sarah Bronson, PhD, Research Leadership and Success Consultant, CareerVolt. Dr. Bronson received her PhD in Biomedical Sciences from Washington University in Saint Louis, Missouri, and was a postdoctoral trainee with Oliver Smithies, DPhil at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. Sarah spent her entire faculty career at the Penn State College of Medicine where she was a researcher, educator, and administrator. She is now an emeritus associate professor and associate dean. She was the co-director (2010-2020) of the nationally recognized Junior Faculty Development Program where she developed a holistic program that teased out the steps to scholarly project development as well as the path toward a sustainable and rewarding career. She was also a co-director for the Grants Academy, with a more specific focus on grant proposal development. As Director of Research Development (2014-2023) she implemented the internal awards program and the limited submission process.
Craig Layman, PhD, Research Leadership and Success Consultant, CareerVolt. Dr. Layman received his PhD at Texas A&M University in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology with a minor in Philosophy. He was awarded a Fulbright Fellowship and was the Donnelley Fellow at Yale University. He is a Senior Fellow in the Andrew Sabin Center for Environment and Sustainability and a Research Professor in the Biology Department at Wake Forest University. He was a Full Professor at North Carolina State University, a Chancellor’s Faculty Excellence Fellow in the Applied Ecology Department, and a founding member of the Global Environmental Change and Human Well-being Cluster. Craig is passionate about academic writing, reflected by his more than 160 scientific publications and over 17,000 citations, his successful grantsmanship, and his mentorship of hundreds of academic colleagues over his career.
There will be additional individuals experienced with NIH, DOD, and NSF budgets for a Q&A session.
Jun
26
08:00 AM • Hybrid training
Columbia University: Epigenetics Boot Camp: Planning and Analyzing DNA Methylation Studies for Human Populations
This two-day intensive boot camp integrates the principle concepts of epigenetics and the effects of risk factors on the epigenome as we step through the key components of designing and executing DNA methylation studies. Led by a team of scientists with more than 50 years of combined expertise in the field of environmental epigenetics, this epigenetics training will integrate seminar lectures with hands-on computer sessions to put concepts into practice. Emphasis will be given to leveraging existing resources from ongoing studies and initiating new investigations. The afternoon lab sessions will provide an opportunity to work hands-on with real methylation data generated by the Illumina Infinium MethylationEPIC (850k) BeadChip platform. Participants will learn and practice data handling, cleaning, and basic analysis of epigenome-wide DNA methylation data. This training will not cover WGBS or analyses from sequencing experiments in animal models.
By the end of the epigenetics training, participants will be familiar with the following topics:
Principles of epigenetics
Concept ideation and study design
Sample collection and processing
Laboratory methods and platforms for analysis
Data handling and cleaning
Analysis of 450K/EPIC data
Study design advantages and pitfalls
Emerging epigenetic topics and laboratory platforms
Jun
26
09:00 AM • Livestream, virtual training
Columbia University: GIS Workshop: Visualizing and Analyzing Health Data
This two-day intensive course introduces participants to the fundamentals of geospatial data visualization and spatial analysis using open-source software. This year’s workshop features two distinct tracks:
1. Track 1: QGIS
Participants in this track will learn to use QGIS, a traditional Geographic Information System with a user-friendly, point-and-click interface for creating maps and conducting spatial analyses. Additional tools, like GeoDa and GWR4, will support QGIS to enhance spatial analysis workflows.
2. Track 2: R and RStudio
This track focuses on geospatial analysis using R, a versatile programming language, and RStudio, its integrated development environment (IDE). Participants will explore leading packages like ggplot2 for mapping and sf for geoprocessing. These tools provide robust spatial analysis and visualization capabilities, offering a programmatic alternative to traditional GIS software.
Both tracks emphasize the use of open-source tools and publicly available environmental and demographic data to explore spatially centered visualization and analytical techniques. The workshop integrates lectures with hands-on applications, allowing participants to practice the methods taught.
The workshop is comprised of 4 components 1) data visualization, 2) geo-processing, 3) cluster analysis, and 4) relationship identification.
By the end of the workshop, participants will be familiar with the following topics:
Principles of data visualization and analysis
Sources and techniques for the acquiring and managing spatial data
Methods for geospatial visualization and analysis
Techniques for the identifying statistical hotspots and clusters
Incorporating spatial data into traditional regression methods of association studies
This workshop is led by Dr. Jeremy R. Porter and Dr. Joel Capellan two of the highest-rated teachers at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and the authors of many celebrated geospatial analysis publications and books. This workshop will integrate lectures with hands-on application.
Jun
30
08:00 AM • Livestream, virtual training
Columbia University: Electronic Medical Records Boot Camp: Biostatistical methods for analyzing EMR data
Over the last decade, Electronic Health Records (EHRs) and Electronic Medical Records (EMRs) systems have been increasingly implemented at US hospitals. Huge amounts of longitudinal and detailed patient information, including lab tests, medications, disease status, and treatment outcome, have been accumulated and are available electronically. Extensive effort has been dedicated to developing advanced clinical data processing and data management in order to integrate patient data into a computable collection of rich longitudinal patient profiles. EMR/EHRs provide unprecedented opportunities for cohort-wide investigations and knowledge discovery. They are important data resources for building predictive models for disease diagnosis and prognosis, thus enabling personalized medicine.
Despite the great potential, analyzing such large, scattered and heterogeneous observational patient data is still technically challenging. This two-day intensive workshop will go over opportunities and potentials of EMR/EHR for health and medical studies, statistical challenges and pitfalls for analyzing EMR/EHR, and the latest developments of multiple techniques to address those challenges, followed by hands-on computer lab sessions and case studies to put concepts into practice.
By the end of the electronic medical records training, participants will be familiar with the following topics:
Power and potentials of EMR/EHR data
Open-access datasets across the world
Preparation, transformation and integration of EMR/EHR
Confounding, bias and missing data in EMR/EHR and statistical methods addressing these challenges
Statistical methods for comparative effectiveness
Statistical methods for predictive analysis
Jul
07
09:00 AM • Livestream, virtual training
Columbia University: Creating Compelling Research Narrative Workshop: Strategies for Effectively Presenting Your Science
This five-hour hands-on writing workshop covers several approaches to create compelling research narrative and is led by expert instructors with more than two decades of experience providing research writing, editing, and training for researchers worldwide. This intensive workshop will lead you through detailed examples, revise writing in guided group settings with instructors, and then put those lessons into practice on your own writing. Thus, we encourage you to bring a draft in progress (e.g., grant proposal, research manuscript), so this workshop can directly impact an active writing project. Participants also will come away with an SOP for writing logically and will learn some additional narrative tricks and tips to entice and engage readers on their science.
By the end of this writing intensive workshop, participants will have:
A clear and organized approach for writing manuscripts and grants
Several easy grammar concepts for clear communication
Examples to share/work with their trainees
An improved portion of your own grant or manuscript (if you bring it with you to the workshop)
Audience and Requirements
Investigators at all career stages are welcome to attend, and we particularly encourage research trainees and early-stage investigators to participate. To register for this training, you must have:
Written at least one thesis chapter, manuscript, or grant
A grant or manuscript that is in progress is strongly encouraged, but not required to attend this training.
Jul
07
09:00 AM • Livestream, virtual training
Columbia University: Quantitative Genomics Training: Methods and tools for whole-genome and transcriptome analyses
Genome-wide association studies have discovered tens of thousands of loci significantly associated with complex traits. However, the majority of these loci are located outside of protein-coding regions making it difficult to determine the causal gene or the mechanism through which the phenotype is affected. With whole-genome and RNA sequencing becoming increasingly accessible and feasible to conduct large-scale analyses, we can use different quantitative genomics methods to address these challenges in human health studies.
This two-day intensive workshop will provide a rigorous introduction to several different techniques to analyze whole-genome sequencing and transcriptome data. Led by a team of experts in statistical genomics and bioinformatics, who have developed their own methods to analyze such data, the training will integrate seminar lectures with hands-on computer lab sessions to put concepts into practice. The training will focus on reviewing existing approaches based on predicted expression association with traits, colocalization of causal variants, and Mendelian Randomization, including discussion on how they relate to each other, and their advantages and limitations. Emphasis will also be given to reviewing integrative sequence-based association studies for whole-genome sequencing data, and functional annotation of variants in noncoding regions of the genome.
By the end of the workshop, participants will be familiar with the following topics:
Sequence-based association tests (Burden, SKAT and extensions)
Functional genomic annotations
Analysis of genomic variants in human diseases
Transcriptome wide association tests (PrediXcan, MetaXcan, and extensions)
Mendelian Randomization techniques
Colocalization techniques
Jul
09
08:00 AM • Livestream, virtual training
Columbia University: Causal Mediation Analysis Training: Methods and Applications Using Health Data
Mediation analysis is an emerging field in causal inference relevant for comparative effectiveness research, evaluating and improving policy recommendations, and explaining biological mechanisms. Training in the potential outcomes framework for causal inference is important to understand the assumptions required for valid mediation analyses. This course will equip participants with foundational concepts and cutting edge statistical tools to investigate mediating mechanisms.
This three-day intensive course will cover some of the recent developments in causal mediation analysis and provide practical tools to implement these techniques and assess the mechanisms and pathways by which causal effects operate. Led by a team of experts in causal mediation techniques at Columbia University, this course will integrate lectures and discussion with hands-on computer lab sessions using R. The course will cover the relationship between traditional methods for mediation in environmental health, epidemiology, and the social sciences and new methods in causal inference using a wide variety of examples to illustrate the techniques and approaches. We will discuss 1) when the standard approaches to mediation analysis are valid for dichotomous, and continuous, outcomes, 2) alternative mediation analysis techniques when the standard approaches will not work, introducing the counterfactual notation for mediation analysis and formal definitions of natural direct and indirect effects, 3) the no-unmeasured confounding assumptions needed to identify these effects, and 4) how regression approaches for mediation analysis can be extended in the presence of multiple mediators.
By the end of the workshop, participants will be able to:
Understand when traditional methods for mediation fail
Articulate concepts about mediation under the counterfactual framework and assumptions for identification
Formulate and apply regression approaches for mediation for single and multiple mediators
Develop facility with the use of software for mediation and interpretation of software output
Jul
10
09:00 AM • Livestream, virtual training
Columbia University: https://www.publichealth.columbia.edu/academics/non-degree-special-programs/professional-non-degree-programs/skills-health-research-professionals-sharp-training/trainings/google-earth-engine
The major goals of K Awards: A Path to Success is to orient attendees to grant-writing and grant-strategizing for successful K applications, including how to position their research and themselves to engage reviewers. Participants will work with CareerVolt workshop leaders with a proven track record of helping applicants improve and position compelling K applications. Attendees will learn about different K award mechanisms, how K’s are unique from R’s, and strategies to maximize each K award component. They will gain an understanding of the goal of the K award program, which is critical for maximizing funding success.
This workshop will take place in two parts: a required online, asynchronous web-based course (~5 hours total) followed by the livestream, 6-hour online training on July 10, 2025. Participants will be given access to the web-based course about three weeks before the live training.
By the end of the workshop, participants will be familiar with the following topics:
K Program Goals and Expectations
Types of K Awards: Which Is Right for You?
Timing: When to Submit Your K Application
K Award Application Preparation and Considerations
K Award Application Evaluation: How K Awards are Evaluated and Scored
Principles of Great K Applications
Selling Yourself as a K Applicant
Selling Your Science
Synthesizing the Full K Story
One round of written feedback for a Specific Aims page will be made available to all attendees for up to 2 months after the workshop, at no additional cost.
Jul
17
03:00 PM • Hybrid
Innovations in Quality Forum: Emerging Trends in the Health Insurance Industry
Jul
21
08:00 AM • Livestream, virtual training
Columbia University: Data, Designed Workshop: Develop Your Creative Process to Create Better, More Effective Data Visualizations
Data visualization—the study of the visual representation of data—plays a crucial role in the work of researchers and analysts. Organizations tasked with producing, releasing, and analyzing large amounts of data can more effectively analyze and communicate their work by understanding how to better visualize their data. Often, however, visualizing research results is an after-thought, secondary to the analysis, which ultimately limits the effective relay of information.
Bring your data to life using innovative visualization techniques in this workshop unlike any other, and learn from world leaders that come from two sides of data visualization: data science and design. Explore styles, techniques, and best practices to create meaningful and beautiful visualizations.
As the amount and speed of data grows at ever-increasing rates, being able to visualize and communicate data and data analysis has become more and more important. Organizations that are tasked with producing, releasing, and analyzing large amounts of data can more effectively do so by understanding how to visualize their data. In this workshop, you will learn the important underpinnings of the science and design process behind data visualization and how to effectively communicate your work.
This workshop will provide you with the core skills needed to conceptualize, plan, and develop data visualization products. Taught by world-renowned leaders in the field—Stefanie Posavec and Jonathan Schwabish—this workshop will inspire you to push beyond your own limits so you can create great, effective visualizations. Step away from your keyboard and enjoy some fresh space for your hands and mind: the entire workshop will be taught using nothing more than basic drawing materials and office supplies.
By the end of the workshop, participants will be familiar with the following topics:
Be familiar with different kinds of data visualizations
Identify the different forms and functions of visualizations
Learn, and exchange ideas about, visualization best practices
Learn how to increase message clarity and impact
Learn the basic data analysis skills one needs as a data visualizer
Understand the data visualization design process
Explore how to create their own custom data visualization system
Have a starting point for applying data visualization in their own work
Jul
28
09:00 AM • Livestream, virtual training
Columbia University: Powerful Presentations Workshop: Designing and Delivering for Impact
Communicating data plays a crucial role in the work of researchers and analysts. Often, however, effective ways to communicate data is an after-thought, secondary to the analysis, which ultimately limits the effective relay of information. In this Powerful Presentations workshop, attendees will learn the key, practical strategies to creating, designing, and delivering great, effective presentations.
Powerful Presentations Workshop: Designing and Delivering for Impact is a training workshop that provides a well-rounded introduction to improving how people design and deliver their work. This workshop is divided into three main parts to guide attendees’ process from presentation conceptualization, to creation, to delivery. The first part focuses on planning the presentation; instead of booting up the computer and immediately inserting text, graphs, and images onto slides, attendees are presented with a process for outlining the content of their presentation. The second part is about building the presentation: how to create more effective text, graph, and image slides. The final section moves to the practical details of giving the presentation.
By the end of the workshop, participants will be familiar with the following topics:
Learn how to increase message clarity and impact through better slide design
Improve presentations to more effectively communicate data and analysis
Learn, and exchange ideas about, presentation best practices
Think critically about presentation slide design
Aug
07
09:00 AM • Livestream, virtual training
Columbia University: Mendelian Randomization Boot Camp: A Practical Guide to Study Design and Implementation
This two-day intensive boot camp integrates motivation for Mendelian randomization studies, statistical concepts, genetic considerations, and practical examples to design, implement and interpret a Mendelian randomization analysis. Led by a scientist with several award winning papers on Mendelian randomization combined with extensive expertise in epidemiology, the workshop will integrate seminar lectures with hands-on computer sessions to put concepts into practice. Emphasis will be given to leveraging existing publicly available resources (data, tools and packages) as well as indicating the scope for new studies. The afternoon lab sessions will provide an opportunity to work hands-on with real data. Participants will learn and practice all the steps required for a successful Mendelian randomization analysis using publicly available data, including identifying suitable data sources, data extraction, data alignment, assumption checking and sensitivity analysis.
By the end of this Mendelian randomization training, participants will be familiar with the following topics:
Principles of Mendelian randomization
Implementation options
Suitable publicly available data sources
Data interpretation and handling
Data analysis
Sensitivity analysis
Study design advantages and pitfalls
Emerging Mendelian randomization techniques
Use of MR-Base
Sep
11
03:00 PM • Hybrid
Innovations in Quality: What Does a Public Health Transformation Look Like?
Sep
26
09:00 AM • Westin Crown Center, Kansas City, Mo.
2025 International LAM Research Conference & LAMposium
The International LAM Research Conference & LAMposium is The LAM Foundation’s marquee event, which includes a state-of-the-art scientific meeting and a dedicated patient and family conference. Next year’s event will continue the highly successful format of blending patient and family participation with leading-edge discussions about basic and translational advances in LAM research. We look forward to welcoming attendees from around the world to this important conference that will celebrate the LAM community's research innovation, courage, and resilience as we strive to find better treatments and ultimately a cure for LAM.
Oct
29
08:00 AM • TBD
KUMC Co/Digital Health INNOVATORS DAY 2025
Stay tuned for more information.
Oct
29
09:00 AM • TBD
Innovators Day 2025
Mark your calendars for Innovators Day 2025, happening on October 29, 2025! Join us for an inspiring day of innovation, collaboration, and discovery. Stay tuned for more details, and in the meantime, check out the highlights from last year in this video. Don’t miss it!
Nov
07
11:30 AM • K-State University, Olathe campus
BioNexus KC: One Health Day
More details to come.
Nov
13
03:00 PM • Hybrid
Innovations in Quality Forum: Project Updates from the Healthcare Institute for Innovations in Quality
