Pre-conference workshops 2015

Workshop 1. “Introduction to systematic reviews” registrations have closed as the workshop is fully booked.

Pre-conference workshops are convened with our Science for Prevention Academic Network (SPAN) partners on 21st October 2015:

1. Introduction to systematic reviews. Convened by Geoff Bates & Angelina Brotherhood, Liverpool John Moores University, UK; University of Vienna, AT

2. Analysing longitudinal data with hierarchical linear models and identifying subgroups in prevention research. Convened by Dr Ferdinand Keller, Ulm University Hospital, DE

3. Writing for publication and publishing papers. Convened by Dr Kimberley Hill, University of Northampton, UK

An overview of the workshops can be found below, or select the links above to be directed to details of each workshop.

Early Career Bursaries and activities

In collaboration with SPAN the conference will hold several events and initiatives for early career delegates, see the following link for details.

Early Career Activities

As part of SPAN’s aim to establish stronger links to professional networks, they will again be offering bursaries of up to € 800 to early career delegates to assist in covering workshop and associated fees, travel and accommodation costs for the entire duration of the EUSPR conference. Workshop participants are encouraged to attend the EUSPR conference following the workshop. The EUSPR conference fee will have to be covered by participants.

Please note: bursary applications are now closed.

1. Introduction to systematic reviews.

Systematic reviews aim to identify and synthesise as much evidence as possible to help answer a research question. They follow a pre-determined and explicit methodology including clear eligibility criteria that studies must meet to be included in the review, a systematic and comprehensive search strategy, assessment of the validity of findings for included studies and systematic synthesis of findings. This rigorous approach enables the reader to understand how and why the review was carried out, and to ensure the review can be replicated and updated.

This workshop is aimed at anyone who is interested in finding out about how to undertake a systematic review, or would like to apply systematic review techniques and methods to their literature reviews to improve their quality and reliability. It will be useful for attendees to bring their own laptop with them to enable them to fully take part in all workshop activities. However, this is not an essential requirement.

The workshop will provide an overview of the steps involved with undertaking a systematic review and give participants the opportunity to discuss key concepts and take part in practical sessions undertaking steps in the systematic review process. It will start with an overview of the key concepts behind systematic review, followed by a step-by-step guide on how to conduct a systematic review. This will cover concepts including developing inclusion and exclusion criteria, creating a search strategy, identifying evidence, undertaking data extraction, critically appraising evidence and synthesising findings. A discussion of the key issues involved with doing a ‘review of reviews’ will also be facilitated. Throughout the day workshop participants will have the opportunities to try out some of these techniques and examples of systematic reviews will be provided for group discussion.

Programme

Geoff Bates is a researcher at the Centre for Public Health. With a background in Health Psychology he works in the Centre’s Evidence Review team who are responsible for producing systematic reviews and other evidence reviews on a broad range of public health topics. He has been a part of reviews on behalf of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) on PSHE education and hepatitis B, and WHO concerning violence against individuals with disabilities. In addition, Geoff is responsible for research exploring environmental issues in public health and has carried out research in the alcohol and substance misuse fields.

Angelina Brotherhood is currently a doctoral researcher in sociology at the University of Vienna, Austria. Previously she worked at the Centre for Public Health at Liverpool John Moores University, UK, where she also led a systematic ‘review of reviews’ covering the evidence base for a range of interventions and risk behaviours as part of the EU co-funded ALICE RAP (Addiction and Lifestyles in Contemporary Europe Reframing Addictions) Project.

2. Analysing longitudinal data with hierarchical linear models and identifying subgroups in prevention research.

In order to analyze longitudinal data, different statistical approaches can be used. The workshop will start with a short overview of hierarchical linear models which present one feasible method to model data over time. These models encompass both analysis of variance models and growth curve models (random regression). They allow to model person specific effects, intermittently occurring missing values and potentially unequal survey dates. The main focus will then be placed on new approaches with which subgroups of progress curves can be identified (growth mixture modelling – GMM). While the first approach assumes that essentially the same growth trajectory describes all change occurring over the assessment points, or the subgroups with different trajectories are known (e.g. treatment condition, gender), GMM tries to identify differences in growth parameters across unobserved subpopulations, resulting in separate growth models for each subpopulation (latent class). GMM will be illustrated by means of the statistical program Mplus. Participants should have a background in basic statistics and ordinary regression analysis.

Programme

Dr Ferdinand Keller is head psychologist at the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry / Psychotherapy at the University Hospital in Ulm. Over the past years he has been interested in a wide range of statistical methods and published on IRT/latent class models to validate questionnaires as well as on the use of (latent) growth modelling to describe and predict patient progress.

3. Writing for publication and publishing papers.

The workshop will provide guidance and feedback to early career delegates who are currently preparing a manuscript for an article. The session will include a key note talk, structured group feedback (20 – 30 min per article), and panel discussion from senior researchers on their own experience followed by discussion and response to participant’s issues as identified in a brain storming session. The workshop is aimed at delegates with limited experience of publication in peer-reviewed journals.

Facilitators

  • Facilitator: Dr Kimberley Hill, University of Northampton, UK
  • Senior researchers to support entire day through their input and expertise: Prof David Foxcroft, Prof Rosaria Galanti and Prof Michal Miovsky (keynote speaker).
  • External speaker for keynote: Prof Michal Miovsky, Charles University in Prague, CZ
  • Organisation/handling of applications: Matej Košir, Oxford Brookes University, UK, and Dr Kimberley Hill, University of Northampton, UK.

The workshop will be limited to up to 15 participants (first come first serve as long as eligibility criteria have been met). See the following links for the programme and the special requirements for participation in workshop 3 (no special requirements for attending workshop 1 or 2).

Programme Requirements

Closing date for registrations (workshop 3 only) – 3 weeks before the workshop (1st October 2015)

Dr Kimberley Hill is a Chartered Psychologist and Lecturer in Psychology at The University of Northampton. She also sits on The University of Northampton’s Research Ethics Committee. Kimberley recently completed her PhD and Associate Lectureship at Oxford Brookes University. Her research focuses on the development of young people, promoting health and preventing health risk behaviours. This includes investigating the contexts in which social behaviours, such as excessive alcohol consumption, are conducted.

Michal Miovský, MA, PhD is Professor of Clinical psychology at Charles University in Prague (Czech Republic). He graduated from the Philosophical Faculty of Masaryk University in Brno in 1998. In 2002, he received a Ph.D. degree in Clinical Psychology at Palacky University in Olomouc. In the same year, he was employed as a researcher at the Institute of Psychology of the Academy of Science of the Czech Republic. He started his professional carrier as a volunteer and therapist at a Drop-in centre and in school prevention. Later he established a therapeutic centre for drug users and led a group of treatment facilities (Therapeutic community, Aftercare, Day centre and Substitution centre) in NGO “Podane ruce” in Brno.

He is vice-dean for non-medical health study programs at the 1st Medical Faculty and Head of the Department of Addictology of the 1st Medical Faculty, Charles University, Prague and General Teaching Hospital in Prague. He led in the creation and establishment of Bachelor (BC), master (MA) and postgraduate (PHD) addiction study programmes at Charles University in Prague.

He is vice-president of ISAJE (International Society of Addiction Journal Editors) and Deputy Editor-in-Chief for the Journal of Adiktologie (Addictology), having established the Journal with his colleagues in 2001. He is also a member of the editorial boards of the Journal of Groups in Addiction and Recovery; Czech and Slovak Psychiatry; and other Journals. His speciality is in the area of qualitative methods and research in the field of addictions, prevention and clinical research (like ADHD etc.).

For more details:
www.adiktologie.cz
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Michal_Miovsky