Category Archives: Methods Seminar

Matt Beymer, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Scholar, UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine

Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is a once-a-day pill that can greatly reduce the chances of contracting HIV among HIV-negative individuals. Although PrEP is recommended for certain groups of gay and bisexual men, many men are still unsure if PrEP is right for them. This talk will detail the methods used to create a prospective HIV Risk Algorithm which provides targeted PrEP recommendations for gay and bisexual men in Los Angeles. The talk will conclude with a presentation of the interactive website developed from this study and a look forward towards enhancing PrEP uptake among the groups most heavily affected by HIV.

The CHIPTS’ Methods Core hosts a monthly seminar series, which are one-hour workshops on research and statistical methods.  The seminars are open to HIV researchers, faculty, students, and community. To see previous seminars, check out the Methods Seminar tag or you can find seminar videos on our Youtube Channel! This series is hosted by the Center for HIV Identification, Prevention, and Treatment Services (CHIPTS) and made possible by funds from the National Institute of Mental Health (MH058107).

Tiffany Cvrkel, PhD
Bioethicist
Molecular, Cell, & Developmental Biology
University of California, Los Angeles

With evidence mounting that some combinations of antiretroviral agents may be used effectively as “pre-exposure prophylaxis” (PrEP) to prevent the spread of HIV, clinicians, researchers, and policy-makers must now decide when and how to best use this intervention. While the science has been extremely promising, the use of PrEP presents social and ethical challenges. This talk will explore the ethical controversies around the use of PrEP. We will address concerns that members of the public have raised and then discuss ethical issues that have not yet received adequate consideration. By the end of this talk, we will have sorted ethical challenges that can be sufficiently overcome from ethical challenges that still demand further attention.

The CHIPTS’ Methods Core hosts a monthly seminar series, which are one-hour workshops on research and statistical methods.  The seminars are open to HIV researchers, faculty, students, and community. To see previous seminars, check out the Methods Seminar tag or you can find seminar videos on our Youtube Channel! This series is hosted by the Center for HIV Identification, Prevention, and Treatment Services (CHIPTS) and made possible by funds from the National Institute of Mental Health (MH058107).

Erika Martin, Ph.D

Dr. Martin is Associate Professor of Public Administration and Policy at the Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy, and a Senior Fellow at the Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Government, University at Albany, State University of New York.

To download the slide presentation, click here

The CHIPTS’ Methods Core hosts a monthly seminar series, which are one-hour workshops on research and statistical methods.  The seminars are open to HIV researchers, faculty, students, and community. To see previous seminars, check out the Methods Seminar tag or you can find seminar videos on our Youtube Channel! This series is hosted by the Center for HIV Identification, Prevention, and Treatment Services (CHIPTS) and made possible by funds from the National Institute of Mental Health (MH058107).

Thomas R. Belin, PhD
Professor UCLA Department of Biostatistics
Recognizing Trust and Understanding as Twin Pillars of Statistical Ethics

Monday, March 9, 2-3pm Center for Community Health, UCLA Wilshire Center 10920 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 350, Conference Room

Accepting the imperative for professional ethics in the field of statistics to be codified, how might it be possible to encompass the scope and generality of what statisticians do into a complete yet digestible set of guidelines? Drawing on reflections by leading statisticians on the field’s essential elements, scientific insights regarding the human condition, and philosophical discourse on the ethics of interpersonal interactions, it is argued that trust and understanding are essential core principles that can serve as the basis for a test of whether a statistical approach is ethical. The framework’s simplicity makes it easy to communicate, its generality gives it power, and its positive-sum appeal could be used to promote professional identity development around ethics. Adopting trust and understanding as twin pillars of statistical ethics thus offers great potential as a strategy to elevate statistical practice, to enhance the reputation of the field of statistics as a discipline, and to contribute to society both by advancing knowledge and by serving as a beacon for the highest standards of integrity. The presentation will include illustrations of true statements that are misleading, giving rise to predictable misunderstandings that in the long run damage trust, and will underscore how the scientific perspective underlying the field of statistics can help guard against breaches of trust and strengthen the social fabric in our communities.

The CHIPTS’ Methods Core hosts a monthly seminar series, which are one-hour workshops on research and statistical methods.  The seminars are open to HIV researchers, faculty, students, and community. To see previous seminars, check out the Methods Seminar tag or you can find seminar videos on our Youtube Channel! This series is hosted by the Center for HIV Identification, Prevention, and Treatment Services (CHIPTS) and made possible by funds from the National Institute of Mental Health (MH058107).