TB Research Methods | June 10-14, 2024

“The shift between in person and online speakers was perfectly done and it was an amazing course! The coming together of people that are interested in TB from all over the world (due to the course hybrid nature). The great discussions in the small groups and after each session. The great venue of the course. The nature of the course--it felt like a scientific TB conference discussing up to date research.”

-TB Research Methods participant

COURSE FORMAT

Hybrid. Course will be live to both the in-person and online participants approximately 9:00am-2:00pm (Montreal time) each day June 10-14, 2024 and content presented will be recorded and available until July 1, 2024. In the afternoons, small group sessions in randomized controlled trials (RCT), economic analyses, operational research and systematic reviews will be conducted from about 2:00-5:00pm (Montreal time). In-person attendees will be able to choose one of these four topics. Online attendees will only be able to choose from operational research and systematic reviews small groups. Small groups will not be recorded. On the last day all participants can share with larger class their work in the small groups.

DESCRIPTION

An intensive course on methods of operational research, randomized controlled trials, systematic reviews and meta-analyses, qualitative / community-based research, decision analyses and modeling. Format will include lectures, debates, panel discussions and small group work.

This program meets the accreditation criteria as defined by the Maintenance of Certification program of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada and has been accredited by the Office of Continuing Professional Development, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, McGill University for up to 31.75 Section 1 credits/hours.

Through an agreement between the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada and the American Medical Association, physicians may convert Royal College MOC credits to AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Information on the process to convert Royal College MOC credit to AMA credit can be found at www.ama-assn.org/go/internationalcme.

COURSE DIRECTOR

Dick Menzies, MD, MSc
Director, WHO Collaborating Centre for Tuberculosis Research
Director, McGill International TB Centre

Watch the video to hear Dr. Menzies discuss the course!

COURSE FACULTY

• Gonzalo Alvarez, MD, MPH – University of Ottawa
• Mayara Bastos, MD – McGill University
• Marcel Behr, MD, MSc – McGill University
• Bill Burman, MD – Denver Public Health
• Jonathon Campbell, PhD – McGill University
• Nandini Dendukuri, PhD –McGill University
• Fajri Gafar, PhD—McGill University
• Greg Fox, MD, PhD – University of Sydney
• Anthony Harries, MD – The Union, Paris
• James Johnston, MD, MPH – University of British Columbia
• Tenzin Kunor, MScPH, M Ed – We Are TB
• Stephanie Law, PhD –McGill University
• Anna Mandalakas, MD –Baylor College of Medicine
• Dick Menzies, MD, MSc – McGill University
• Thu Anh Nguyen, PhD – University of Sydney
• Madhu Pai MD, PhD – McGill University
• Patrick Philips PhD, MS, MA –University of California San Fransico
• Kevin Schwartzman, MD, MPH – McGill University
• Anete Trajman, MD PhD –Federal University of Rio de Janeiro
• Alice Zwerling, PhD, MSc, BSc – University of Ottawa

Faculty are still being confirmed and there may be changes to the above list.

CONTENT

This course will introduce broad tuberculosis research topics –the World Health Organization’s Research plan as part of the End TB strategy, priorities in drug resistant and HIV-related tuberculosis, as well as the missing pieces of the TB Research puzzle. Every morning session will focus on a different methodology – operational research, systematic reviews, randomized trials and economic analysis. In the afternoons, there will be “late-breakers”, short presentations of exciting new findings from course faculty, followed by basics in biostatistical methods, then small group sessions to work in operational research, epidemiology, systematic reviews, randomized trials or cost analysis. The output from each small group will be presented to the entire group on the final afternoon.

OBJECTIVES

• List the latest advances in TB research - in diagnosis, treatment, drug resistance, and prevention
• Explain the fundamentals of research methods that are commonly used in clinical, epidemiological and public health studies in TB
• Critically appraise published articles to better understand the relevance to participants’ setting, population, available resources, and practice.

TARGET AUDIENCE

• Clinicians interested in TB research
• MSc, MPH and PhD students interested in TB research projects
• Postdoctoral fellows, clinical fellows and residents interested in TB research
• Junior faculty with a strong interest in TB research
• Research staff, nurses and coordinators managing TB research projects
• Persons involved in TB control programmes with interest in research and evaluation methods

ENROLMENT

Limited to 60 online participants and 40 in-person participants.