The Doctoral School in Medicine, Biomedical Science and Technology (2023)

Couse name:

Health Scientific Information Searching: Hands-on training and methods for conducting a systematic search, Fall (2023)

Description:

Welcome to the course Health Scientific Information Searching: Hands-on training and methods for conducting a systematic search.

This course is aimed at doctoral students and researchers within health science. You will be introduced to methods, techniques, and tools relevant for searching, evaluating, and organizing literature. During the course, you will learn how to design a search strategy and to conduct and document a systematic search.

The course will cover these essential areas:

• Health scientific information search: How to use tools like PICO to formulate structured search queries for use in bibliographic databases such as PubMed and Embase. How to choose the right databases for your research question. Training in PubMed and Embase using structured queries with the MeSH and EMTREE tools. Focus will be on your own research question.  
• Documentation and organization of search results: How to document the search and make it transparent to others by using the PRISMA flow diagram. You will be introduced to systems that can facilitate the process of organizing, screening, and handling references from multiple databases and sources.
• Making reviews: How we make sure that the search is exhaustive and as relevant as possible and meets the requirements of different types of reviews.
• Additional search methods: How to improve or supplement your search by using other search methods. You will be introduced to known methods such as citation searching but also to more recent methods such as text mining tools.

The course is a “toolbox for research”-course with a mix of presentations and hands-on training. You can either work individually focusing on your own PhD-project, or in small groups with a shared focus.

Preparation before the course: Some reading previous to the course should be expected.

Exercises: There will be both class exercises and a home assignment. The home assignment is introduced during the course. You are required to finish the home assignment at home and return it by a specific date.

Accommodation: There will be coffee and tea during the day. However, you will have to bring your own lunch. Alternatively, you can buy food at the canteen at Kroghstræde 3.

Course language: English

Important: Remember to bring your computer

Organizer: Pernille Skou Gaardsted, librarian, M.Li.Sc. e-mail: psg@rn.dk and Sabine Dreier, librarian, M.Li.Sc e-mail: sd@aub.aau.dk 

Lecturers:  Pernille Skou Gaardsted, librarian, M.Li.Sc. e-mail: psg@rn.dk; Sabine Dreier librarian, M.Li.Sc. e-mail: sd@aub.aau.dk

ECTS: 1

Number of participants: 20

Time:  14 November 2023

Place: Seminar room Einstein, floor 0, Kroghstræde 3, 9220, Aalborg Øst

Deadline: 24 October 2023

Description: This five-module introduction course (in Danish) offers a comprehensive education and training program in clinical research for health care professionals, incl phd students. The five modules cover the followings topics: 1. Introduction to clinical research, 2. Methods, 3. Legal aspects (incl. data safety and GDPR) ethics, good clinical practice, and project management, 4. Oral and written research dissemination, and 5. Project economy and research funding.

Organizer: Centre for Clinical Research, North Denmark Regional Hospital

Lecturers: Senior clinicians and other health-related research professionals

ECTS: 2.0

Dates: March 28; May 8; June 12; August 22 and September 21 in 2023

Time: 8.00 AM – 3.30 PM

Place: The Skou Auditorium, North Denmark Regional Hospital

Zip code:  9800

City:  Hjoerring

Number of seats: In total 24 participants, including 6 PhD students and persons planning to be enrolled in a PhD program

Deadline: Tuesday 28^th of February 2023.

Important information concerning PhD courses: In conjunction with course the participants will be submitting an abstract to the annual Research Symposium (first Thursday in November) held at the North Denmark Regional Hospital.

Literature/Requirements: At individual level. A basic research textbook (Klinisk forskningsmetode) will be handed out to the course participants.

Registration:

Forskningskursus - Fra Idé til Projekt | Region Nordjylland (plan2learn.dk)

Description

This PhD course will be organized for the fifth time as a continuation of previous symposiums on physical activity and human performance. This year’s PhD course will also provide new knowledge related to the use of technologies for the assessment of physical performance among for instance youngsters and elderlies, trained or untrained adults. Lectures will cover measurement of human characteristics and capabilities, achievement of optimal efficiency, improvement of performance, technologies in sports and injury prevention in sports and at work.

This course will provide the audience with recent findings in sport sciences in a broad sense covering physical activity during leisure time and at work. Internationally recognized speakers as well as speakers from Aalborg University will be invited. The addressed topics will include for neuromechanics, motor control, biomechanics, ergonomics, exercise physiology, telerehabilitation (programs and technologies) as well as modelling.

A special emphasis will be given on the speakers-student interaction. The detailed agenda of the course will be provided on the course web site in due time. It will be possible to follow the PhD course remotely (all lectures will also be transmitted online).

Literature
A reading list with relevant papers and book chapters will be announced before the course.

Prerequisites
The students participating to this course should have basic knowledge on anatomy, physiology, and methods to assess human performance by means of quantitative methods.

Evaluation
Evaluation will be announced at the course.

Organizer:                    Professor Pascal Madeleine, email: pm@hst.aau.dk

Co-organisers:             Professor Birthe Dinesen, Associate Professor Jesper Franch, Associate Professor Mark de Zee, Associate Professor Mathias Vedsø Kristiansen, Associate Professor Rogerio Pessoto Hirata, Associate Professor Ryan Godsk Larsen, Professor Uwe Kersting  

Lecturers:                      Organisers, invited national and international speakers and speakers from the Dept. of Health Science and Technology and Aalborg University Hospital

ECTS:                              1.5

Date:                              1 and 2 June 2023 (8:15-16:15)

Place:                            Aalborg University, Selma Lagerløfs Vej 249, 9260 Gistrup. 1 June: Room 11.00.035, 2 June: Room 11.00.032.

Deadline:                      26 May 2023              

Program:                       HES – mandatory course (also relevant for BEN, CPM)

Face to face and online lectures

Important information concerning PhD courses:

We have over some time experienced problems with no-show for both project and general courses. It has now reached a point where we are forced to take action. Therefore, the Doctoral School has decided to introduce a no-show fee of DKK 3.000 for each course where the student does not show up. Cancellations are accepted no later than 2 weeks before start of the course. Registered illness is of course an acceptable reason for not showing up on those days. Furthermore, all courses open for registration approximately four months before start. This can hopefully also provide new students a chance to register for courses during the year. We look forward to your registrations.

Couse name: Disease-related malnutrition

PhD Programme: Clinical Science and Laboratory and Translational Medicine

Description: This PhD course aims at providing thorough, reflective, and reflexive knowledge on the overall aspects of disease related malnutrition and is especially intended for students with clinical projects. Moreover, this course aims to meet students’ needs in addition to covering essential elements of clinical research and evidence-based practice. Additionally, the course will attend especially to the issue of translational nutrition from the more cell based experimental nutrition over clinical nutrition to applied research methods. Prerequisites:

Students enrolled in PhD program and at a point where they have finished their general courses. Students doing quantitative and mixed method research in nutrition, regardless of research setting, are encouraged to apply for this course

Learning objectives. After the course the students should be able to: Explain the scientific basis and relevance and relevance of disease related malnutrition. Decide on scientific approaches and methodologies special for clinical nutrition research.

Teaching methods: This course will be run in a combined lecture and workshop style and the students will be encouraged to active participation.

Organizer:  Mette Holst, Professor, Head of Research, PhD. Centre for Nutrition and intestinal Failure, Aalborg University hospital and Department of Clinical Medicine, Aalborg University

Lecturers: Henrik Højgaard Rasmussen, Professor, Consultant, MD, PhD. Centre for Nutrition and intestinal Failure, Aalborg University hospital and Department of Clinical Medicine, Aalborg University

Randi Tobberup, Head of Dietetics, PhD. Centre for Nutrition and intestinal Failure, Aalborg University hospital

Helle Nygaard Lærke, Senior researcher, PhD. Aarhus University

Mette Holst, Professor, Head of Research, PhD. Centre for Nutrition and intestinal Failure, Aalborg University hospital and Department of Clinical Medicine, Aalborg University

ECTS: 2

Dates: 30, 31 October and 1 and 2 November
Time: 9-16

Place: Room 12.02.066 on 30 October, 1 and 2 November. Room 11.01.035 on 31 October. Address: Selma Lagerløfs Vej 249, 9260 Gistrup

Zip code:  9000

City:  Aalborg

Number of seats: 20

Deadline: 9 October 2023

Important information concerning PhD courses: Criteria for assessment: Active participation in the course including brief presentation of own project and ‘methodology challenge you wish to tackle’. Presence at least three out of four days.

Online participation is not offered.

Literature/Requirements: Chapters from: Sobotka L et al. “Basics in Clinical Nutrition” Fifth. Ed. Publishing House Galèn,  ISBN978-80-7492-427-9 and other literature will follow upon signing for the course.

Program:

Day 1

Welcome and introduction

Background and definitions.

Metabolism in healthy individuals, fasting and disease.

Nutritional assessment; Body composition and function (l)

Assessment of skeletal muscle mass, BIA, CT and MR

Anthropometric measures

Measures of physical function

Practical workshop

Nutritional intake in the diagnosis of malnutrition

Day 2

Nutritional Assessment (ll)

Bowel anatomy and function

Measurement of absorption and malabsorption

The role of the gut microbiota in inflammation and metabolism

Laboratory analysis and biomarkers in nutrition and inflammation

Day 3

Nutritional assessment (lll)

Nutrition Impact Symptoms (NIS) and their implications on nutrition intake

NIS assessment methods for use in clinical practice and research

Patient reported outcome measures  (PROMS) for use in clinical practice and research

Nutritional treatment

Estimation and measurements of nutritional requirements in different phenotypes

Targeted nutritional therapy

1)      Generalized interventions and specific therapies aimed at inflammation and body composition

2)      Specific nutrients and bioactive substances targeting anabolism and inflammation

Nutrition intervention methods; Oral, enteral and parenteral

Methods for quantifying nutrition intake

Day 4

Relevant clinical outcomes in clinical nutrition

Research methods in clinical nutrition

Experimental and clinical research designs

1)                         Experimental: Laboratory tests, animal models, surrogate markers and power calculation

2)                         Clinical: Observational and intervention studies

3)                         Applied: Questionnaires, qualitative methods and implementation studies

Workshops will be included during the day

Important information concerning PhD courses:

We have over some time experienced problems with no-show for both project and general courses. It has now reached a point where we are forced to take action. Therefore, the Doctoral School has decided to introduce a no-show fee of DKK 3.000 for each course where the student does not show up. Cancellations are accepted no later than 2 weeks before start of the course. Registered illness is of course an acceptable reason for not showing up on those days. Furthermore, all courses open for registration approximately four months before start. This can hopefully also provide new students a chance to register for courses during the year. We look forward to your registrations.

Qualitative research within health science

Description: The use of qualitative research and data within the health sciences has been increasing over the last 20 years. Either as the main source of data, or as part of a mixed methods design where qualitative and quantitative studies supplement each other. This course will provide participants´ with basis competences in designing a qualitative study and experiences on benefits and limitations when using qualitative methods within the health sciences. The specific focus will be on designing the study, choosing appropriate methods, collecting data and finally analysing the data.

The detailed agenda of the course will be provided on the course web site.

The course will be a three and a half day course and the main topics will include:

• What characterises qualitative research and why should you choose a qualitative approach
• Introduction to different qualitative methods and their possibilities and limitations when used within the health sciences
• Introduction to analytical strategies
• How to work with and analyse ethical implications in qualitative research

Literature: Selected papers and book chapters will be announced to the participants in appropriate time before the course via Moodle.

Prerequisites: The course targets Ph.D. students working within the areas of health science, who are planning to conduct qualitative research as part of their Ph.D, or are interested in gaining knowledge about the use of qualitative methods.

Evaluation: Will be announced in appropriate time before the course.

Organizer: Associate Professor Henrik Vardinghus-Nielsen, Department of Health Science and Technology, Aalborg University.

Lecturers: Associate Professor Henrik Vardinghus-Nielsen, Associate Professor Kirsten Schultz Petersen, Associate Professor Helle Lønstrup Haslund-Thomsen and Associate Professor Jane Andreasen

ECTS: 3

Dates: 12-15 June 2023

Time:
Monday – Wednesday from 9.00 to 16.00
Thursday from 9.00 to 13.00

Place:  12, 14 and 15 Juni, room 12.02.066, Selma Lagerløfs Vej 249, 9260 Gistrup.
             13 Juni, Fibigerstræde 2, room 2.125

Deadline: 5. June 2023

Important information concerning PhD courses:

We have over some time experienced problems with no-show for both project and general courses. It has now reached a point where we are forced to take action. Therefore, the Doctoral School has decided to introduce a no-show fee of DKK 3.000 for each course where the student does not show up. Cancellations are accepted no later than 2 weeks before start of the course. Registered illness is of course an acceptable reason for not showing up on those days. Furthermore, all courses open for registration approximately four months before start. This can hopefully also provide new students a chance to register for courses during the year. We look forward to your registrations.

Description

This two-day course is offered in a collaboration between Aalborg University and the Centre for Development, Evaluation, Complexity and Implementation in Public Health Improvement (DECIPHer), Cardiff University, UK – a Public Health Research Centre of Excellence.

The British Medical Research Council’s (MRC) framework for development and evaluation of complex interventions are increasingly used world-wide to improve the quality of interventions in public health and applied health sciences.

This course will introduce participants to the 2021 MRC framework, the role of program theory in intervention research and some of the guidance underlying the overall 2021 MRC framework: the 2020 guidance on adaption of interventions to other contexts (ADAPT) and the 2015 guidance on Process evaluation.

In intervention research, most attention are often given to the theoretical and methodological issues of intervention development and to the design of appropriate effect evaluation, often by use of randomised controlled trials.

Understanding change mechanisms and knowing when and how to adapt an evidence-based intervention instead of starting a new development process is however an highly important aspects of work with complex interventions. And also process evaluation is an essential part of testing and evaluation of complex interventions, allowing researchers to learn the significance of context and mechanisms of impact - how the delivered interventions do (or doesn’t) bring about change. 

·         The course will provide the participants with a working knowledge of the theory and practice of adaption and process
          evaluation of interventions in complex systems, focusing on:

·         Program theory and logic modelling in interventions in complex systems

·         The concept of adaption and key issues in adaption processes

·         Stakeholder involvement and other key elements in the 2021 MRC framework

·         The role of process evaluation in understanding interventions in complex systems

·         Evaluation questions and process evaluation methods

·         Analysis and dissemination of process evaluation data

During the course, lectures will be mixed with group work and discussions

Literature 

Selected international, scientific papers as well as book chapters

Evaluation

Active participation and completion of course exercises

Organizer:          Associate professor Charlotte Overgaard; e-mail: co@hst.aau.dk

Lecturers:           Senior Lecturer, Dr. Rhiannon Evans, Research Associate, Dr. Rachael Brown, Associate professor,
                            Dr. Kirsten Schultz Petersen, Associate professor, Dr. Charlotte Overgaard

ECTS:                   2.0            

Dates:                 7 - 8 December 2023  

                            21 - 22 November 2023

Deadline:            31 October 2023

Place:                   Aalborg University.

Program:             HCHPO

Important information concerning PhD courses:

We have over some time experienced problems with no-show for both project and general courses. It has now reached a point where we are forced to take action. Therefore, the Doctoral School has decided to introduce a no-show fee of DKK 3.000 for each course where the student does not show up. Cancellations are accepted no later than 2 weeks before start of the course. Registered illness is of course an acceptable reason for not showing up on those days. Furthermore, all courses open for registration approximately four months before start. This can hopefully also provide new students a chance to register for courses during the year. We look forward to your registrations.

Couse name: CLINICAL SCIENCE, LABORATORY AND TRANSLATIONAL MEDICINE - INTRO-COURSE 2023.

PhD Programme: CLINICAL SCIENCE, LABORATORY AND TRANSLATIONAL MEDICINE

Description: An introduction to being a PhD-student in this programme. Basic information on how to handle samples for biochemical analyses and other diagnostic investigations. How to establish a clinical study; use of databases; need of various approvals; basic statistics.

This course is mandatory for students at the programme.

Organizer: Head of the programme Søren Risom Kristensen

Lecturers: Mainly supervisors/older PhD-students in the programme

ECTS: 1.0

Dates:    17 April 2023

Time: One day course

Place: Forskningens Hus, Aalborg Universitetshospital

Zip code:  9000

City:  Aalborg

Number of seats: 

Deadline:    24 March 2023

Important information concerning PhD courses:

Literature/Requirements

Description

Omics technologies including genomics, transcriptomics, epigenetics, proteomics and metabolomics are now key technologies in multiple fields of research and a highly active domain in health and medical investigation. Omics is an interdisciplinary research field that coalesces researchers from many different areas of biomedical research into one of the most likely disciplines to successfully foster the translation of basic scientific knowledge into clinical applications for the benefit of patients.

This PhD course will focus on advanced theoretical and practical aspects of Omics strategies in Life & Medical sciences. Our focus will address the clinical study design and ethical protol requirements to application of omics strategies to address a diverse range of medical pathologies, including but not limited to autoimmune disorders, diseases associated to neuro-inflammation and neurodegeneration as well as chronic pain conditions. Omics are currently utilized extensively to identify biomarker patterns for detection of disease risk, patient’s stratification, identification of responders to a particular treatment, or elucidation of mechanism of disease or drug action with ultimate goal of patient safety and better health outcome.

The course will be a combination of lectures, bioinformatics tutorials and laboratory demonstrations with hands-on experimental parts. Considering the value and importance of omics, and a rapidly growing trend, this course aims at providing front edge information about current advanced methodologies applied in medical omics through real-life examples. Hence, participants will be able to translate the presented strategies and methods into their own health, and medical related research.

Lectures & Practical

·       Clinical study design and ethical aspects for Omics type projects

·       Sample handling from patients (biobank), animal models, or in-vitro systems to the mass spectrometer and beyond

·       Theoretical and strategic introduction to Omics technologies in scope of clinical research.

·       Strategies for clinical proteomics, genomics and metabolomics for personalized medicine in several fields including autoimmune disorders, neurodegenerative diseases and chronic pain.

·       Applications for quantitative proteomics and metabolomics in health and medical science.

·       Statistical evaluation and presentations of Omics data in scientific publications

·       Bioinformatice processing and data integration of Omics data

·       Practical session – From biofluid to quantitative proteomics analysis.

Literature

Notes, literature and exercise instruction will be distributed at the course

Prerequisites

None; Background in clinical, translational or biomedical sciences is recommended.

Evaluation Active participation in the theoretical and experimental course.

Organizer:         Associate professor Allan Stensballe, email: as@hst.aau.dk

Lecturers:          Associate Professor Allan Stensballe; Aalborg University, Christopher Aboo; invited lectures.

ECTS:                  2.5

Dates:                 13 -15 December 2023

Format:              Lectures (on-site); Laboratory execises (Approx 3x2hours on-site)

Place:                  Aalborg University

Deadline:           13-15 december 2023

Number of seats: 18

Important information concerning PhD courses:

We have over some time experienced problems with no-show for both project and general courses. It has now reached a point where we are forced to take action. Therefore, the Doctoral School has decided to introduce a no-show fee of DKK 3.000 for each course where the student does not show up. Cancellations are accepted no later than 2 weeks before start of the course. Registered illness is of course an acceptable reason for not showing up on those days. Furthermore, all courses open for registration approximately four months before start. This can hopefully also provide new students a chance to register for courses during the year. We look forward to your registrations.

Overdiagnosis. Sick, healthy, or in-between

Medical technology is vastly expanding, and self-assessment has become a big part of being healthy. Alongside, population screening is emerging, and diagnostic thresholds change, which means that even small deviations from “the normal” will be categorized as diseases. At the same time, new diseases emerge, and owing to this, increased numbers of treatments and check-ups will be needed.

This PhD course provides an overview of overdiagnosis, overdetection, misdiagnosis, and overtreatment, and following that, causes, drivers, mechanisms, and incentives to overdiagnosis.

The topics will include

·       Overdiagnosis. What it is and what it isn´t.

·       Health culture and the quest for avoiding diseases and death

·       What is the diagnostic accuracy of a test when overdiagnosis occurs?

·       Self-monitoring and” digital health”

The course will be based on short lectures, group discussions, cases from epidemiological and qualitative studies, and analyzing and scrutinizing study designs.

The attendees will gain competences into the design and interpretation of clinical research beyond the Baysian diagnostic paradigm of a simple 2x2 table. In addition, they will get a perspective on how digital self-monitoring will change the culture and concept of health and disease.

The PhD course will be of interest to any researcher working with clinical research, digital health, diagnostics, screening, population-based research, and epidemiology.

Organizer: Associate Professor, Niels Holmark Andersen, n.holmark@rn.dk

Lecturers: Associate Professor Alexandra Brandt Ryborg Jønsson & Professor John Brandt Brodersen

ECTS: 1,5

Dates:  8 November 2023

Time: 8.30 – 15.30

Deadline: 

Important information concerning PhD courses:

We have over some time experienced problems with no-show for both project and general courses. It has now reached a point where we are forced to take action. Therefore, the Doctoral School has decided to introduce a no-show fee of DKK 3.000 for each course where the student does not show up. Cancellations are accepted no later than 2 weeks before start of the course. Registered illness is of course an acceptable reason for not showing up on those days. Furthermore, all courses open for registration approximately four months before start. This can hopefully also provide new students a chance to register for courses during the year. We look forward to your registrations.

Couse name: Development and implementation of machine learning models for dynamic risk prediction models in health care applications (2023)

PhD Program: Medicine, Biomedical Science and Technology

Description (preliminary):

Traditional risk prediction generates a risk estimate at a defined timepoint in a patient’s disease trajectory, for example the risk of death within 30 days following a surgical procedure. In contrast, dynamic risk prediction enables prediction of risk at any time point. This allows to continuously monitor a patient’s risk profile and forms the basis for intervention if the predicted risk increases. In this course, we will explore methodological and technical solutions, as well as corresponding challenges, for developing and implementing such solutions in health care. The course includes the following topics:

1) Data management: This part of the course considers the challenges of preparing heterogenous longitudinal health data for prediction. We will cover the various steps involved in this process, including data formatting, feature engineering, and splitting strategies for model validation. This will include discussion about how to handle irregularly sampled health data, data leakage, class imbalance, temporal robustness, normalization, and other potential biases.

2) Modelling: In this part of the course, participants will be led through the process of building such models. We will introduce both basic and more advanced dynamic machine learning prediction algorithms, such as gradient tree boosting, random forest, and LSTM and discuss issues related to performance metrics and hyperparameter optimization, for example Bayesian optimization.

3) Implementation: In the last part of the course, we will consider the challenges associated with the implementation of predictive tools in the clinic. This includes technical aspects about hosting, user interface, and access to live data, including an introduction to the FHIR standard. Regulatory and organizational issues will also be discussed. During the project the participants will get hands on experience covering realistic scenarios related to the subjects discussed. This will include data management of representative data sets, training models and hands on introduction to the FHIR set-up.

Organizers: 

Heidi Søgaard Christensen, Postdoc, Center for Molecular Prediction in Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Department of Clinical Medicine, hschr@dcm.aau.dk

Charles Vesteghem, Assistant Professor, Center for Clinical Data Science and Center for Molecular Prediction in Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Department of Clinical Medicine, AAU, cvesteghem@dcm.aau.dk 

Martin Bøgsted, Professor, Center for Molecular Prediction in Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Department of Clinical Medicine and Center for Clinical Data Science, Department of Clinical Medicine, m_boegsted@dcm.aau.dk

Lecturers (preliminary): 

Heidi Søgaard Christensen, Postdoc, Center for Molecular Prediction in Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Department of Clinical Medicine, AAU

Anne Krogh Nøhr, Postdoc, Charles Vesteghem, Assistant Professor, Rasmus Froberg Brøndum, Associate Professor, Center for Clinical Data Science and Center for Molecular Prediction in Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Department of Clinical Medicine, AAU

Ida Burchardt Egendal, PhD Student, Simon Christian Dahl, Senior Software Developer, Center for Clinical Data Science, Department of Clinical Medicine, AAU

More TBA.

ECTS: 3

Dates: June 13 – June 16, 2023 (4 days)

Time: 8:30 – 16:00

Place: 13 June, room 12.02.066

Zip code:  9220

City:  Aalborg Ø

Number of seats: 30

Deadline: 2023-05-29

Important information concerning PhD courses:
Literature/Requirements:

The participants are expected to have basic knowledge on regression analysis as well as programming experience in a statistical software tool, such as R or Python. The workshop will be held using Python and limited support will be provided for other programming languages.

Tomašev, N. et al. Use of deep learning to develop continuous-risk models for adverse event prediction from electronic health records. Nature Protocols (2021) doi:10.1038/s41596-021-00513-5.

Vesteghem, C. et al. Dynamic risk prediction of 30-day mortality in patients with advanced lung cancer: Comparing five machine learning approaches. JCO CCI (2022) doi:10.1016/j.clon.2022.03.015

Important information concerning PhD courses:

We have over some time experienced problems with no-show for both project and general courses. It has now reached a point where we are forced to take action. Therefore, the Doctoral School has decided to introduce a no-show fee of DKK 3.000 for each course where the student does not show up. Cancellations are accepted no later than 2 weeks before start of the course. Registered illness is of course an acceptable reason for not showing up on those days. Furthermore, all courses open for registration approximately four months before start. This can hopefully also provide new students a chance to register for courses during the year. We look forward to your registrations.

Couse name: Validation of prediction models in epidemiology and medicine 2023

PhD Program: Epidemiology and Biostatistics

Description: While most medical studies aim to explain some phenomenon, a significant proportion does not have this as a primary goal. These studies instead aim to predict a certain event or measure as accurately as possible given a number of predictors. Although explaining and predicting are two separate goals, they are often interchanged in medical studies. More importantly, the statistical approaches used for these two types of data analyses are not the same. The course covers the following topics:

1. The basic differences between explanatory and predictive studies.
2. Model estimation: variable selection, variable predictive power and penalisation.
3. Model Performance: N-fold cross validation, geographical and temporal validation, external validation.
4. Model validity: Calibration and calibration slope, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve incl. area under the curve (AUC), Bland-Altman plots, prediction intervals and decision analysis.
5. Examples from the scientific literature.

Upon completion of the course, the student will be able to distinguish between predictive and explanatory data analyses, as well as understand the basic statistical tools used in predictive studies.

Students will be evaluated based on an assignment with oral presentation in groups of 2-4 participants

Organizer: Lasse Hjort Jakobsen (lasse.j@rn.dk), Jan Brink Valentin (jvalentin@dcm.aau.dk)

Lecturers: Lasse Hjort Jakobsen, Jan Brink Valentin, Simon Grøntved

ECTS: 2.5

Dates: 24, 25, 26, 27 April 2023

Time: 08.30 to 16.00

Place: Selma Lagerløfs Vej 249, room 11.00.032

Zip code: 9260

City: Gistrup

Number of seats: 40

Deadline: 1 April 2023

Important information concerning PhD courses: None

Literature:

Moons K, Royston P, Vergouwe Y, Grobbee D, Altman D. Prognosis and prognostic research: what, why and how? BMJ2008;b375.

Ewout W. Steyerberg, Yvonne Vergouwe; Towards better clinical prediction models: seven steps for development and an ABCD for validation, European Heart Journal, Volume 35, Issue 29, 1 August 2014, Pages 1925–1931, https://doi.org/10.1093/eurheartj/ehu207

Requirements: Basic Statistics and basic programming abilities with Stata or R, all participants must bring a laptop with either Stata or R installed.

Important information concerning PhD courses:

We have over some time experienced problems with no-show for both project and general courses. It has now reached a point where we are forced to take action. Therefore, the Doctoral School has decided to introduce a no-show fee of DKK 3.000 for each course where the student does not show up. Cancellations are accepted no later than 2 weeks before start of the course. Registered illness is of course an acceptable reason for not showing up on those days. Furthermore, all courses open for registration approximately four months before start. This can hopefully also provide new students a chance to register for courses during the year. We look forward to your registrations.

Welcome to Components of causal inference with focus on assumptions and confounding control – an introductory course (mandatory course for AAU PhD programme Epidemiology & Biostatistics) (2023)

Purpose: You already know that establishing a causal relationship is distinct from observing an association. While individuals who receive the flu vaccine tend to have a lower mortality rate compared to those who do not, we must consider whether this lower mortality is directly attributable to the vaccine or if it arises from other distinctions between the vaccinated and unvaccinated groups. The concept of confounding introduces a pervasive bias when we compare groups that are not fundamentally similar. It represents a substantial challenge to drawing accurate causal conclusions from observational data. Consequently, the course's primary focus revolves around the essential task of mitigating confounding in epidemiological research using various techniques.

Course objectives: This course focus on models for confounding control (or adjustment), their application to epidemiologic data, and the assumptions required to endow the parameter estimates with a causal interpretation. The course introduces participants to a set of methods for confounding control with focus on survival analysis: methods that require measuring confounders and how this could be applied in perspective to the research question of interest. Specifically, the course introduces aspects of directed acyclic graphs, outcome regression, propensity score methods, and inverse-probability weighting of marginal structural models as means for confounding control, and how this can be implemented and analysed in standard statistical software.

Course format: Class lectures and hands-on workshop

Credits: 0,75 ECTS

Date: 12 December 2023

Time:  9:00-15:30

Place: Room 11.00.032, SUND building, Aalborg University, Selma Lagerløfs Vej 249

Zip code:  9260

City:  Gistrup

Number of seats: 25 

Organizer: Peter Brønnum Nielsen, PhD, Assoc. Prof., Department of Clinical Medicine, AAU

Lecturers: Søren Paaske Johnsen, Peter Brønnum Nielsen

Requirements: Basic training in epidemiology required (eg., the AAU course “Epidemiology – Basic principles” or similar). Basic statistics and basic programming abilities with Stata or R. All participants must bring a laptop with either Stata or R installed.

Deadline: 21 November 2023

Description

This PhD course is offered by the Doctoral School of Clinical Science and Biomedicine, Aalborg University and Clinical Cancer Research Center, Aalborg University Hospital (CCRC-Aalborg UH)

This PhD course is aimed at PhD students working within the field of translational and clinical cancer research. The course will touch on several topics related to translational cancer research, including basic science methodologies, statistics and bioinformatics, and the key points in clinical trials. The basic science lectures touch upon molecular pathology, tumour heterogeneity, molecular biology as well as the currently used methods to elucidate these topics. The bioinformatic lectures will focus on workflows for personalized medicine, interpretation of sequencing data, and clinical implications. The clinical lectures will discuss current clinical questions and evidence for PM.

Literature

Relevant book chapters and scientific articles will be advised.

Prerequisites

The PhD students will be involved in a presentation of their own scientific projects (gunshot model). It is expected that all PhD students have read the scientific papers that will be circulated before the course.

Evaluation

Participants are expected to attend all lectures as well as to present their own projects and actively take part in scientific discussions.

Further information

Secretary assistant Lise Tordrup Elkjær, lit@rn.dk / +45 9766 3869.

Organizers:             Ole Thorlacius-Ussing, Professor, MD, DMSc (otu@rn.dk), Department of Surgery, Aalborg UH; Ursula Falkmer, Professor, MD, PhD (u.falkmer@rn.dk), Department of Oncology, Aalborg UH; Stine Dam Henriksen, MD, PhD (stdh.@rn.dk), Department of Surgery, Aalborg UH; Laurids Ø Poulsen, MD, PhD, (LØP@rn.dk) assoc. professor, Department of Oncology, Aalborg UH

Lecturers:                Ole Thorlacius-Ussing, Morten Ladekarl, Oluf D. Røe, Weronika Szejniuk, Lone Sunde, Ursula Falkmer, Ida Holm, Lykke Grubach, Martin Bøgsted, Henrik Krarup, Mads Sønderkær, Hanne Due, Karen Dybkær, Inge Søkilde Pedersen, Tarec C. El-Galaly, Marianne Tang Severinsen, Stine Dam Henriksen, Laurids Ø Poulsen

ECTS:                        2.0

Time:                        25 – 27 October 2023

Place:                       Hotel Amerika, Amerikavej 48, 9500 Hobro

Deadline:                 4 October 2023

Program:                 B – mandatory course (also relevant for CPM and CSLTM)

Number of seats:   15

Important information concerning PhD courses:

We have over some time experienced problems with no-show for both project and general courses. It has now reached a point where we are forced to take action. Therefore, the Doctoral School has decided to introduce a no-show fee of DKK 3.000 for each course where the student does not show up. Cancellations are accepted no later than 2 weeks before start of the course. Registered illness is of course an acceptable reason for not showing up on those days. Furthermore, all courses open for registration approximately four months before start. This can hopefully also provide new students a chance to register for courses during the year. We look forward to your registrations.

Description

This is the twenty-eighth annual international Ph.D. course on the translational neurobiology of the pain system. The purpose of the course is to introduce different aspects of the neurobiology of the pain system and to initiate new co-operation in interdisciplinary pain research. The temporal coding of neuronal activity in acute and chronic pain is not fully understood but likely involves neural oscillations at e.g., alpha frequencies which recently has been linked to pain sensitivity and aspects of chronic pain. This year the course will focus on translational aspects of brain oscillations in pain conditions and where possible linking preclinical models to experimental and clinical pain manifestations. Interestingly, there is also potential non-invasive neuromodulatory approaches (e.g., TMS and biofeedback) which may change the neuronal oscillations and potentially modulate the pain sensitivity. Potential mechanisms may be outlined at various levels of the neuroaxis and psychophysically.

The course will be held as a hybrid event, i.e., it possible to attend physically and online. Ph.D. students from Danish Universities are strongly recommended to attend physically to have maximum benefit from the participation.

Literature

Selected papers and book chapters will be announced to the participants shortly before the course.

Prerequisites

A basic understanding of pain mechanisms, for update see Textbook of Pain, Section 1: Neurobiology of Pain.

Evaluation

The course will end with a multiple-choice evaluation with questions related to all topics of the course.

Poster

Please prepare a poster as a PDF (electronic poster). 

You are allowed to re-use a poster from a recent conference, etc. The poster is to be presented in plenary in the conference room at the poster session on day II.

Program

Log in to see the program.

Fee

A participation fee of DKK 600 will be charged for catering.

Organizer:       Professor Thomas Graven-Nielsen, email: tgn@hst.aau.dk

Lecturers:        Invited internal and external speakers

ECTS:                1.0

Dates:             NB: NEW DATES  27 and 28 November 2023 (9.00-16.00)

Place:               Aalborg University, Selma Lagerløfs Vej 249, room 11.00.033

Deadline:         9 November 2023                   

Program:         BEN (also relevant for CPM, CSLTM)

Important information concerning PhD courses:

We have over some time experienced problems with no-show for both project and general courses. It has now reached a point where we are forced to take action. Therefore, the Doctoral School has decided to introduce a no-show fee of DKK 3.000 for each course where the student does not show up. Cancellations are accepted no later than 2 weeks before start of the course. Registered illness is of course an acceptable reason for not showing up on those days. Furthermore, all courses open for registration approximately four months before start. This can hopefully also provide new students a chance to register for courses during the year. We look forward to your registrations.

Description

The course will cover the practical assessment of neuromuscular function and adaptations following training or rehabilitation. The topics covered include: assessment of plasticity in cortical pathways by measures such as I-wave facilitation, motor evoked potential changes as well as cortical inhibition and facilitation using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), assessment of cortical plasticity using electroencephalography (EEG), assessment of spinal plasticity by measures of the stretch reflex as well as more advanced techniques (reciprocal inhibition, monosynaptic Ia excitation and post-activation depression). The course will be conducted through a combination of lectures as well as laboratory work with a greater emphasis on the laboratory component.

Literature:

Selected papers and book chapters will be provided to the participants shortly before the course.

Prerequisites:

A basic background within Anatomy, Physiology and Motor Control is desirable.

Evaluation

Laboratory assignments will be completed throughout the course.

Description

Do you want to get into machine learning but do not know where to start? This is a 3-day course with a practical approach to machine learning directed to PhD students at the Faculty of Medicine. The course includes two days of lectures from basics about machine learning to application of models and critical interpretation of the results. Students will be able to work on their own data (or data provided by the lecturers) based on learnings from the first two days and on the third day, results, and plans for optimizing their results will be discussed.

The content of the course is:

·         Getting started with machine learning

·         Extracting information from data and identifying the most relevant sources (Feature extraction and reduction of 
          feature space)

·         Classification and regression models

·         Evaluating the performance of a model

·         Working with own data

The lecturers will use Python in teaching, but the principles and concepts are easily transferred to other environments, such as, R, Matlab, etc.

Literature

Links to pre read distributed in Moodle by the different lecturers in due time before the course.

Prerequisites

An education in health sciences and basic knowledge about statistical concepts.

Evaluation

The student will be evaluated individually through their work with own data or data provided by the lecturers.

Organisers: Thomas Kronborg Larsen, email: tkl@hst.aau.dk

                         Flemming Witt Udsen, email: fwu@hst.aau.dk

                         Nynne Sophie Holdt-Caspersen, email: nyhc@novonordisk.com

                         Morten Hasselstrøm Jensen, email: mhj@hst.aau.dk

ECTS:              2.0

Dates:            16, 17 November and 14 December 2023 (08:15-16:15)

Place:             Aalborg University, Selma Lagerløfs Vej 249

                       16 November: Room 11.00.034

                       17 November: Room 11.00.035

                        14 December: Room 11.00.034

Deadline:       26 October 2023

Program:       BEN

Important information concerning PhD courses:

We have over some time experienced problems with no-show for both project and general courses. It has now reached a point where we are forced to take action. Therefore, the Doctoral School has decided to introduce a no-show fee of DKK 3.000 for each course where the student does not show up. Cancellations are accepted no later than 2 weeks before start of the course. Registered illness is of course an acceptable reason for not showing up on those days. Furthermore, all courses open for registration approximately four months before start. This can hopefully also provide new students a chance to register for courses during the year. We look forward to your registrations.

Description

Science is communicated mostly through the interpretation of empirical results, and an effective presentation of such results facilitates understanding and dissemination.  In order to be successful in disseminating results, researchers need to gain skills on how to create the relevant narrative to introduce the research problem, as well as present the results using appropriate figures, tables and even other tools such as videos and gifs. In this course students will gain skills in the following topics:

·         Structuring your research question – the link between the literature and your project

·         Formulating understandable hypotheses – what are you expecting from your data?

·         Results layout – When to use or avoid tables/figures in papers and presentations?

·         Communicating data – structuring your research speech and text to improve clarity

The course combines short theoretical lectures on the main topics and practical exercises/workshops to gradually improve skills. Ultimately, students will have tools to maximize the productivity when meeting with Ph.D. supervisors and other colleagues, as well as to facilitate scientific writing for conferences and journal publications.

Literature

Relevant papers and book chapters will be provided to the participants shortly before the course.

Prerequisites

No prerequisites exist for this course. However, good skills in English language are an advantage.

Evaluation

A final assignment will consist of a presentation during a mini-symposium organized at the last day of the course. In the presentation, students must demonstrate the gained skills in structuring the scientific question/hypothesis, as well as efficiently and appropriately illustrate a relevant result. Data from PhD experiments can be used for presentation in case the student already possess his/her own project data.

Place:                   Aalborg University, Selma Lagerløfs Vej 249, 9260 Gistrup 

                             12 October: Room 11.02.046

                             13 and 20 October: Room 11.00.032

Deadline:            21 September 2023                          

Seats:                   20

Programs:           BEN (also relevant for HEP, CPM, EB, B, CSLTM, HCHPO)

Important information concerning PhD courses:

We have over some time experienced problems with no-show for both project and general courses. It has now reached a point where we are forced to take action. Therefore, the Doctoral School has decided to introduce a no-show fee of DKK 3.000 for each course where the student does not show up. Cancellations are accepted no later than 2 weeks before start of the course. Registered illness is of course an acceptable reason for not showing up on those days. Furthermore, all courses open for registration approximately four months before start. This can hopefully also provide new students a chance to register for courses during the year. We look forward to your registrations.

Description

The neurophysiology of movement and neural rehabilitation of movement are rapidly developing research areas. The course focuses on neural engineering solutions for rehabilitation of people suffering from damage to or disease in the central or peripheral nervous system. This course is organized annually and has a focus on disseminating the most relevant and recent achievements within the area. The course will include a series of internationally recognized speakers and a series of speakers from Aalborg University that are experts within the field. There will be a strong emphasis on providing time for interaction between the speakers and participants. The detailed agenda of the course will be provided on the course web site.  Main topics can include animal or human models, neurophysiology of movement, neuroplasticity, neuromodulation, rehabilitation technologies, assessment technologies (e.g., fMRI, TMS, electrophysiology) and other timely topics.

Literature

Relevant papers and book chapters related to the specific talks will be announced shortly before the course.

Prerequisites

The course targets PhD students working within the areas of motor control, neural rehabilitation engineering or other students with interests in this research area. The course is repeated every two years with a different focus, thus participation to the previous edition does not preclude participation in this edition.

Evaluation

The students must be present at the symposium. A poster session will be organized during the symposium, and the students should bring a poster on their own work (it can be a poster presented at another conference or meeting).

Organisers:      Associate Professor Erika G. Spaich, email: espaich@hst.aau.dk
                         Associate Professor Andrew J.T. Stevenson, email:  ajts@hst.aau.dk  

Lecturers:         Organisers, invited lecturers and lecturers from HST

ECTS:                  1.0

Date:                  27 October 2023 (08:15-16:15)

Place:                 Aalborg University, Selma Lagerløfs Vej 249, room 12.01.054 - Guest Canteen

Deadline:           11 October 2023

Programs:          BEN (also relevant for CPM, CSLTM, HCHPO, HES)

Fee

A fee of DKK 500 will be charged for catering.

ADVANCED CUTANEOUS STIMULATION

Description

In neuroscience, probing of the sensory nervous system often rely on the use of various types of stimuli. Often these stimuli are directed to the skin, thus investigating the cutaneous senses. There are several reasons for choosing cutaneous stimuli, over other somato-sensory senses, or more invasive stimuli, one of which being simplificity, but there are other advantages of cutaneous stimuli which will be introduced. However, there are also several aspects new users must be aware of when using cutaneous stimuli to obtain valid results.

For research, and in aspects also clinically, a variety of different stimulation methods have been developed. These different methods allow the tested of different neural mechanism and fiber populations. However, each method is also associated with some potential pitfalls

In this course a variety of cutaneous stimulation methods will be introduced and used experimentally. The pros and cons of each method will be discussed and the attention points to ensure valid use, will be explained.

This course will consist of classroom lectures as well as practical laboratory workshops.

The following types of stimuli will be introduced during this course:

·         Nerve fiber specific electrical stimulation

·         Mechanical (von Frey, pinprick)

·         Vibrotactile

·         Thermal stimuli (thermode, laser)

·         Spatial discrimination tasks, like the 2-point discrimination

Due to the experimental workshops, this course is limited to 15 participants.

Literature

Notes, literature and exercise instruction will be distributed at the course

Prerequisites

None

Evaluation

Organiser:          Associate Professor Steffen Frahm e-mail: ksf@hst.aau.dk

Lecturers:           Associate Professor Steffen Frahm, ksf@hst.aau.dk – Associate Professor Carsten Dahl Mørch, cdahl@hst.aau.dk – Assistant Professor Silvia Lo Vecchio,
                            slv@hst.aau.dk - Associate Professor Saba Gervasio, saba@hst.aau.dk

ECTS:                     1.5 (subject to changes)                                                 

Dates:                   8, 11, 12 May 2023 (08:15-12:00)

Place:                   Aalborg University, Selma Lagerløfs Vej 249, 9260 Gistrup, room SLV 249/11.00.032

Deadline:            17 April 2023

Program:             BEN

Important information concerning PhD courses:

We have over some time experienced problems with no-show for both project and general courses. It has now reached a point where we are forced to take action. Therefore, the Doctoral School has decided to introduce a no-show fee of DKK 3.000 for each course where the student does not show up. Cancellations are accepted no later than 2 weeks before start of the course. Registered illness is of course an acceptable reason for not showing up on those days. Furthermore, all courses open for registration approximately four months before start. This can hopefully also provide new students a chance to register for courses during the year. We look forward to your registrations.