The Biostatistics, Epidemiology, and Research Design (BERD) groups at Wake Forest, Duke, and UNC are working together to share educational and training resources. These seminars are designed to provide researchers and aspiring researchers with tools and resources related to each of the BERD disciplines. The following seminars are shared across all three institutions and will be held virtually via Microsoft Teams. All sessions take place at 12:00 p.m. ET / 11:00 a.m. CT.
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| Fall 2026 | Topic | Speaker | Summary |
| 9/16/26 | Study Designs: Experimental Studies and Prospective Cohorts | Mike Bancks, PhD, MPH Associate Professor, Epidemiology and Prevention, Public Health Sciences |
This session provides an overview of the experimental and observational prospective cohort study designs and describes fundamental concepts of each and distinguishing methods. |
| 10/7/26 | REDCap Survey Security |
Leila Deering, REDCap Manager |
Learn practical strategies to protect your REDCap surveys from fraudulent responses, bots, and suspicious activity while maintaining the integrity and reliability of your research data. |
| 10/21/26 | Introduction to EPIC Cosmos: What is it, How Can You Use it for Research, and Methodological Considerations | Alex Biskis, Senior Research Programmer |
This session will provide an introduction to EPIC Cosmos, its utility for research projects and example of work through the lifecycle of a project. |
| 11/4/26 | Study Designs: Case-control, Cross-sectional, and Ecological Studies |
Marybeth Ingle, PhD, MPH Research Scientist |
This introductory-level session will provide an overview of the observational case-control, cross-sectional, and ecological study designs used in clinical and epidemiological research. Attendees will learn strengths and limitations of each design and potential application to their research interests. |
| 11/18/26 | Statistical Power: Understanding The Inputs and How You Come Up with Them | Dustin Marsh Long, PhD, Associate Professor, Biostatistics and Data Science, Public Health Sciences |
This session will cover approaches to estimate statistical power, sample size, and effect estimates to be considered in the study design phase. |
| 12/2/26 | Providing an NIH (or similar) Grant Review: How To Be a Good Reviewer | Emilio Salinas, PhD Professor, Translational Neuroscience Callie Lambert Brown, MD, MPH Associate Professor, General Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Pediatrics |
This session will cover general strategies and best practices on how to review grants, including how to cover review of specific sections (i.e., Approach, Significance and Innovation), what is helpful for the study section Chair and committee, what is not helpful or common mistakes. |
Spring 2026 |
Topic |
Speaker |
Summary |
|
1/21/26 |
Introduction and overview of the ImpResPAC Tool |
Louise Hull, PhD, Associate Professor in Implementation Science and Chloe Sweetnam, |
This session will provide an introduction on the Implementation Science Research Proposal Appraisal Criteria (ImpResPAC) tool. ImpResPAC is a quantitative appraisal tool used to evaluate the conceptual and methodological quality of implementation research proposals. |
| 2/4/26 | Survival Analysis Methods |
Mitchell Paukner, PhD, Assistant Professor in Biostatistics and Data Science |
This session will present an introduction to survival analysis including fundamental statistical concepts and approaches for analyzing outcome data in the form of time-to-occurrence of an event. |
| 2/18/26 | An Introduction to the Qualitative and Patient-Reported Outcomes Shared Resource (Q-PRO) | Erin Sutfin, PhD, Professor in Social Sciences and Health Policy | This session will introduce the Qualitative and Patient-Reported Outcomes Shared Resource and when and how to implement this methodology in your work. |
| 3/4/26 | An Overview of Missing Data and Multiple Imputation |
Clemontina A. Davenport, PhD, Assistant Professor in Biostatistics and Data Science |
This session will introduce issues of missing data in clinical and public health research. Material covered will describe practical and valid approaches for addressing missing data and when to consider more rigorous approaches. |
| 3/18/26 | Introduction to Electronic Health Record Data (EHR) | Kristin Lenoir, PhD, Assistant Professor in Biostatistics and Data Science | This session will discuss a broad range of topics for EHR data and issues to consider with its use. Material covered will include data structure, data harmonization, integration strategies, and approaches to validation and verification. |
| 4/15/26 | Prepare and Organize Data for Collaboration | Dave Kline, PhD, Associate Professor in Biostatistics and Data Science | Spreadsheets are basic, general tools for organizing data. Software, like Excel, has many features to aid in organization of data and calculation of values of interest. However, data that appear organized and clear within a spreadsheet may not translate well into statistical software. These issues can create headaches for the statistician on the project and lead to delays in the processing and analysis of the data. In this talk, we will discuss ways to efficiently organize data so that it is machine-readable by statistical software and reduces the potential for errors. |
| 5/6/26 | Introduction to Meta-analysis and Systematic Reviews | Kaidi Kang, PhD, Assistant Professor in Biostatistics and Data Science | This session provides a foundational overview of meta-analysis and systematic reviews - a powerful statistical technique used to quantitatively integrate and synthesize findings across multiple studies addressing a similar research question. Designed for researchers new to the topic, this session will first introduce the concept of meta-analysis, outline its practical applications, and walk through the essential steps involved in conducting one. This session will also highlight some important considerations while starting meta-analysis to ensure its scientific and statistical rigor and reliability. |
Spring 2025 |
Topic |
Speaker |
Summary |
|
1/15/25 |
Causal Inference and Identifying Threats To Validity | Mike Bancks, PhD, MPH Associate Professor, Epidemiology and Prevention |
This session will introduce approaches that can be used to identify and mitigate threats to validity in epidemiological and clinical research |
| 2/05/25 | Study Designs: Methods In Pharmaco-Epidemiology | Emilie Duchesneau, PhD Assistant Professor, Epidemiology and Prevention |
This session will present an introduction to and overview of fundamental methods, concepts, and approaches used in pharmaco-epidemiological studies. |
| 2/19/25 | Interaction and Effect Modification: What Are They And How Are They Different |
Mike Bancks, PhD, MPH Associate Professor, Epidemiology and Prevention |
This advanced-level session will introduce, describe, and distinguish causal interaction and effect measure modification. |
| 3/05/25 | Introduction To REDCap | Bas de Veer REDCap Manager |
This session will present an introduction to using REDCap for research purposes. Topics will cover use cases for surveys, form building, reports and exports, data quality tools, e-consent, and user management. |
| 3/19/25 | Leadership in Focus Seminar Series Session #1: Leadership Skills |
Jamy Ard, MD Professor, Department of Epidemiology and Prevention |
This session will provide an introduction to the Wake Forest CTSI new Leadership in Focus Series! |
| 4/02/25 | Analysis Of A Discrete Outcome |
Hannah Ainsworth, PhD |
This introductory-level session will present the basic statistical concepts and approaches for analyzing outcome data with discrete or categorical form. |
| 4/16/25 | Survival Analysis | Mitchell Paukner, PhD Assistant Professor, Department of Biostatistics and Data Science |
This session will present an introduction to survival analysis including fundamental statistical concepts and approaches for analyzing outcome data in the form of time-to-occurrence of an event. |
| 5/07/25 | Project Migration | Bas de Veer REDCap Manager |
Learn how to migrate a REDCap project from REDCap installation to another. This talk covers the basics of project migration, some common pitfalls for both general migration and Advocate Health specific issues. |
Fall 2025 |
Topic |
Speaker |
Summary |
|
9/17/25 |
Introduction to Context-Driven Co-Design Methods | Emily Haines, PhD Assistant Professor, Department of Implementation Science |
This session will provide an introduction on the methodology of Context-Driven Co-Design (CD2). CD2 approaches leverage both implementation science and human-centered design methods. |
| 10/01/25 | Library Resources & Starting a Literature Review |
Amy Sisson, MS, MLS Professional Librarian II |
The goal of this session is to provide a balance of beginner and intermediate-level skills and resources (both general and local) for researchers when undertaking a literature review. |
| 10/15/25 | Crafting an Engaging Presentation: Data Visualization and Presentation Best Practices | Jana Hirschtick, PhD Research Scientist, Advocate Aurora Research Institute |
A critical component of research is disseminating results in an understandable and engaging way – something most of us are never trained in! This session will provide practical tips on how to present your research results, including data visualization and presentation best practices. |
| 11/05/25 | Fundamentals of a High-Quality EHR Data Extraction Request |
Abigail Nerogic Project Manager, Wake Forest CTSI |
This session aims to equip researchers across the enterprise with the guidance and resources needed to craft a successful electronic health record (EHR) data extraction request in collaboration with the CTSI Office of Informatics. |
| 11/19/25 | Screening Methodology and Statistics | Bev Levine, PhD Research Assistant Professor, Social Sciences and Health Policy |
This session will cover fundamentals of screening methodology (when to do it and how it is distinct from diagnostic tests screening) and common statistical measures used in screening (Sens, spec, NPV, PPV). |