- Methodology Center (Penn State)
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The Methodology Center is a research center in the College of Health and Human Development at the University Park campus of Penn State University. The Methodology Center develops methods for use by prevention and treatment scientists in research on HIV, drug abuse, and related disorders.
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Mission
In collaboration with prevention and treatment scientists, The Methodology Center identifies pressing issues in statistics, research design, and measurement; conducts original research on these issues; and applies the new methods in empirical research. The methods are disseminated through peer-reviewed publications, trainings, workshops, conference presentations, and free software. The Methodology Center strives to improve quantitative methods to ensure that scientists can appropriately and efficiently address research questions, make more valid conclusions, and consider new and innovative avenues of scientific inquiry.
Research areas
- Dr. Linda Collins leads research focused on the optimization of health interventions; both of her projects are developing an engineering-based framework for building the most efficient and effective interventions possible.
- Dr. Donna Coffman directs the center’s work on causal analysis; this project develops methods for measuring how covariates impact outcomes.
- Dr. Stephanie Lanza directs the project on finite mixture models, particularly latent class analysis and latent transition analysis; her team is developing and applying new models for identifying underlying subgroups in a population.
- Dr. Runze Li directs work on the analysis of intensive longitudinal data; both of his projects enable researchers to maximize use of data collected over many points in time.
- Dr. Susan Murphy directs the Center’s work on methodology for developing adaptive health interventions; this project enables researchers to empirically identify sequential decision rules for altering treatments.[1]
- Dr. Rachel Smith is conducting a pilot project related to the analysis of data characterizing social networks.
References
External references
Categories:
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
