- Docente: Francesco Saverio Violante
- Credits: 3
- SSD: MED/44
- Language: Italian
- Teaching Mode: In-person learning (entirely or partially)
- Campus: Bologna
- Corso: Second cycle degree programme (LM) in Health Professions of Prevention Sciences (cod. 8878)
Learning outcomes
The aim of the course is to introduce the scientific method, the concepts of causal inference, the issue of uncertainty when judging scientific evidence, and the evidence-based decision process.
Course contents
Topics covered by the course:
- The scientific method
- Definition of cause in medicine
- Difference between association and causality: how can we prevent/treat a disease?
- Counterfactual reasoning
- Graphical models for causality
- Probabilistic models: sources of uncertainty and their interpretation
- Bayes theorem: how to interpret evidence from a single study
- Decision analysis
- Precautionary principle vs evidence-based decision making: how much evidence is necessary?
Readings/Bibliography
Lindley DV. Understanding Uncertainty. Wiley, 2014
Pearl J, Glymour M, Jewell NP. Causal Inference in Statistics. A Primer. Wiley, 2016.Teaching methods
The course will be articulated in frontal lectures and worked examples.
Office hours
See the website of Francesco Saverio Violante