Among the distinguished guests were Robert Platt of McGill University, Sonia Grandi from SickKids (The Hospital for Sick Children), and Marleen van Gelder from Radboud University, alongside guest researcher Mollie Wood from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. Their presence enriched our discussions and collaborative potential within pharmacoepidemiology. These experts engaged in fruitful one-on-one meetings and focused group discussions, emphasizing collaborative research efforts to enhance understanding of medication safety and efficacy.
Several partners were able to attend the RealArt work hub this week. A standout feature of the day was the presentations that provided fresh insights into new research findings. Robert Platt, Sonia Grandi, and Mollie Wood shared news from ongoing research projects, including the Canadian Network for Observational Drug Effect Studies (CNODES), where Robert discussed their work on transportability and federated analyses. Mollie compared multiple different algorithms developed to identify pregnancy using administrative health data from the U.S.A., providing hope for improved observational studies in perinatal epidemiology.
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In addition to our visiting scholars, Hedvig (head of the iAPOGEE and RealArt projects) presented an overview of the UiO:RealArt convergence environment, highlighting several studies conducted within this framework. She elaborated on the UiO algorithm for identifying miscarriages, a significant achievement carried out in collaboration with Marleen and her team. This work is emblematic of RealArt's commitment to integrating methodologies that are novel and essential to advancing perinatal epidemiology.
Milena (RealArt member) showcased her work on model selection for causal effect estimation, utilizing realistic simulations, while Maria (PhD student at RealArt) presented her insights into genetic confounding in Epigenome-wide Association Studies (EWAS). She also shed light on a study examining whether generative AI might render common data models obsolete.
The iAPOGEE consortium's mission to foster collaboration in pharmaco- and genetic epidemiology aligns with the goals of the UiO:RealArt convergence environment. The latter is dedicated to combatting methodological stagnation within perinatal epidemiology by unifying machine learning, pharmacological and biological sciences, alongside social and education sciences. As the PharmaSafe research group continues to cultivate these essential international partnerships, we remain optimistic about the collective impact of our collaborative efforts on drug safety and optimal medication use, empowering researchers to address elusive questions that extend beyond the scope of traditional randomized controlled trials.