Center for Causal Inference (CCI)

Mission 1: Methods Development

The CCI will support the development of novel causal inference methods. Areas of focus include: Instrumental variables; matching; mediation; Bayesian nonparametric models; semiparametric theory and methods; propensity scores; structural nested models; estimating optimal dynamic treatment strategies; and sensitivity analysis. The development of these methods also include software, such as R packages, making it easier for researchers to implement the new methods.

Mission 2: Collaborative Research

The promotion of multidisciplinary collaborative research is a major goal of the CCI. Currently, Penn researchers in causal inference play major roles in many fields within the School of Medicine and beyond, including: chronic kidney disease, behavior and addiction, cancer, criminology, critical care, economics, education, genetics, health policy, infectious disease, imaging, marketing, pediatrics, pharmacoepidemiology, political science, and psychology. The CCI is looking to enhance and expand these collaborations.

Mission 3: Education & Training

With the rapid increase in detailed data sources that can be linked (such as electronic medical records, medical claims, imaging, high-throughput biological data, and geocoded-data), there is a corresponding increase in the need for new causal inference theory and methods. In addition, as new statistical methods are developed, there is a need for practitioners (such as epidemiologists and clinical researchers) to be trained in these methods. Thus, the educational mission of the CCI is twofold. First, the CCI will educate statisticians and biostatisticians in causal inference methods, and offer mentorship as they begin independent research in this area. Second, the CCI will educate researchers on the latest causal inference methods: from implementation, to interpretation, to the checking of assumptions and sensitivity analyses.