Online Catalyst Workshop: 

  • Statement of need: Nowadays, research is considered a requirement at every step of medical and surgical training: from entering medical school, to matching into a residency or a fellowship to getting promoted from an instructor of Medicine to Assistant Professor to Associate Professor to a Professor of Medicine

  • Registration fee:

                                 

                                - Residents and fellows:      $550       

                                - Non-trainees:                     $675

        

  • The workshop registration fee includes the following:   

                      - 18 AMA category 1 CME credits

                      - The complete STATA program (do file) of an already published article using NIS                     

                      - Ready to use STATA do files for the commands used

                     - Complimentary access to ThinkBig, the private online large database analysis research community                               where members can ask questions, get answers and discuss everything related to large database                                 analysis research. Currently the community contains more than 150 members 

                      

  • Requirements: 

                                           - A computer with a connection to the internet

                                           - STATA statistical package

                                           - National Inpatient Sample (NIS) database

  • Pre-requisit: 

                                  - No knowledge in biostatisitcs is required

                                  - The Catalyst Online Workshop is aimed at physicians, physicians in training, medical students,                                      nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurses, clinical researchers and clinical providers

                                  - An optional 1 hour online lecture is available for free for participants who need a refresher or                                      an introduction to the very basic statistical concepts

  • Large database analysis research is the perfect solution to all the problems above. It can be done:

                 - Without the need for funding

                 - Without the need for special equipment or a lab space  

                 - Without the need for research assistants or data gathering

                 - Without the need for a statistician

                 - Anywhere: home, hospital, on-call room, coffe shop, beach, ski resort... All you need is a computer

                 - Fast: since no data collection is needed, it is the fastest way to produce high quality research and turn it                       to posters and oral presentations at national meetings, peer-reviewed published articles and win awards

                 - Quarantine/Pandemic proof: It is perfectly adapted to being alone and confined to one space

  • Most importantly, analyzing NIS and other publicly available databases without the appropriate knowledge of the statisitcal considerations and limitations specific to those databases can backfire. It not only gives the authors a negative reputation, but it also leads to faulty evidence which clinical pratice might rely on. A recent article in JAMA (Khera et al. JAMA. 2017;318: 2011-18) showed that 85% of studies using NIS did not adhere to one or more required research practices pertaining to data structure, analysis, or interpretation

  • Software:  STATA

                                           - STATA IC is enough to analyze all HCUP databases including NIS and NEDS

                                           - Free 30-day trial licenses are available from STATA

                                           - Discounted licences to trainees, students and academic institutions affiliates are available                                                from STATA                     

Theoretical section: 

The theoretical part is a series of videos during which the statisitcal knowledge and scientific principles needed to conduct large database analysis research is presented. The topics covered are: 

  1. Overview of Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) and Nationwide Emergency Department Sample (NEDS):             - Understanding stratified sampling                                                                                                                                                -  NIS and NEDS data elements
  2. Type of studies that can be conducted using NIS/NEDS
  3. Type of studies that cannot be conducted using NIS/NEDS                              
  4. In depth look at the ICD-9 and ICD-10 codes and their correct use                                                                         
  5. Hypothesis testing, p-values and confidence intervals
  6. Confounders and ways to adjust for them
  7. Linear regression (univariate and multivariate)           
  8. Logistic regression (univariate and multivariate
  9. Multivariate analysis model building

  • Basic statistics: mean, proportions, incidence, prevalance, etc...   : This is an optional online lecture highly recommended for participants with limited biostatistics knowledge                                                  


Hands-on section:

During the hands-on part, participants practice all steps involved in completing a research project:

 - locating NIS online and ordering it

 - Installing NIS on the computer

 - Using the most common STATA commands and do loops:

  • Creating new variables 
  • Deleting and modifying variables
  • Using STATA do loops to define the patient cohort and exposure of interest using ICD-9/10 codes
  • Using STATS do loops to calculate time from admission to a procedure and number of time a procedure was repeated during the admission
  • Calculating totals, means for continuous variables
  • Calculating proportions for dichotomous variables
  • Calculating p-values using student's t-test and chi-square/Fisher exact test
  • Adjusting for confounders using linear and logistic multivariate regression analysis

- Participants will also go line by line, command by command, over the do file of an already published research article using NIS to understand how everything fits together. The do file can also be used as a template for future research projects

Registration for the Online Catalyst Workshop is now open: 

  • Curriculum: 

                          The workshop is composed of two sections:

                                       - Hands-on section: Modules 1, 3 and 5

                                       - Theoretical section: Modules 2 and 4     

  • Database:  Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) and National Emergency Department Sample (NEDS)

                                    - Largest inpatient and Emergency Department databases in the United States, respectively

                                    - Easily accessible and offering student/traininee discount from the provider 

                                    - The same skills can be used to analyze any large database with stratified sampling design                                                except National Readmission Database (HCUP-NRD)                  

  • Objective: The Online Catalyst Workshop is a completely online workshop that participants can stream at their own pace. It's aim is to transmit the statisitcal knowledge and the actual programming skills needed to independently conduct research studies using the National Inpatient Sample (NIS) - or other large databases - and STATA statistical package.                  

  • If you would like to overhaul your CV by adding research abstracts, published articles and research awards to it within the time frame to apply for the match, then the Online Catalyst Workshop was made for you

to go to the registration page 

to go to www.onlinecatalystworkshop.com 

  • Workshop Reviews:

  •  "The Online Catalyst Workshop is amazing. The content and Videos are simply impressive. I highly recommend the workshop to anyone intersted in becoming involved in research" - Ahmed M Altibi, MD - Harvard School of Public Health
  • "This is an amazing online course. I spent endless time before the workshop trying to get a research project going. I started working on a project as soon as I finished watching the videos. Absolutely worth the effort and commitment" - Don Matthew, MD
  • "I attended both the in-person workshop and the Online Catalyst Workshop. The Online Catalyst Workshop not only has more material than the in-person workshop, but it is also more enjoyable since it is streamable on demand. The workshop literally changed my life! It is hands down the best activity I attended in my training."  - Paul Kroner, MD - Mayo Clinic Florida
  • " I give the course 5 stars. Marc Georgi really explains everything from scratch with the right amount of detail. Large database analysis is definitely an extremely useful skillset to have and this course can set you on the right path to perform those research projects.  Would highly recommend!" - Satyam Krishan, MD - University of Oklahoma Medical Center
  • "I really appreciate you creating the workshop. It is an invaluable asset for people interested in research. I will be sharing this workshop with my colleagues. Great work!!" - Hamid Ullah, MD - Charleston Area Medical Center
  • "This is an absolutely amazing course, especially for residents and fellows who have time constraints. I recommend this course to everyone who wants to learn and become confident in analyzing NIS and publish independent research." - Siddharth Agarwal MBBS, University of Oklahoma Medical Center
  • "To put it simply: I match for a fellowship position in cardiology. It would not have been possible without the Catalyst Workshop. Thank you so much Marc for this fantastic workshop " - Neel Patel, MD - Interfaith Medical Center
  • "The online workshop is perfect for learners with constrained schedules. It presents the essential knowledge needed to begin publishing and provides valuable expertise for experienced researchers. If you desire to be published but do not know where to start - here it is." - Joseph Heaton, MD MBA MBS - Brooklyn Hospital Center