Statistics and Methodology Research

We are developing and disseminating statistical methods and evaluation approaches to improve our understanding of how health care services and systems can improve the lives of individuals with mental illness and addiction.

Featured current research

Generalizing results from randomized trials to populations of interest

One way to make research results more relevant for policy making is to ensure that the subjects in studies reflect the individuals in the population that may be affected by any policy change.  Through grants from the National Institute of Drug Abuse, the National Science Foundation, and the Institute of Education Sciences, Dr. Stuart and Dr. Mojtabai have a body of research examining how well results from randomized trials may carry over to target populations of interest, including methodological work and applications, such as to the NIDA Clinical Trials Network.  Read the papers:

• The use of propensity scores to assess the generalizability of results from randomized trials
• Generalizing Evidence From Randomized Clinical Trials to Target Populations The ACTG 320 Trial

Estimating causal effects in non-experimental settings

Through grants from the National Institute of Mental Health and the Institute of Education Sciences Dr. Stuart and colleagues, including students, are developing and assessing statistical methods for better estimating causal effects in non-experimental settings.  These methods have been applied to estimate the effects of behavioral therapy after suicide attempt, alternative health care financing models, and nursing home report quality report cards. Learn more: 

• Suicide risk reduced after talk therapy, study suggests
• A Report Card for Doctors
• Generalizing Observational Study Results: Applying Propensity Score Methods to Complex Surveys
• Matching Methods for Causal Inference: A Review and a Look Forward
• Video: John McGready interviews Dr. Liz Stuart