DBEI, CCEB, and ITMAT Continuing Education Series in Epidemiologic Methods presents Fall 2026 "Understanding Target Trial Emulation:“Balancing Act: Propensity Score Methods in Observational Research”

Join DBEI, CCEB, and ITMAT for a fall series exploring key topics in epidemiologic methods, including target trial emulation, propensity score methods, pragmatic trials, and cluster trials. The series features Penn faculty and experts discussing practical approaches and emerging methods in epidemiologic research.

Randomized trials use randomization to create comparable treatment groups, but many important clinical and public health questions must be studied using observational data. In these settings, differences between groups can introduce confounding and complicate efforts to estimate treatment effects. Propensity score methods have become one of the most widely used approaches for addressing this challenge.

This session will provide an accessible, non-technical introduction to propensity score methods, including what propensity scores are, why they are used, and how they help create more comparable groups in observational research. Participants will learn about common propensity score approaches, such as matching and weighting, the key assumptions underlying these methods, and important strengths and limitations to consider when interpreting study findings. Special emphasis will be placed on understanding what propensity scores can and cannot do, and on critically evaluating propensity score analyses in the medical and public health literature.